Gwyn ap Nudd
Ancient British God & Hero
Whilst myths and dreams can awaken our personal values, their symbolic forms can be used to work with and learn from. To gain strength in what we do it is helpful to understand why we do anything and likewise if we choose to possess something it can be helpful to understand the value of its use to us. Though many people wear a Cross or a Star of David, not so many know these symbols predate both Christianity and Judaism. As with many symbols associated with ways of being and thinking familiar to us, the ancients used them first and drew from them their own sacred meaning.
Similar to the Kabalistic Tree of Life, there is a classical ancient pattern of three circles which interlock each other. Jung identified Man as having three main aspects to his personality which he called the ‘Id’, the ‘Ego’ and the ‘Super Ego’ – the ancients called their interlocking circles the ‘Three Worlds’ and saw them as symbols representing our three states of mind!
To explain, they had envisaged the circle within as representative of what they called the ‘Lunar World’ of the mind, that which is related to all that is both natural and manifested, ie the forces of nature and that which consists of our conscious and unconscious actions.
The Lunar World was where the conscious mind passed through in its pursuit of conscious awakening. In symbolic language our ancestors termed this stage as the passing through a ‘Rose Doorway’. From it, they believed they would be able to sense their own inner powers, and likened to the configuration of a spiral, they would be able to convey their energy of thought outwards, into the realms of the Universe. The term for this then became known as ‘Solar’ thinking because a link was considered to have been made between the conveyer and the Universe. To signify this the mind was termed as being in the "Solar World" of itself.
From the second circle of the Solar World, the mind was in the best place to perceive living knowledge, in respect of the powers of creation and destruction that make life as we know it. Everything then was a life challenge as in learning how to balance the opposing polarities that constitute life's daily events, it was believed that was on the outside was for reflecting on in the pursuit of awareness (Gwynvyd).
From the position of the Solar World, the awareness that was achieved could present another option to pass on to (another portal to pass on through) that this time was called the Purple Doorway. From this place of experiencing what the mind was able to comprehend, the subject could experience ‘Twilight’ (the ancient term for ‘two lights’). Events now lived through did not necessarily have to be related and this could arise in unusual anomalies and coincidences occurring at an increased level, as awareness and acceptance of such things developed rapidly. The ancients regarded this state of being as an engagement with the ‘Convocation of Light’ where the potential for living all detail was considered unlimited. If a subject could accept further transformation they could pass further on into their ‘Stella World’ of being.
It was within the Stella World of the mind where the Celt believed they were One with the Constellations and the Underworld, each together having associations with primal and cationic aspects of an individual's personality. Jung called this area of ourselves the Id and viewed it as the guise for many active and reactive archetypes, one being ‘the Hero’. Similarly, the Celts related to them as personifications of themselves and called them deities. For the ancient Celt, this was the place in your mind where an individual could merge his conscious with all that is. The place where heroes could lie with their Goddess before they died for her, literally and symbolically lying with one of her priestesses the night before before they were to lay down their lives.
The Celtic Circles of Existence
Like the Three Worlds represent three states of the ancient's mind, the Celtic Circles of Existence represented states of being that provide a function of evolution.
To begin with it was believed that all life started in ‘The Source’, better known as Annwn, which is a state of ignorance. From within it life begins and choices are made to live responsibly or not. The choice not to maintains the state of Annwn. The choice to be responsible develops an awareness of the self and the connection with all else, living and otherwise.
It is by becoming more aware that the individual was believed to be able to pass into the state of ‘Rebirth’, known as Abred. Through the continued development of awareness this state constituted self awareness and was known to the native British as Gwynvyd.
Gwynvyd was reached through being sincere and living sincerely! It was a non judgemental and unconditional way of existing that in application to another could be addressed as Love but gained its true strength through the practice of awareness.
In Celtic belief Dana (or God) was the creator of all life forms that had to live every possible life existence in order to achieve ‘Total Awareness’. That final state of Being was Ceugant and was known only to the Creator.
The pentagram, whilst not known to be a symbol used in ancient Britain, was probably first brought to the country by the masons who placed it in the structure of their churches and cathedrals. Earlier examples of the pentagram were believed to be Babylonian, but later early Christians used it for several centuries to represent the five wounds of Christ.
The Egyptians highly revered it and possibly used it first. They called it ‘The Star of Venus’ as they had noticed the planet Venus took around 40 years to move in the shape of a five pointed star - the sun always at its centre. Believing that this was a sign to equate with knowledge, ‘The Star of Venus’ became the symbol of the Sacred Feminine/Knowledge Absolute/Perfect Beauty - terms used to depict the Great Goddess as she was known to the ancients. She has also been known as the Universe (or the ‘Macrocosm’) of the pentagram as represented by the circle. The ‘Star of the Microcosm’, the star within the circle, was known as the ‘Little Universe’ because of a resemblance to a Human Being standing with arms and legs outstretched. This in turn became representative of Man’s divine existence within his Creator, uniting both male and female energies.
But as well as representing perfect knowledge and beauty, the pentagram is perfectly symmetrical. As a mathematical product of a perfect equation that can be found in every form of life, it is associated with Pythagoras who identified within its pattern a mathematical secret now called the ‘Golden Section’.
Yet another term for the interlaced five pointed star is the ‘Endless Knot’. This is because it can be inscribed without breaking the line and was used by the ancients to bless themselves. In ancient beliefs, the topmost point was representative of Spirit/Deity - the divine source of Life. It was thought that Man, though divine, would inevitably fall from this point in the pursuit of finding himself. His fall would be to his lowest form of existence and that was represented in a descent to the lowest left-hand angle. From there ascent to a could be achieved through becoming more aware of himself. The rise would lift him to the upper right-hand angle where Man would then encounter his own sense of humanity – erring and suffering but learn that he could choose to be responsible.
The practice of responsibility related to Man becoming sincere in all his actions and intentions before he was able to cross to the upper left-hand angle. The only flaw here was that Man was believed to be constructed on a need for personal ambition, which meant his material nature would descend him again without the guidance of his spirit to uplift him – his own ability to make wise decisions. His conscience, in this instance, was his greatest guide if he chose to observe it, if he didn't another descent would drop him to the lower right-hand level.
Though Man could remain at great length in his worse natural state, it was also believed that he wouldn’t remain there. A sense of awareness or consciousness would begin to guide him in opposition to that which had descended him. And as reflected in the pattern of the pentagram as being inconclusive because its pattern is ‘Endless’, Man state of being was expected to rise again. As issued through the Cervix of the Universe, it was believed Man would finally open his soul to become One with his Divine Source.
The ancients used vessels for cooking and carrying water but none was more proficient than the largest of all, the cauldron.
Generally this vessel has become associated with the element of water, the west direction and all that is associated with emotions, relationships, etc. However, the cauldron has many other significant associations too. It can be experienced as a cast iron pot for cooking in or an apparatus that can be used for candle work or scrying. This is because when filled with water it provides a perfect dark reflection but as a deep, safe vessel it can also be left unattended for a candle to burn in from one end to another.
Another special way of experiencing the cauldron is to examine its meaning as the Cauldron of Rebirth. For the ancient Celt this image conveyed a strength uniquely spiritual and representative of their total being. It was the eternal metaphor for explaining Mankind’s existence and was later coined 'the Holy Grail' or Chalice as being the bearer of self- knowledge.
The Spiral has become a common archetypal image that can be seen everywhere, especially at Christmas when decorations and wrapping paper reflect an altered state of our unconscious minds.
Seen on megalithic monuments and temples around much of the world, including the Celtic countries, the spiral depicts spiritual and physical energies associated with eternal life, in its biological form this is our DNA. In that sense it is widely associated with cosmic symbolism as it is often represented by solar and lunar (masculine and feminine) energies that whirl, single or double, in a continuous course of creativity or destructiveness effectively mirroring life.
The ancients who pursued a form of ‘Initiation’, acknowledging a significant stage in their tribal life, would dance what was called the ‘Spiral Dance’. It consisted of winding inwards to represent the centre of the Universe, and then winding outwards to represent the rebirthing of Man’s spirit into his existence. If long lines of people gathered to do this on a mountainside it was probably more effective to witness from a distance and especially in the dark. Long snakelike movements of individuals bearing firelights would present a spectacular dramatic display of the ancient concept of what constitutes the life-force!
Oak trees were once so sacred to Pagans of Britain that they used to make their marriage vows under its leafy branches. Amongst other associations, it features in the ancient Welsh myth of Cad Goddeu that as a poem is most commonly titled: ‘The Battle of the Trees’ - a battle fought between the King of Annwn (Arawn) and the two sons of Don - Gwydion and Amathaon.
It is one of the thirstiest of trees due to its roots being as extensive as its outer appearance. Here we therefore have in balance a mirror for what the ground level is subdividing – the Heavenly and Underworld Realms by that which was called the Plains or land, as we generally know it.
The Druids revered all trees but most especially the oak. They revered it above human life, for if someone harmed this tree, it was customary to extract the naval of the offender and nail it to the tree that was damaged. The rest of the body was then spiralled around the trunk, thus covering it with entrails of the criminal.
According to the Druids calendar, the oak (or Duir as it was called) signified a month correlating with our June 10 to July 7 and marked the day Thursday. Its acorns were ideal as a pig-fattening agent whilst its wood was amongst the strongest of timbers for building homes, furniture and doors.
Interestingly, this seventh and most especial ‘Chieftan’ tree supplied its initial ‘D’ as part of the Druid’s ‘Tree Alphabet’. As a consequence, this letter became known as ‘The Doorway’ to all wisdom and may explain why ancient monuments, such as that at Woodhenge in Norfolk, use the Y of an individual oak in this manner. Buried by its trunk to the point of the V, anyone would have to literally pass through the oak to enter the Circle and therefore, symbolically, enter the meaning of the Great Oak itself.
At Midsummer, the Oak King comes into being, or rather out of it. As Twelve is the number traditionally associated with the oak, it was believed that the God had twelve ‘merry men’ (comparing him with the legendary Robin Hood, although it is probably Robin who should be compared with the Oak King).
Also believed to have occurred at Midsummer was the representation of the Oak King by a real human sacrifice - a man chosen to enact the part of the God in the last throes of life. Summer had to die to allow the cyclical onset of Winter, therefore the longest day was perceived as the Great Goddess killing her God that on the longest night She could rebirth him again!
Sacrificial fires also marked the Midsummer rituals. Green oak was burned to give inspiration to those who danced around its firelights, however, sore eyes would result from acrid embers and strong vapours.
Other strong associations the Druids had with the oak was the colour black and a bird called the Wren, their connections being with Death. Oak darkens with age and blackens when hit by lightening, whilst the Wren was considered the oak’s soul.
Finally, in Celtic mythology, it is Blodeuwedd (Llew’s wife) who is created from the blossoms of an oak tree; in Greek tales, it is Pan who is the son of an oak-woodpecker and from pre-Celtic legends, it is Gwyn (not unlike Osiris and Arthur himself) who is buried in a boat-shaped oak coffin for his final journey to the Underworld.
If you cut an apple in half you will see the symbol that was once revered by the ancients as the Dark Goddess’s magical pentacle - this is the fivefold pips which are circled by the core element. The apple’s five pointed star also represents the Egyptian hieroglyph for the ‘Tuat’, which once was considered the equivalent to the Celtic Cauldron of Rebirth.
The Tuat (pronounced twat) was perceived as the Universe’s cervix from which all life is issued. It was drawn on in ritual, as in the working with Kore (the Virgin Dark Goddess) who was the middle eastern equivalent to the Celtic Goddess, Morgana.
Other meanings the apple has had is as a symbol of ‘Transformation’. As Glastonbury’s other name, Avalon (or Afalon) means the ‘Isle of Apples’, it was once considered that Glastonbury was a place of death or where the dead were brought to for their journey to the Underworld/their Afterlife.
Before the Romans invaded Britain, the Celtic apple was the symbol of matrimonial immortality. Celtic Kings and Heroes received a ripe fruit as a marriage declaration to the Goddess. These men were symbolic of her consort, the God, and so were bound by honour to observe the three heroic virtues: bravery, piety and generosity. Finally they were expected to lay with the Sacred Feminine when they died and therefore were laid in hallowed graves in tumuli's and barrows.
Samhain was the Celtic New Year and was also the time for remembering mortality. It was also the time for children to remember their ancestors so games were played with apples and children and adults alike entered into an atmosphere charged with themes such as resolution, eternal knowledge and love. One game that can still be played is to stand on a chair with an apple in one hand and a knife in the other. What follows then is to peel the apple whilst asking it who you will marry. When the skin breaks and falls to the floor, the shape most closely resembling a letter is supposed to suggest the initial of a future loved one.
Perhaps a more well-known game played at Samhain is Bobbing Apples. Someone who is bound and blindfolded has to extract a red apple from a bowl of water with their teeth! The exact meaning of this game can be drawn from Celtic literature where the red skin, white flesh and black seed is representative of existence. Also the water and apparatus is representative of the Cauldron of Rebirth and the seizing of the apple between the teeth is mirroring the meaning of the Dark Goddess who as the Lady of Death devours souls for the purpose of rebirthing them again.
The Winter Solstice marked other apple associated traditions. Wassailing was the customary merrymaking around a chosen apple tree. This was first symbolically doused with warm, spicy cider as an offering to the tree, and then larger amounts were consumed along with the performance of a play (or mummery) that used to be bawdy, ie sexual. Today people are more likely to settle for kissing under the mistletoe, the berry of which represented the semen of the Sky God who became the new Sun/Son born after the longest night - Yule!
In the ‘Battle of the Trees’ the apple tree features as a symbol of poetic immortality. Is also one of the Chieftan Trees that is not only known for its ability to bear fruit but has a bark suitable in the art of tanning. The Druid named it Quert and considered it synonymous with the White Moon Goddess or Apple White Goddess, aspects representing spring-time. By May day (the Goddess’s day and better known as ‘Lady Day’), apple trees are in full blossom. The Goddess now perceived as ripe for fertility would be represented by a virgin who would wear a crown of apple blossoms. In some instances as well, it is believed that as the seeds of life were encouraged to be sewn by the people running into the woods and groves to lay with each other, the virgin would consummate her love with her chosen hero, a representative of the God.
One who has a long association with the apple is Hecate, the ancient Triple Death Goddess. In Mediterranean myths that have crossed to European waters, this lady is depicted as holding the keys to the Universe and therefore was the one to approach for safe passageway to the Underworld.
Principally viewed as the Crone, Hecate had associations that some have interpreted as sinister whilst others have perceived them as mysterious!
As a three-fold being she was depicted as having six arms in which she carried three torches to light the Pathway within the Underworld. In the others arms she held an athame that was symbolic of ritual, a key that would open the realm of Secret Passageways and a scourge, with which she could challenge relenting souls that might resist her. It was at the cross-roads of the Underworld where Hecate would make her decision as to which realm a soul was fit for. Again there were three to choose from, the Asphodel Meadows of Grey Annwn, the dark waters of the Black Annwn and the Apple Orchards of the Middle Light.
Eve, another aspect of the Goddess, is most famous for giving an apple to her loved one, Adam. Accompanied by the ancient symbol of immortality, the serpent, Eve has been perceived as taking something away from Mankind that was in ancient stories first told as being given to him. She was the original Mother Goddess (or Mother Nature) whose role became negatively presented in the emergence of patriarchy.
The nocturnal owl, being active at night was associated with the dark side of nature. To the ancient Celt this was the perfect symbol to teach the initiate how to see when others could not! Their term for this was the ‘Power of Discernment’ and it had to be exercised to develop it.
Discernment could only be achieved after developing the senses to their utmost sensitivity i.e. total awareness. Hence, by learning to listen more, smelling that which was around them and seeing everything within their vision (including their periphery vision) to the finest detail - taste and touch as well, the power of discernment could come into being. Ultimately, the initiate was learning to become self-aware but first they had to understand the darker side of their nature so as to learn how to become free of it!
Another bird, the wren, was according to folk lore the King of the Birds. This legend may have grown from the Druids having revered it for its song. In its trills and broken whistles, it was studied for the purpose of formulating their omens and so for spiritual reasons the Druids may have learned how to speak its language.
The Hound, as like Gwyn’s Death’s Door, was the Celts companion. For hunting purposes it could track, was loyal and was extremely protective.
The Hare was the animal of the Goddess. Before cats were considered familiars it was the sight of a hare that represented luck and good blessings. The hare at Easter, or the Easter Bunny, is a carry-on from the symbolic story of the Goddess giving birth to life. For that reason eggs appear everywhere as they were the ancient symbol for new life.
Finally, the Dragon is the great beast that has sadly been given a lot of bad press. To the ancients, the dragon was a protective creature enlisted to guard the Earth and was venerated at the sacred sites the ancients would traverse to on paths spread out between them. In time the paths became roads and the temples on the sites were built on with churches and cathedrals carrying the symbol of the dragon but this time with a negative meaning as that to be fought and overcome.
For the ancient Celt there were five main colours, comparable with the colours of the Pentagram and the Celtic Wheel of Life.
Black was associated with North as that being where the sun sleeps in the earth. Red was associated with East as representative of it rising from there. White was perceived as South because at its highest the sun was most hot and powerful. Grey depicted twilight because as the sun descended it cooled and lost colour.
The colour that depicted spirituality was silver. It was also a precious metal and had lunar associations with the Sacred Feminine.
Colours of course have their own meaning. Black is generally the symbol of death, of sadness and of the Underworld whilst White represents purity, transcendence and the colour of death too. Red is associated with the mythical Annwn and blood, which is physical.
Grey, is a sort of halfway house between black and white, that being both negative and positive. Because of that it was empowered with the same symbology associated with those colours.
Before the advent of sexually transmitted diseases, Celtic Sex was the most precious of rituals between consenting adults. There were no unwanted pregnancies as children were sought after and anyone who produced them was highly valued.
Sacred Groves of Britain were blessed by mutual exchanges of sexual enactments. Certainly it is known that at the time of Beltane, couples would run into the woods and fields to make love in a symbolic fertilisation of the earth. The purpose being that if the soil was made productive it would yield enough food for another year.
More recently the May Pole has been used to more calmly generate the sexual energies between men and women. Based on Shamanic ritual dancing, the more well known modern version around a phallic symbol arrived only some hundreds of years ago. However, it is believed that the colours of the ribbons are significant as being likened to the those Celtic Pagans would have worn, ie red ribbons to represent the blood of the female and white ribbons to represent the semen of the male.
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