Nimue Brown posted: " Pagan Portals Blodeuwedd by Jhenah Telyndr is an introduction to a figure from Welsh myth many people (me included) consider to be a Goddess. This is a small book, but remarkably rich with information while being perfectly readable. The writing is be"
Pagan Portals Blodeuwedd by Jhenah Telyndr is an introduction to a figure from Welsh myth many people (me included) consider to be a Goddess. This is a small book, but remarkably rich with information while being perfectly readable. The writing is beautiful and evocative, academically informed but written for a broad Pagan audience.
Jhenah explores the various literary sources for Blodeuwedd. She also puts the story into the cultural context in which mediaeval Welsh readers would have seen it. There's also exploration of how this myth relates to other stories from a wider Celtic context. From this basis, Jhenah is able to identify aspects of the story that suggest the original characters were divine.
I first encountered Bloduewedd by way of Alan Garner's The Own Service. As a child I was keen to know more about the underlying myths and moved on to Kevin Crossley-Holland's interpretation of the stories. It's been with me ever since. I've spent a lot of time sitting with this story, and contemplating it. There were things I'd wondered about on my own that this book confirmed for me. There was also a great deal that I didn't know. The medieval Welsh content opened up an array of new perspectives for me.
One of the things I especially like about this book is that it is multifaceted. It doesn't offer us a single fixed truth about who Blodeuwedd 'really' was. What's demonstrated is that stories change over time because to stay alive, they have to be adapted to their times. The Blodeuwedd of the mediaeval story exists in a very different context to the one in which modern readers will encounter her. Who she was in older versions is hinted at, and we can speculate.
If you are new to exploring Welsh mythology, I heartily recommend this book. If you're drawn to Blodeuwedd but don't know where to start, this book contains not only an exploration of the myths, but guidance for working with her as a Goddess. As someone who has been involved with this story for some time, I found the book had a great deal to offer me – if Welsh scholarship isn't part of what you do, you will likely find this book enormously helpful.
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