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| Gods & Goddesses
Branwen
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BranwenGoddess of Love and BeautyPantheon: Celtic Element: Water Sphere of Influence: Love and Beauty Preferred colors: Associated symbol: Cauldron Associated Planet: Venus |
Sister of Bran the Blessed and wife of the Irish king Matholwch. Goddess of love and beauty. One of the three matriarchs of Britain. Often referred to as the Lady of the Lake. | |
Additional Information on Branwen from WikipediaInformation is unedited and uncheckedn Celtic mythology, Branwen was a daughter of Llyr and Penarddun and a goddess of love and beauty.According to the Mabinogion, Branwen was courted by an Irish king named Matholwch, who gave her brother, Bran the Blessed|Bran, horses to curry his favor. Efnisien, a half-brother of Branwen and Bran, mutilated the horses; Matholwch was irate until Bran gave him a cauldron which restored the dead to life. Branwen was treated cruelly by her husband Matholwch. Bran sailed from Wales to Ireland to rescue her with his brother, Manawydan. When Matholwch saw the giant, he asked for peace and built a house big enough for him. Matholwch agreed to let Bran live with them and give the kingdom to Gwern, his son by Branwen. The Irish lords didnt like the idea, so they hid themselves in flour bags to attack the Welsh. Efnisien guessed what was happening and threw them into the fire, along with Gwern. In the ensuing war, Efnisien and Bran died. Efnisien threw himself in the cauldron earlier given to Matholwch, which broke; he stayed dead. Branwen went to Aber Alaw and died there. Brans head, still alive, was buried in England. Legend said that as long as the head was there, England would live on. This text is made available under the GNU Free Documentation License Agreement. The full text of this article is available for download here. (Branwen) | |