Blodeuwedd: Flower Maiden, Heroine, or Tragic Victim

Her story starts off a lot like a Ancient Welsh version of Weird Science. You know that 1980s movie where a bunch of teen boys put some stuff together, use a little magic and technology and end us creating their ideal woman. Well, thousands of years ago, The Mabinogi tells of two Welsh Wizards doing just that.

A little background on this tale, Lleu was a powerful god who had an over-protective mother. Arianrhod was a boy mom and wanted to protect her son from a wife that would only marry him for power. She did what any mother would do to protect her son; she placed a curse on Lleu that he could never have a wife from any of the races of Earth.

Lleu’s cousins and the most powerful wizards in Wales, Math and Gwydyon, decide to remedy this curse. They met one night in the woods and created a woman for Lleu that was not of any of the races of Earth. She would be made from the blossoms of flowers. They choose nine blossoms, combined them together, and with their combined magic created a woman that was considered the most beautiful in the world.

Math and Gwydyon carefully choose the flowers they created Llue’s wife from. This bride was created from Oak flowers , meadowsweet , broom, burdock (also referred to as cockle dock), Bean blossoms, nettle, chestnut flowers, primrose, and hawthorn blossoms. These are common flowers in Wales, but also they are symbols of strength, healing, protection, and fertility. Attributes fit for a Queen and Goddess. She was also the fairest and most beautiful woman Lleu had ever seen.

This woman was presented to Lleu and he fell in love with her. They were married and began their life together. The Bride was a dutiful and loving wife only concerned with the comfort of Lleu. Beautiful and caring, the perfect queen. Until Lleu had to go on a trip to do kingly business.

The Bride kissed her king good bye and stayed behind to maintain the castle. She did a very good job of keeping the castle going in Lleu’s absence. But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the Bride began to feel lonely and wished for someone to talk to.

One day there is a break in the monotony of life in the castle without Lleu, a hunting party comes through the area searching for a stag. The Bride offers the hunting party hospitality while they are hunting in the area and they accept. Almost from first sight, the Bride falls in love with the leader of the hunting party, Gronw Pebr, Lord of Penllyn. What starts with a little flirtation turns into an affair. Once the affair is in full swing, the Bride convinces Gronw that they need to kill her husband the king.

Killing the king was not going to be an easy task, seeing how the king was immortal and a son of the Goddess Arianrhod. When Lleu returns the Bride begins to discover what weapon can kill her husband. It turns out that a spear made in a very specific way is the weapon of choice, so she sets Gronw about forging this weapon. Once the spear was forged, the Bride convinces her husband to stand in the special way needed for the spear to be effective. The Bride and her lover stab Lleu with the spear. Instead of dying, he transforms into a mighty eagle and flies away.

The lovers begin their happy life together, but others are worried about Lleu and search for him. It was Gwydyon who found his cousin in an oak tree still in eagle form. This mythic oak tree has a sow at the base that eats the rotting flesh that falls off the eagle from above. Seeing his cousin suffering and dying, Gwydyon sets about healing Lleu with a magical set of three poems. Once healed, Lleu transforms back into a human . This is the point that Gwydyon learns of his creation’s part in the betrayal and attempted assassination of Lleu.

They two men go back and set about punishing the lovers for their crimes. The Bride initially escapes but is later captured by Gwydyon and transforms her into an owl. This owl was given the name Blodeuwedd (Flower Face) and cursed to be shunned by all other birds to the point that the only time she can show here face is at night. Her lonely hoots can be heard as she mourns the human body she wishes she could transform back into. For his part in the assassination, Gronw was executed.

Blodeuwedd was probably a myth to warn women to stay faithful to the spouse they were married to. Her marriage was in a sense an arranged marriage and not one of love. During a time when royal marriages were often arranged marriages for political advancement, being content with your spouse was encouraged. The tale of Blodeuwedd stood to remind brides to not seek love or passion outside of their marriage because it could destroy their lives and lead them to ruin. It protected the patriarchy of the time.

Modern witches honor her not only as the Goddess of Flowers and Spring , but also as a symbol of a woman who made her own choices about the direction of her life despite what others chose for her. Yes, her story is sad but through a modern lens, she is a symbol of courage and strength to make your own destiny.