Mourn with me for the bright shining
that has been cut down.

Blodeuwedd is the Welsh Goddess of spring created from flowers, and the wife of Lleu, son of Arianrhod. In the late Christianized myth, She was created by the great magicians Math and Gwydion to be Lleu's mate, in response to a curse pronounced by his mother that he would never have a wife from any race then on the Earth. They fashioned Blodeuwedd from flowers and breathed life into Her. She proved treacherous to Lleu, and She and Her lover Gronw Pebyr plotted against him, grieviously wounding the otherwise invulnerable Lleu by tricking him into the only pose in which he could be harmed. Blodeuwedd was punished for this by being transformed into the night-bird, the owl, though She kept her name--in Welsh, blodeuwedd, meaning "Flower-face", is a name for the owl.

She represents temporary beauty and the bright blooming that must come full circle through death: She is the promise of autumn visible in spring.

Pronunciation: bluh DIE weth ("th" as in "weather")

Alternate spellings: Blodeuedd, Blodewedd

To read Her tale, go here.

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