Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty
By Jhenah Telyndru
Moon Books, 1 August, 2021
ISBN: 1785352121
Like a gathering of flowers from hedge and field, or a cloak made of owl feathers, Blodeuwedd is a figure of great complexity. She is both Flower Maiden and Owl of Wisdom… unfaithful wife and representative of Sovereignty… fallen woman and feminist heroine… medieval cautionary tale and reclaimed divinity. Yet, for all of these seeming inconstancies, the key to understanding Blodeuwedd is being able to see her as a whole.
Bringing together strands of Celtic lore, Welsh literature, British folk practice, and modern devotion, Celticist Jhenah Telyndru weaves a solid foundation from which scholars and seekers alike can come into deeper relationship with this oft-misunderstood figure.
Ultimately, this journey to reclaim Blodeuwedd’s identity – a Sovereignty Goddess who ensured the cycle of the seasons by choosing, in turn, to partner with the Solar Hero of Summer and the Otherworldly Champion of Winter – reveals a transformational mythic pathway that can also guide us in the reclamation of our own sovereignty.
Cover art by Dan Goodfellow – http://www.dangoodfellow.co.uk/
Advance praise for Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty
Jhenah Telyndru has succeeded in beautifully weaving the complex, paradoxical nature of one of Wales’ most beloved deities into a clear and inspirational work. Beautifully written with passion and devotion, this book is as fragrantly delicious and divine as the flowers that went into the magical making of Blodeuwedd. This is a delightful tome that is sure to be a go-to classic, filled with the inimitable sagacity of Telyndru, and her love for the Goddesses of this magical land.
Kristoffer Hughes – Head of the Anglesey Druid Order, author of From the Cauldron Born: Exploring the magic of Welsh legend and Lore
With dedicated scholarship and awen-inspired storytelling, Jhenah Telyndru has gifted us with a richly textured honouring of a complex Goddess. Not with oak, broom, and meadowsweet, but with historical source material, modern texts, and her own talon-sharp insight, Ms. Telyndru has crafted a revisioning of Blodeuwedd that elevates Her to a central role as a seasonal sovereignty Goddess rather than the uni-dimensional Goddess who was punished for the betrayal of Her husband. It is time for Blodeuwedd to be given Her respectful and compassionate due. This book does that in spades, offering a deep exploration for all the intricate facets of Blodeuwedd’s story while weaving in significant contextual information such as the shifting social mores of medieval Wales.
Balancing a scholastic appreciation for the depth of this myth with the invitation to enter into relationship with the Goddess, Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty includes powerful workings that not only deepen a visceral, embodied understanding of the Goddess, but open one to the experience of self that is complex, sovereign, and imbued with wisdom. The world is well familiar with the light/dark aspects of the Greek Persephone in her dual role of Kore and Queen. How wonderful that there is finally a book that recognizes that same profound duality in Blodeuwedd – not as the Goddess who betrays but as the sovereign seasonal queen around whom the sacred union with dark and light in turn hinges. In the spirit of the true bard-priestess she is, Ms. Telyndru ends with a poetic homage to Blodeuwedd that uplifts as powerfully as the owl’s wing. For the scholarship, for the poetry, for the brilliance, you want to read this book.
Tiffany Lazic – Psychotherapist and author of The Great Work: Self-Knowledge and Healing Through the Wheel of the Year
Pagan Portals – Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty is an indispensable guide to this most beloved goddess from Welsh myth. Jhenah Telyndru makes excellent scholarly use of the sources, as well as drawing on her deep visionary experience to draw the spiritual wisdom from Blodeuwedd’s tale, showing us the goddess in all her power as well as her beauty. This book is both owls and flowers, grounded in the traditional lore, and a beautiful, insightful read. Valuable for all those devoted to a Celtic spiritual path, as well as an excellent devotional to one of our most misunderstood Goddesses of Sovereignty.
Danu Forest – Traditional wisewoman and Celtic scholar, author of several books including Wild Magic – Celtic Folk Traditions for the Solitary Practitioner
To pre-order:
https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/…/pagan-portals…
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1785352121/
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785352121/
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1785352121/