#about : ceridwen

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

👰‍♀️ Ceri?

Ceri and Jack get married a lot so this is just one of many but also my favourite

[midnightwind]

oh Solas Hates hates when you're Dalish and proud of it lmao

[bloodofthefates]

x. background & interactions

Nuala - name meaning “fair shoulder” or “fair-shouldered one” Cerridwen - name meaning “fair” or “blessed poetry”; mythological enchantress & goddess of the Underworld Allegiance: Velaris & The Night Court - Though Nuala & Cerridewen attend Feyre and later Elain as handmaidens or attendants, this is often a cover job title that is used to explain their accompaniment to the Inner Circle & High Lord & High Lady. Though their friendship and allegiance to both Archeron sisters keep them in these services when not directly working under their actual title as spies for Azriel or Rhys, they do ultimately serve and answer to them in all capacities. Ultimately, I think they serve Azriel first and foremost (take that as good or bad?) but abide by his loyalty to Rhys and subsequently align themselves with the High Lord. - Nesta and the power they sense from her feels foreign and not quite right, making both of the twins very uncomfortable around her and in her presence. They prefer to maintain their distance from her unless directly ordered to do so otherwise as she feels like unstable and untapped magic they are incredibly perceptive to. Due to their protectiveness of both Feyre and Elain especially, this compounds how they feel about the eldest Archeron and often the treatment of them they’ve witnessed (knowingly or unknowingly).

[au-ni-ro]

》 Birthday Card Series: February Edition 《

"Thank you very much for everyone's greetings, I wish we could celebrate my birthday in my hometown since birthdays there are festive, but I'm happy that everyone tries their best to make me happy in NRC."

- Evelyn Ceridwen

"Say, since it's my birthday, why don't we fly through the twilight sky and drink latte on our ride~? That's a bad idea? A little magic would solve the problem!"

- Rosetta Esprimere

"I don't like birthday parties, they're a bit too loud and messy for my liking. I'd prefer it if it was going out to eat at a 5-star buffet. What? You bought tickets for an amusement park? Ahem- I'll consider your invitation- Hey I did not protest any amusement park birthday celebration!!!"

- Raymond Karloff

========================

I managed to draw Evelyn's and Rosetta's birthdays before their birthdays but I ended up forgetting Raymond's 👹. College was preoccupying me grrr but alas I did the February batch and now onto the March batch which is ANOTHER 3 OCS.

For context of who they're TWST off for those who are curious:

Evelyn Ceridwen - Is not twst off of anyone, an original OC from my worldbuilding and the Yuu of the story

Rosetta Esprimere - Twst off of Latte Cookie from Cookie Run Kingdom

Raymond Karloff - Twst off of Reiji Sakamaki from Diabolik Lovers

[princeverlatta]

slowly but surely losing my shit over here this is fine everything is fine everyone around me makes good decisions all the time and never endanger the rest of the party

[hypnctics]

☼☾ ( AJ COOK , 45 / AROUND 1300 , SHE/HER , CISFEMALE , NIXIE, QUEEN ) - have you seen CERIDWEN FFLUR CEFNFOR?  they’ve been living in afon vale for OVER 1000 YEARS and they really think they’re safe. people say that they’re DECISIVE but i heard they’re EVASIVE. you can usually find them working as a NIXIE QUEEN at AFON VALE NIXIE COURT. they’ve tried hard to keep THEIR DESIRE TO CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF AFON VALE buried but the truth always comes out. a few things that remind me of them are … crystallised salt speckled through golden hair, a smile reserved for victory, benevolence that cannot be mistaken for tolerance, a hunger for a life unlived.

basics

full name : ceridwen fflur cefnfor

name meaning: poetry / song, white / fair, flower, ocean

nickname / alias: your majesty ( to her subjects ), ceri ( to her first consort )

gender / pronouns: she/her

sexuality: pansexual

age, birthday + star sign: 45/around 1300, 17th august + leo

place of birth: afon vale, wales

accent : south welsh

occupation: queen

associated locations: glydŵr cove

song: you should see me in a crown by billie eilish

appearance

faceclaim: aj cook

height: 5"9

eyecolor: pale blue

haircolor: golden blonde

build: willowy

tattoos / scars / key features: royal sigil at the base of her neck acquired when she became queen

personality

positive traits: decisive, resilient, diplomatic

negative traits: evasive, calculating, reticent

relationships

parents : queen catrin alys cefnfor ( mother, deceased ), alwyn bowen ( father )

siblings : angharad cefnfor ( younger sister ), bethan cefnfor ( younger sister ), ffion cefnfor ( younger sister ), heledd ( younger sister ), carwyn ( younger brother ), gruffudd ( younger brother ), owain ( younger brother ), steffan ( younger brother )

children : guinevere cefnfor ( eldest daughter ), middle cefnfor ( middle daughter ), arwen cefnfor ( youngest daughter )

pets : rhyfelwr ( fin whale )

other

species: nixie

characters she’s inspired by:

history

born a princess to the royal nixie court over 1300 years ago, ceridwen remembers very little of her childhood and what she does remember she represses. her mother queen catrin was a cold and cruel woman that ruled her kingdom without mercy. ceridwen was one of countless heirs her mother sired but as the first born, she bore the brunt of her mother's expectations. she had to be perfect, be the ideal, and was groomed to be a ruler from the day she was born.

her mother, the former queen, met a grisly end when ceridwen was only 300. assassinated under the instruction of a foreign court as revenge for failing to marry off her eldest to their own heir. inheriting the throne and the rivalry, ceridwen was quick to put an end to the problem by drawing in the support of other courts. where her mother had been an easy enemy, ceridwen was optimistic and diplomatic.

ceridwen promised herself from an early age that she would not rule like her mother had. that she would love her people, and show them warmth and kindness. but time is long, waters cold, and a naive heart is easily hardened - more and more ceridwen finds herself mirroring the monster she wished to avoid becoming.

as queen, it was a responsibility of hers to continue the family line should something befall her. as such she felt a vast pressure to have children but did not want to have countless, unloved heirs like her mother did. but ceridwen did not have an easy time getting pregnant, much to her buried grief she lost several children to miscarriage and stillbirth. her three successful children are the only thing she professes to love; though she reserves her affections for behind closed doors.

she has never married and doesn't believe romantic love is logical. her three consorts were chosen for their strong bloodlines, loyalty to the crown, and expectation to produce heirs. while she cares, in her own way, about each of her consorts - she has a different dynamic with each of them. her first consort is the only one she truly loves, though she would deny it. and if the choice was demanded of her, she would always put her kingdom first and he knows that.

the decision to emerge from the underwater court and position themselves in afon vale was hers and it is the first step in a long game she has been playing. for the moment, ceridwen is ascertaining which species can be trusted and which are worthy of allegiance. but she does aspire to one day claim afon vale for the cefnfor monarchy.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Reference: 5 Symbols

for your next poem/story (pt. 3)

CAULDRON

In understanding symbols, sometimes it is useful to simply look at the shape and see what it resembles.

The traditional cauldron represents nothing so much as the belly of a pregnant woman and, unsurprisingly, it is an important female symbol all over the world.

The circular shape of the cauldron gives another clue; the circle is a symbol of never-ending life and regeneration, and these themes recur repeatedly in stories containing cauldron symbolism.

The way the cauldron is used also gives a hint about its symbolic meaning.

Things are put into the cauldron, heated, and something different is taken out; the basic ingredients are transformed.

Therefore, the cauldron also symbolizes germination and transformation.

Traditionally, cauldrons have three legs:

The number 3 in this instance represents the triple aspect of the Great Goddess, or the three fates.

Shakespeare alludes to this when the three Weird Sisters—arguably the most famous witches in literature—cook up trouble at the beginning of Macbeth.

In pre-Christian literature, countless legends feature magical cauldrons, and it may be because of this that the cauldron has its witchy associations.

Celtic tales tell of cauldrons that contain an unending supply of food or of knowledge.

The dead are frequently thrown into a magical Cauldron of Rebirth and climb out the next day, alive once more.

Mythical warriors and heroes who died in battle are restored to life in this way.

Ceridwen (one of the most powerful witches in all of Celtic mythology and is typically depicted as simultaneously a mother and a wise woman) had a cauldron full of inspiration and magical powers.

In India, a magic life-giving food, called Soma, was brewed in three huge bottomless cauldrons.

In Greece, there are tales in which an ordeal of initiation involves the person boiling in a cauldron, but after the rite, the initiate emerges with magical powers, including the gift of immortality.

CHNOUBIS

The Chnoubis is a hybrid creature, with the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent.

It was carved onto stones for use as an amulet, providing protection against poisons in particular.

Amulets featuring the Chnoubis date back to the first century and it is supposed that this odd-looking creature may be related to Abraxas, whose image was used in a similar way.

CLADDAGH

The Claddagh is a popular symbol, often incorporated into the design of rings.

Traditionally used as a wedding ring, it is so-called because it was originally made in a Galway fishing village of the same name in 17th century Ireland.

However, the elements of the design are much older, stretching back into pre-Christian Celtic history.

The Romans had a popular ring design, the Fede, which featured clasped hands.

“Fede” means “fidelity.”

The Claddagh symbol features a heart held by a pair of hands.

A crown usually surmounts the heart.

These features represent love, friendship, and loyalty.

CORNUCOPIA

Also called the Horn of Plenty, the cornucopia is often depicted in paintings and on friezes where it symbolizes the notion of boundless abundance, as flowers, fruits, sheaves of wheat, and other produce spill out of a hollow horn or a twisting basket woven in the shape of the horn.

The origin of the cornucopia is found in the Greek myth of Amalthea.

Amalthea fed the infant Zeus a drink of goat’s milk and was given the brimming goat’s horn as a reward.

Sometimes the infant Zeus is depicted being fed the milk from the horn itself.

The Cornucopia, as a symbol of a bounteous harvest, is also associated with Ceres, the Goddess of corn, and also with Fortuna, Goddess of good fortune.

CROSSROADS

In fairy stories and myths, it is often at the crossroads where mischief awaits, usually in the form of other-worldly spirits.

Effectively, the crossroads symbolizes the intersection of two paths, making four potential routes, and a place where a decision must be made, not only practically, but metaphorically too.

The X of the crossroads marks a spot where two worlds meet.

The origins of this story go back to African folklore, where a deity called Esu was the guardian of the crossroads.

When Christianity took over, these old Gods were, quite literally, demonized, and Esu was transformed into the Devil.

Hecate, too, personified as the Queen of the Witches, was called the Goddess of the Crossroads.

In Celtic mythology, corpses belonging to those considered “unholy” were buried at crossroads in order to prevent them coming back to life and because the crossroads was a Gate to the Otherworld. Gibbets were placed at crossroads for the same reason.

Source ⚜ More: On Symbols ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[skyrim-forever]

WIP Wednesday

Hello everyone, it's another wednesday :) Thank you so much to the lovely @hircines-hunter and @umbracirrus for tagging me, lovley to see your wips

Tagging: @theoneandonlysemla @firefly-factory @throughtrialbyfire @bougainvillea-and-saltwater @changelingsandothernonsense

@lady-iizsil @sheirukitriesfandom @captain-of-silvenar @thequeenofthewinter @dirty-bosmer

@lucien-lachance @pocket-vvardvark

This week I bring you a snippet of Theo's grown up children. The general plot is her youngest, Ceridwen (Ceri) is bringing her Telvanni boyfriend home from the College of Winterhold to meet the family. This is a little scene over dinner where the girls (her brothers) are fighting :P

“What school is your focus?” Ricardo asks him. 

“Illusion.” Ralos answers. “I started off with Destruction but found it was for not me, whereas Ceri was the opposite.”  The eldest of the three speaks. 

“I’ve always found mages to be too caught up in their theory, not unlike this one.” He gestures to his brother. “They tend to forget life is much more than what’s written in their books.” His brother rolls his eyes. 

“You are surrounded by mages. By Auri-El, you, yourself are a conjurer.” Arthano’s brows furrow.

“That’s different.” He puts a hand to his chest. “I use an axe.”

“A bound axe.”

“And yet, it can cut through bone the same.” Ricardo grimaces at his words. Their father, Ondolemar as he’s told Ralos to address him as, pours himself more wine, sipping before speaking. 

“Boys, cannot you not be civil? At least for your sister’s sake? We have a guest, and need I remind you that you are family.” Both men look down. 

“I can be civil if he keeps thoughts like those to himself.” His fork goes into the salmon. “But must he wear the armour during dinner?”

“You didn’t complain about the armour when I protected your defenceless ass whilst you were transporting those books from the University of Gwylim last summer.”

“That was different, those were first editions, very valuable. Very attractive to the right individual.” Ricardo says exasperatedly. His brother chews his food for a bit, seemingly dropping the topic. 

“You know.” He has a sip of mead. “For someone who is a pacifist, you sure did worry about getting beaten up a lot. If only there was a way for, I don’t know, you to defend yourself? I suppose we can only dream.” 

“Boys, enough.” They ignore their father’s command as the younger of the two doubles down. 

“Why is it that Ceridwen is the one in Skyrim, yet you come back behaving as a brute from a backwater province?” Everyone’s eyes are wide at the brash comment. 

“Is that so?”Arthano stands up from the table but doesn’t get a chance to respond as a woman’s voice is heard. 

“Ricardo.” This must be their mother he thinks. She approaches, shorter than the rest of the family, yet still taller than him. Ricardo and Ceri share many of her features, dark hair, rounder features. Seeing her parents side by side now, as their mother takes the empty seat next to their father, he can definitely see the resemblance. Ceri and her older brother were very much a blend of the two, if in opposite ways. Her voice booms. “We do not refer to other lands as backwater provinces. Lest you forget if it was not for Skyrim, none of you even exist.” Turning away from where he was, she addressed the eldest. “And Arthano, must you provoke your brother? Especially at dinner, a dinner for your sister.”

“I’m sorry Ceri and mother and father.” He sinks back in the chair. Ondolemar speaks up. 

“Now apologize to each other, you both are more than capable of compromising."

“My apologies, brother.”

“Likewise, brother.” Their father serves her salmon while she looks directly at him. 

“And my apologies, both for my sons and for being late. Dealing with some work that dragged on much longer than I anticipated.” She flashes him a warm smile. “You must be Ralos, Ceri has written much about you.”

[orixi-389699]

Hey tumblers ive gone slightly mad

Anyways um yeah heres my son Variumn being struck by lightning as he flees from the clan after being chased out in an attempt to protect Indaviing from Ceridwen. took about 12 hours? Idk

[florence-end]

Hi there! Can i request a cassian x fem reader where reader is insecure about her looks and compares herself to all the women around her like Mor, Feyre and Nesta, and cassian comforts her? ❤️

Absolutely!! I love soft Cassian, he’s such a sweetie.

The streets were already busy with Friday night revellers making their way between bars and restaurants, and spilling out of clubs to get some fresh air. You were supposed to meet your friends hours ago but had got held up at work, meaning you had to race straight here. Luckily you had a change of clothes in your office but you hadn’t had time to refresh your hair and makeup before you left.

The bouncer on the door at Rita’s of course recognised you immediately as Cassian’s mate and let you in without a fuss. You made your way to the back of the club to the booth that the inner circle preferred to occupy on nights like these, but found it empty save for a few jackets and empty glasses.

Perusing the crowd for any familiar sets of wings, you found your group of friends in the centre of the dance floor. Rhys was twirling Feyre around in circles, Azriel leading Mor in something of a jig, and Cassian laughing with Nesta as they moved to the upbeat music. They all looked so perfect and carefree, clothes immaculate and skin glowing. The three girls had obviously had some help with their hair from Nuala and Ceridwen as the intricate braids made them look almost ethereal.

Suddenly you didn’t want to be there anymore. You felt bland and dull, and couldn’t imagine yourself fitting into such a perfectly balanced group of beautiful fae. Before they could notice you, you turned and strode quickly for the door, emerging back out onto the street. The only thing you hadn’t accounted for were Azriel’s shadows. They had clocked you as soon as you entered the club, always quite attuned to you given Azriel’s love for his brother, and by extension you. As soon as you left, Azriel pulled Cassian off the dance floor and whispered the direction you had gone in as well as what his shadows had deduced about your emotions. Upset and embarrassment being the main two.

Cassian wasted no time in running down the street, searching through the crowds for sight or scent of you. As he stood a head above everyone else, it didn’t take long to spot you sitting on a bench looking out across the river.

“Was my dancing really that bad that you didn’t want to say hello?” he asked teasingly as he sat down beside you.

You didn’t look at him, although you could feel his eyes on the side of your face. “What are you doing out here? You should be at Rita’s with your friends,” you ignored his question, trying to keep your voice light in the hope that he wouldn’t ask any questions you didn’t want to answer.

“Our friends are perfectly capable of having a good time without me. Besides, I haven’t seen you all day. Why did you leave?” he reached out for your hand as he spoke, accepting that you weren’t going to look at him but you might allow his touch.

“Everyone looked so glamorous and I didn’t fit in. I didn’t want to embarrass you, and you all had dancing partners so I figured I would just head home,” you mumbled while playing with his large calloused hand.

“What do you mean you didn’t fit in? You’d be the most beautiful person in that room if you showed up in a ratty old nightgown. And you know I save all my best dancing for you. You’re not upset that I was dancing with Nesta are you?” Cassian continued to probe.

“No of course not. I love Nesta and the others. I guess I just feel a bit insecure sometimes when I remember how cauldron blessed they are with their beautiful faces and elegant bodies and perfect hair. It’s hard not to compare myself,” you finally confessed.

“I find it hard not to compare everyone to you too,” Cassian began, causing you to look up at him in alarm. “No one matches up to how kind and funny you are, how intelligent, the perfect curves of your body and every feature of your face that makes you you. Honestly sometimes I tune everyone else out altogether while I’m waiting for you to arrive and brighten my day. Yes my friends are lovely are in their own ways but it’s you that I always want to see walking through those doors.”

You’re too choked up to respond and instead lean in to meet his lips with yours in a slow, sensual kiss. You barely register Cassian picking you up underneath your thighs and shooting up into the sky towards the house of wind where he can ravish you to his hearts content.

[cicelythereaper]

If I wanted to get really into medieval welsh literature instead of just reading everything in our beloved Hergest duo, do you have any recommendations on where to begin?

hi! sorry it took me so long to answer this but hopefully the length of the answer means it's worth the wait. by "our beloved hergest duo" i'm assuming you mean the white book of rhydderch and the red book of hergest, and more specifically the texts collected as the mabinogion from those two manuscripts - if i'm wrong let me know. i'm also assuming that you mainly want to read in english translation, at least to start with.

there is a LOT of medieval welsh literature out there beyond the mabinogion but a lot of it is harder to access. this is a rough menu of options with my honest opinions about how easy it is to get at these things:

the triads of the island of britain (trioedd ynys prydein), aka a big long list of People And Things From Welsh Tradition (Some Possibly Made Up). for this you want rachel bromwich's edition and translation: there are four different editions of this and all of them are expensive (and three of them are out of print). i recommend keeping an eye out on secondhand book websites for the 2nd edition (1978) or the 4th (2014), or bugging your library to see if they have, or will buy, either of these. if you're currently at uni you may be able to get access to an electronic version of the 4th edition.

material about merlin. maybe start with geoffrey of monmouth's latin vita merlini - this is less a reflection of welsh tradition and more an extremely lengthy riff on it, but still very interesting. a new translation of it can be found here! medieval merlin material in welsh is basically all prophetic poetry, mostly from the black book of carmarthen. at the moment, the best place to find translations of this is in the romance of merlin, ed. peter goodrich (1990) - again i recommend looking out for a secondhand copy or talking to your library. hopefully the myrddin project at cardiff will soon have fresh editions and translations for us available online! (in the meantime, here's their twitter.) there's also armes prydein vawr, a somewhat different type of prophecy poem also associated with merlin/myrddin and generally dated to the 10th century, which you can find on archive.org here.

material associated with taliesin. this comes in many shapes and sizes. first of all, there's praise poetry attributed to taliesin and addressed to the 6th-century king urien of rheged: this is mostly translated in the two clancy anthologies i'm going to cite further down, but if you want the welsh text, the best place to find it is probably in ifor williams' edition (translated into english as the poems of taliesin by j. e. caerwyn williams, available from the dublin institute for advanced studies). second of all, there's All The Other Poetry Attributed To Taliesin: for this you want marged haycock's legendary poems from the book of taliesin and prophecies from the book of taliesin. again with these i recommend the secondhand or library approach. THIRD of all, there's a relatively late folktale about taliesin (this is where ceridwen and gwion bach come in): this you can find translated in patrick k. ford's the mabinogi (which it looks like you can get as a kindle or paperback comparatively cheap).

y gododdin, the massive poetic text attributed to aneirin about A Lot Of Dead Dudes In Southern Scotland. this is a tough one to get to grips with, i'm not gonna lie. if you want to get at the welsh text, the massive modern welsh edition by ifor williams (canu aneirin) is still the best there is, but he reorders the stanzas of the poem from the manuscript pretty radically. (to see the stanzas in order, look for daniel huws' facsimile edition of the book of aneirin - or, depending on how well you read medieval welsh handwriting, check out the manuscript itself.) for translations, i recommend joseph p. clancy's, which has multiple versions floating around - there's one in the triumph tree (ed. thomas owen clancy) and a slightly less full one in medieval welsh poems (joseph clancy's big anthology, now out of print). this is the most poetic while still being largely accurate, but if you're concerned about academic levels of accuracy, then i recommend balancing clancy out with kenneth jackson's the gododdin: the oldest scottish poem, which has the advantage of being designed to be used alongside ifor williams. FOR ALL OF THESE you'll need to hit up secondhand booksellers or libraries.

early welsh englyn poetry: by this i mean poetry in englyn metre about historic figures and landscapes. as academic sources/translations, if you can get your hands on them, i recommend jenny rowland's early welsh saga poetry (1990) and patrick sims-williams' new englynion y beddau (2023), but both of these are massive and expensive. a more approachable way to get at this material may be rowland's a selection of early welsh saga poems, which is intended more for classroom use - this you can get for relatively cheap as a paperback. you might also want to check out kenneth jackson's studies in early celtic nature poetry (dated, but i think he translates some of the less-studied englyn poetry in there: again, check with secondhand booksellers) and nicolas jacobs' early welsh gnomic and nature poetry (cheaper and easier to get, but untranslated, though he gives a useful glossary so you can attempt it yourself).

additional arthurian material. this is scattered across various places and manuscripts, but some good places to learn about it, if not necessarily read it, are o. j. padel's arthur in medieval welsh literature (2013, heavily recommended, you can get it cheap as a paperback); bromwich et al's the arthur of the welsh (1991), which iirc includes patrick sims-williams' translation of my beloved arthurian poem pa gur; and the new and exciting arthur in the celtic languages, ed. ceridwen lloyd-morgan and erich poppe (2019), which is going to give you a BIG and comprehensive overview of every text arthur has ever shown up in in welsh. for the last two you definitely want to go secondhand or through a library. EDITED TO ADD: [LOUD BUZZER NOISE] I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT NERYS ANN JONES' ARTHUR IN EARLY WELSH POETRY which came out in 2019! go buy it it's a £15 paperback! an absolute steal for what you get!

high and late medieval poetry of praise, lament and love: the bread and butter of the professional poet. these can be found in various places. for the gogynfeirdd, the high medieval poets, the medieval welsh texts (+ modern welsh paraphrases) can be found in the absolutely massive series cyfres beirdd y tywysogion, but this is not something to attempt to get without a powerful library on your side. the late medieval poetry, on the other hand, is edited in cyfres beirdd yr uchelwyr and can be found online here - which was news to me! much of this material has never been translated into english. for a good selection of translations of some of the best stuff, i really recommend joseph p. clancy's medieval welsh poems (find a secondhand copy or get your library to do it for you), and/or tony conran's welsh verse. a couple of good selections of the later medieval poetry are: the poetry of dafydd ap gwilym, ALL of which is available online in translation here; loomis and johnston's medieval welsh poems: an anthology; and dafydd johnston's galar y beirdd: poets' grief, which specifically collects poets' laments for their dead children.

RELIGIOUS MATERIAL, of which there is a shit-ton. my recommendations are definitely going to be missing some stuff (e.g. soul-and-body dialogues, descriptions of purgatory, etc) but here's what i've got. for material to do with welsh saints, i recommend this website, where you can find translations of a lot of the latin prose lives of saints and quite a few welsh poems about saints as well - and if you look at the bottom you'll see it lists a few more books you might want to look into. if you want an even fuller look at welsh saints' latin lives, albeit dated, see if you can get your hands on a secondhand/library copy of wade-evans' vitae sanctorum britanniae (1944). if you like genealogies, barry lewis i believe has just put out an edition and study of bonedd y saint, the genealogies of the welsh saints, available from the dublin institute for advanced studies (though it's not the cheapest thing out there).* there is also a lot of general religious poetry, which you can find edited in marged haycock's blodeugerdd barddas o ganu crefyddol cynnar (1994) and translated in mckenna's the medieval welsh religious lyric (1991).

*i should also say that if you're interested in medieval welsh genealogies in general, you want ben guy's medieval welsh genealogy - this is very technical and probably expensive but if you really need to know who's related to who in the welsh historical imagination, it's a great resource.

(pseudo-)historical texts: there are various of these. the most famous is geoffrey of monmouth's de gestis britonum (also known as historia regum britanniae, 'history of the kings of britain') - this you can find edited and translated by reeve & wright under the latter title. if you want to know about geoffrey's work but you can't get your hands on it or don't have time to read what is honestly a massive text, then i recommend karen jankulak's book geoffrey of monmouth - super useful and you can get it cheap as a paperback. then there are medieval welsh translations of this text (all known as brut y brenhinedd), some of which go on to become chronicles in their own right (brut y tywysogion). off the top of my head there are three different versions of brut y tywysogion which you can find in a good english translation: the peniarth 20 version (edited and translated by thomas jones, edition 1941, translation 1952); the red book of hergest version (ed. and trans. thomas jones, 1955); and brenhinedd y saesson (ed. and trans. thomas jones, 1971). you might also want to check out the medieval biography of gruffudd ap cynan (king of gwynedd 1081-1137), which starts as a latin text and is later translated into welsh. the latin text is edited and translated by paul russell as vita griffini filii conani (2005); the welsh text is edited as historia gruffud vab kenan (1977) and translated as a mediaeval prince of wales: the life of gruffudd ap cynan (1990) by d. simon evans.

edited to add: [LOUD BUZZER SOUND] I FORGOT ABOUT HISTORIA BRITTONUM AND SHOULD BE PUBLICLY SHAMED. this is a ninth-century latin historical text from north wales, it's weird as hell, i love it to bits and should probably actually read more of it. currently the edition everybody uses is john morris's nennius: british history and the welsh annals (1980), which is not the most expensive thing out there but certainly not the cheapest so get it through your library if you can. this is especially useful in conjunction with geoffrey's de gestis britonum because he was absolutely using it as a source.

the hardest thing to get at on this list: translation literature. by the time we get to the red book of hergest there's been a huge boom in medieval translations of french and latin texts into welsh - and these are often really fun and interesting to read, but under-studied! this is an issue because it means i basically cannot recommend you any english translations of them. if you're still interested and you want to plough through the medieval welsh yourself, here are some texts:

cân rolant, a welsh version of the 'song of roland' aka Violence Violence Violence, edited and translated by a. c. rejhon (1984) - the only thing on this list to have a recent translation, alas;

ystorya de carolo magno, edited by stephen williams, 2nd edition (1986) - a welsh version of the charlemagne legend, this is where cân rolant comes from;

ystoryaeu seint greal, a welsh translation of two french romances, queste del saint graal and perlesvaus: you can find the whole thing in the (very old, undoubtedly outdated) selections from the hengwrt mss volume 1, y seint greal, edited and translated by robert williams (1874-6), which is on archive.org here, and the welsh text of the first part is edited as y keis by thomas jones (1992);

ystorya bown de hamtwn, a welsh version of the romance of bevis of hampton, an absolutely insane text about the worst man in the world which i love dearly: the whole thing is edited (but not translated) by morgan watkin (1958); selected bits of it are edited with a useful glossary for classroom use by erich poppe and regine reck as selections from ystorya bown o hamtwn (2009);

a welsh bestiary of love, ed. g. c. g. thomas (2008) - a translation of the french bestiaire d'amour, aka Do You Want To Hear The Worst Man In The World Tell You Dubious Animal Facts? Of Course You Do;

kedymdeithyas amlyn ac amic, edited by patricia williams (1982), a welsh version of the french tale ami et amile about two identical friends;

chwedlau odo, a collection of fables, edited by ifor williams (1958);

chwedlau seith doethon rufein, edited by henry lewis (1958) - 'stories of the seven sages of rome'.

and finally, medical texts! if you want a look at medieval welsh medical practices and you want to learn a lot of plant names in middle welsh, check out diana luft's medieval welsh medical texts, which you can find online for free here.

i hope this is helpful! enjoy Experiencing Welsh Literature and best of luck getting your hands on it!

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

👗 + Ceri in The Doctors Dances?

[kingsmakers]

Gardens of Misery: Chapter 22

Read it here: AO3

Demelza Dayne finds herself at the centre of a conflict between the two women she cares about most, her best friends Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. In the midst of brewing turmoil, and men of the court scheming to gain her favour, Demelza finds herself playing a dangerous game of survival, both in court and home in Dorne.

Her voice cracked over the words, and Jacaerys stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. As tears tumbled down her cheeks, he offered her a sympathetic expression. “I know how this feels, Ceridwen. I lost my own brother only recently. I feel your pain, and I wish I could take it away, but I can’t. All I can do is help you. We share blood, you and I. I think we both know by now that we were fathered by Harwin Strong.” Ceridwen nodded slowly. She had no desire to push her kinship to Jacaerys, but his acknowledgement of it made her feel a little less lonely. No matter her bastard status, it was clear that Jacaerys was compassionate. She dreaded meeting with Daemon and Rhaenyra, and the thought made her tug out her letter. “I wanted to speak with Daemon. About this.”

Forever tag: @juliaswickcrs @thatmagickjuju @starcrossedjedis @darkwolf76 @akabluekat

@drbobbimorse @mystic-scripture @iron-parkr @asirensrage @rhaenyraslaena

@arrthurpendragon @hiddenqveendom @ofbriarandrose @emilykaldwen @themaradwrites

[yoga-onion]

Celtic beliefs in trees (20)

Q for Quert (Apple) - September 2nd - September 29th

“Fruit of love - 10th month of the Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref)”

Star: Venus: Gemstone: emerald,; Gender: female; Patrons: Gaia, Aphrodite, Venus, Hera, Pomona, Nemesis, Astarte, Ishtar, Ceridwen, Olwen, Gwen, Arwen, Shekhinah, Freyja, Iðunn; Symbols: faith + gratitude, love + trust, tolerance + Abundance, self-respect, the work of fate.

The original species of apple is the crab apple. The crab apple belongs to the rose family and has short, flower-bearing young branches with thorns. The fruits are firm, round, acidic and vary in colour from yellow to crimson. September is the apple month, when the flowers bloom in late spring, the sweet fragrance is released and the fruit ripens.

Hazel, oak and apple are all legendary magical fruits, and it is believed that the three fruits together will fulfil all the needs of life. Birch, alder, willow, oak, holly, hazel and apple are designated as sacred trees in ancient Irish law. Of these, the apple and hazel were especially considered sacred trees, so much so that anyone who deliberately cut them down was punished with death.

In classical Western mythology, the 'Paradise Island', a paradise of fruit trees, was thought to contain the Tree of Wisdom, which bore three sacred apples. It is important to remember here that the apple, the fruit of love, was the food of the Celtic gods and they ate apples.

The apple tree, a favourite parasite of mistletoe, was regarded as sacred, especially by druids (Ref2). According to Druidic teachings, holy drops from heaven spilled over into the cauldron of Ceridwen, and the three drops that splashed out of the cauldron became the source of wisdom for the three apples that grow on the Tree of Wisdom. These three drops symbolise the three pillars of the Tree of Life in the Hebrew mystical philosophy of Kabbalah. These three pillars represent the masculine and feminine principles respectively, with the central pillar representing the union of the two. These also coincide with the most sacred symbol of the Druids, the 'three rays', each representing the power of vision, the power to manipulate letters and symbols, and the power to understand them. These strange three drops can be seen as a spiritual energy that gives life energy to all living things.

Legend has it that the Otherworld is a magical land of thickly growing apple trees, and that visitors from the Otherworld often come to this world carrying apple branches. Wearing a piece of apple wood is said to bring about a loved one and a long life, and is an essential part of good luck charms and spells. Apple trees were often planted in gardens in the British Isles, as they were believed to protect the home and bring love to it.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (20)

QはQuert (ﾘﾝｺﾞ) - 9月2日～9月29日　

『愛の果実 〜 ケルトの木の暦（参照）の第10月』

星: 金星: 宝石: エメラルド、; 性: 女性; 守護神: ガイア、アフロディテ、ヴィーナス、ヘラ、ポーモーナ、ネメシス、アスタルテ、イシュタル、ケリドウェン、オルウェン、グウェン、アルウェン、シェキナ、フレイア、イドゥナ; シンボル: 信仰＋感謝、愛＋信頼、寛容＋豊穣、自尊心、運命の仕業

リンゴといえば、原種となるのがクラブアップル (ﾔﾏﾘﾝｺﾞ)。クラブアップルはバラ科に属し、花を���けた短い若枝には棘がついている。果実は堅くしまった球形で、酸味が強く、色は黄色から真紅色までさまざまだ。晩春に花が咲き、甘い香りを放ち、果実が熟す9月はリンゴの季節である。

ハシバミ、オーク、リンゴはいずれも伝説的な魔法の果実で、この3つの果実が一緒になれば、人生のあらゆる必要を満たしてくれると信じられている。シラカバ、ハンノキ、ヤナギ、オーク、ヒイラギ、ハシバミ、リンゴは、古代アイルランドの法律では神聖な木として指定されている。このうち、リンゴとハシバミは特に神聖な木とされ、故意に切り倒した者は死をもって罰せられたほどである。

古典的な西洋神話では、果樹の楽園である「パラダイス島」には、3つの神聖なリンゴを実らせた「知恵の木」があると考えられていた。ここで忘れてはならないのは、愛の果実であるリンゴはケルトの神々の食べ物であり、彼らはリンゴを食べていたということだ。

ヤドリギが好んで寄生するリンゴの木は、特にドルイド（参照2）から神聖視されていた。ドルイドの教えによれば、天からの聖なる雫がケリドウェンの大釜にこぼれ落ち、大釜から飛び散った3滴が知恵の木に実る3つのリンゴの知恵の源となった。この3滴は、ヘブライ神秘思想のカバラにおける生命の樹の3本の柱を象徴している。この3本の柱はそれぞれ男性原理と女性原理を表し、中央の柱は2つの結合を表している。これらはまた、ドルイドの最も神聖なシンボルである「3本の光線」とも重なり、それぞれが視覚の力、文字やシンボルを操る力、そしてそれらを理解する力を表している。この奇妙な３滴の雫は、あらゆる生物に生命エネルギーを与える霊的なエネルギーと見ることができる。

伝説によると、異界はリンゴの木が生い茂る魔法の国で、異界からの訪問者はしばしばリンゴの枝を携えてこの世にやってくるという。リンゴの木片を身につけると、愛する人と長寿を得られると言われ、幸運のお守りやおまじないには欠かせない。リンゴの木は家を守り、愛をもたらすと信じられていたため、イギリス諸島では庭によく植えられていた。

[furymint]

FFXIV Write 2024 | header | wc: 1,376 | cw: elliot's bad parenting | i kidnapped @houseshadowstar for this

If nothing else, Elena did look cute. Even as she pouted and complained that she was hungry, and even when Elliot had to remove her rings after they'd caught in her lace collar for the second time, she didn't entirely look like a four year old child set on establishing Elliot’s unmitigated doom. That was a good start.

As he herded her towards the door of his chambers, he realized that navigating through the cathedral and to the carriage was going to be impossible. He refused to hold her hand. Their heights were simply incompatible: he would have to lean to the side as he walked just to match her, and part of him would rather never go out again than be seen like that. Carrying her was more impossible. In the end, Elliot settled on the assistance of an iris. With the end of the stem in his hand and the flower in hers, he bridged the gap.

They made it to the carriage without further issue. The ostiary even complimented Elena's hairpiece—not that she noticed—while they trundled down the snow-lined path. Her deadweight didn't help him lift her into the cab, and her seat right at the window didn't help him join her, but Elliot comforted himself in thinking that the Shadowstar residence was not far.

"Their names are Ceridwen and Sirus," Elliot coached her.

Elena pushed her cheek into the window and said, "Mm."

The iris didn't work once they reached the stairs ascending to the front doors. Elliot took her hand to balance and encourage her through each tall step, inwardly noting the committed scrunch of her face as something to tell Nolanel.

Since there was no guard to admit them, Elliot let Elena press the doorbell.

Ceridwen answered just as Elena began scraping her new shoes against the stoop.

"Elliot! I'm so glad we could have you. Sirus is inside; I have him tending my chocolate to watch for bubbles. I hope the two of you have the time to wait for it to set?" Ceridwen took both of Elliot’s hands fondly and squeezed them.

"I hope so," he returned, looking pleadingly at Elena.

Ceridwen shifted her attention to the girl too. "Miss Elena, have you had pan au chocolate afore?"

She thought about it. "Can I have one?"

"They'll be finished soon," Ceridwen promised.

Elliot inched forward. "I apologize for being so direct, but do you have any refreshments immediately available?"

"I'm hungry," interjected Elena.

"Oh, good!" said Ceridwen.

Elena turned her head toward the left wall. "It doesn't feel good."

"We have plenty to fix that—we just have to join my brother." Ceridwen turned slowly to lead the ungainly pair into the estate.

Her massive tulle skirt rippled as she walked, flowing around the legs of side tables and undulating through open doorways. 

Elena pursued the rustling sound as they walked. In under ten seconds, her walk became a run, and the run into a complete forward tumble.

"No no no—Don't—Ugh!" Elliot wailed, reaching for her.

She didn't care. The tiny girl hugged the plush fabric, no worse for wear, and giggled as she stood with iron fists of fluff.

Ceridwen laughed with her, then knelt to to inquire if she were truly fine.

"It's not fine at all!" Elliot started, his voice rising in its pique. "She can be so inconsiderate of people. Clothes are as much of a person as all of their property. She's mistaken a lady's dress skirts for the curtains once, and tried to hide among them—I still have not lived it down."

Three things happened. Ceridwen ignored Elliot, offered her hand to Elena, and waited for the girl to bore herself when help was refused.

Elliot watched those three things from another world. It surprised him how much he hated them. If he were a different man, he would have patience, acceptance, and humor. He knew he had those things—for others. For the girl who was suddenly in his life until he died, and who he did not want there, he had none.

But she was just a child in a new place-—and it was no fault of hers that she didn't trust him. He didn't want to be near her—-she was mercurial and weird and loud—and he had work to do that couldn't include a blind urchin.

They were stuck with each other whether they liked it or not when Nolanel left. He couldn't just tell her that she'd been abandoned so Nolanel could return to war. He couldn't be her father, either, although he had no good reason for that.

He and Elena were acquaintances living together, even if she had no appreciation for poetry and he did not share her fondness for ripping paper into tiny strips. Sometimes he was convinced that she calculated her day according to what would annoy him most.

But if he wanted Elena to behave politely, then he must be polite first. His voice lowered. "Thank you for being so kind. I don't know what I'm doing."

Ceridwen frowned pityingly, but in a way that showed she disapproved. "Do you not recall a whit of Vhene's upbringing when she was so young? Children are not angels, no matter how we paint cherubs."

"Of course I do," he insisted, "but Vhene had Norhi and all the force of the Bellworks behind her upbringing. 'Twas a bit strange, but she still had an entire party of adults to tell her not to climb up the kitchen cabinets."

"I'm sure they were only successful in deterring her half the time."

"That's true," Elliot grumbled.

Ceridwen rose to her feet and allowed the child to hold onto her skirt at they continued. "But Elena has you, your father, and all the rest—she shan't beat the table in a drum march because her food hasn't arrived timely enough. You won't let her."

Elliot impatiently nodded. "Yes, but heaven knows what else she keeps for dinner manners when she's excited. She probably had wolves for parents afore she had Nolanel. He's hardly any better."

Ceridwen looked blandly over at him and centered the charm on her necklace. "I doubt you. Ser Feran is as polite as a knight comes. It's true he intuits nothing in the language of gossip, but at one request he is the most accommodating creature I've ever met in a ballroom."

"That's because he's frightened out of his wits and desperate for guidance. Once he's comfortable and knows you enough, he forgets what it is to compromise."

Sirus whistled a falling note from the kitchen. "Damn," he cringed, appearing in the doorway. "Dwen was correct when she said this intervention would be for you more than the kid."

Elena followed Ceridwen past him into the kitchen. It was a massive, organized, efficient affair of countertops and containers. Elliot remained outside while Ceridwen swept around the island and poured a ramekin full of assorted berries. She handed it to Elena.

Elliot leaned against the opposite side of the doorframe and wagged a hand at Sirus. He wanted to talk of anything—even for a moment—that wasn't children. "Sirus. Have you patronized The Brume Closet recently? I heard there is a mistress proprietor now. When did ownership change hands?"

Sirus pressed deeper into his share of doorframe casually. "Oh, it's not so much of a change. I mean, some change, but just from an old name to a new one."

"Oh, very good," he replied, though he sounded absent. 

For the time being, Elena devoured blueberries in the same silence the room took on. Steam and scents wafted from one of the ovens while chocolate cooled at the other side of the room, away from its heat.

Ceridwen resumed her harassment. "Vhene is also nine, now, in case you've forgotten."

Elliot recoiled and slumped. "Why does the new youth so often do naught but remind me of my age!"

Sirus tilted his head. "How much older are we than him again?"

"Stop making fun of me!"

"I mean, you've asked for it," Sirus shrugged. "Coming here to wallow about how you've made enemies with your own kid."

"But she's not my child," Elliot sulked.

Ceridwen looked at her baking chronometer. "All right," she sighed. "How much time do we have?"

[quarkscooljacket]

the Booker is announced tomorrow and I tried to read the shortlist but didn't get through all of them (I am judging a lit prize at the moment so had to prioritise yknow, the work I am being paid to do).

In order I read Stone Yard Devotional, Held, Creation Lake, Orbital. I didn't get to James or The Safekeep, though to be fair the Safekeep just came out in aus.

Stone Yard Devotional is the one I read first because Charlotte Wood is australian. I think maybe it was the one I liked the most but tbh it left me underwhelmed and I'm not seeing what everyone else is seeing. It's set in the lockdown days of the pandemic but that was barely a thing because it's set in the (word for nunnery I can't remember). I think maybe if I were in another lifestage this would have resonated more. I enjoyed (?) the mouse plague though, just horrible.

Held had very beautiful language and I loved the form of it (fragments!!!!) but ultimately just wanted to know about the photography guy.

Creation Lake I was not feeling except for the last third, which I really enjoyed. LOVED how the narrator of the audiobook (also the author) was saying les babies.

Orbital should have been Only the Astronauts by Ceridwen Dovey, sorry.

I thought about reading the longlist but the only one I read that didn't get to the shortlist was Wandering Stars, which actually I think I enjoyed the most and I'm disappointed it didn't get on the shortlist.

Wish I'd got to the last two, especially James. It sounds great. Anyway I am predicting it here: James or Creation Lake will win.