#back when the holy grail was actually a magic cauldron- did you know that?

[faelenasleep]

look i just need somebody to let me play a knockoff Link in a dnd campaign, man. lemme be the boy that is the chosen one of legend, lemme be the one the prophecies foretold. you don't understand i need to pull an old sword out of a hunk of granite

[tipsycad147]

Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron

By Patti Wigington

Updated January 12, 2019

The Crone of Wisdom

In Welsh legend, Cerridwen represents the crone, which is the darker aspect of the goddess. She has powers of prophecy, and is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration in the Underworld. As typical of Celtic goddesses, she has two children: daughter Crearwy is fair and light, but son Afagddu (also called Morfran) is dark, ugly and malevolent.

Did You Know?

Cerridwen has powers of prophecy, and is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration in the Underworld.

There are theories among some scholars that Cerridwen's cauldron is in fact the Holy Grail for which King Arthur spent his life searching.

Her magical cauldron held a potion that granted knowledge and inspiration — however, it had to be brewed for a year and a day to reach its potency.

The Legend of Gwion

In one part of the Mabinogion, which is the cycle of myths found in Welsh legend, Cerridwen brews up a potion in her magical cauldron to give to her son Afagddu (Morfran). She puts young Gwion in charge of guarding the cauldron, but three drops of the brew fall upon his finger, blessing him with the knowledge held within. Cerridwen pursues Gwion through a cycle of seasons until, in the form of a hen, she swallows Gwion, disguised as an ear of corn. Nine months later, she gives birth to Taliesen, the greatest of all the Welsh poets.

The Symbols of Cerridwen

The legend of Cerridwen is heavy with instances of transformation: when she is chasing Gwion, the two of them change into any number of animal and plant shapes. Following the birth of Taliesen, Cerridwen contemplates killing the infant but changes her mind; instead she throws him into the sea, where he is rescued by a Celtic prince, Elffin. Because of these stories, change and rebirth and transformation are all under the control of this powerful Celtic goddess.

The Cauldron of Knowledge

Cerridwen is the keeper of the cauldron of wisdom. emyerson / E+ / Getty Images

Cerridwen's magical cauldron held a potion that granted knowledge and inspiration — however, it had to be brewed for a year and a day to reach its potency. Because of her wisdom, Cerridwen is often granted the status of Crone, which in turn equates her with the darker aspect of the Triple Goddess.

As a goddess of the Underworld, Cerridwen is often symbolized by a white sow, which represents both her fecundity and fertility and her strength as a mother. She is both the Mother and the Crone; many modern Pagans honor Cerridwen for her close association to the full moon.

Cerridwen is also associated with transformation and change in some traditions; in particular, those who embrace a feminist spirituality often honor her. Judith Shaw of Feminism and Religion says,

"When Cerridwen calls your name, know that the need for change is upon you; transformation is at hand. It is time to examine what circumstances in your life no longer serve you. Something must die so that something new and better can be born. Forging these fires of transformation will bring true inspiration into your life. As the Dark Goddess Cerridwen pursues her version of justice with ceaseless energy so can you breathe in the power of the Divine Feminine She offers, planting your seeds of change and pursuing their growth with a ceaseless energy of your own."

Cerridwen and the Arthur Legend

The stories of Cerridwen found within the Mabinogion are actually the basis for the cycle of Arthurian legend. Her son Taliesin became a bard in the court of Elffin, the Celtic prince who rescued him from the sea. Later on, when Elffin is captured by the Welsh king Maelgwn, Taliesen challenges Maelgwn's bards to a contest of words. It is Taliesen's eloquence that ultimately frees Elffin from his chains. Through a mysterious power, he renders Maelgwn's bards incapable of speech, and frees Elphin from his chains. Taliesen becomes associated with Merlin the magician in the Arthurian cycle.

In the Celtic legend of Bran the Blessed, the cauldron appears as a vessel of wisdom and rebirth. Bran, mighty warrior-god, obtains a magical cauldron from Cerridwen (in disguise as a giantess) who had been expelled from a lake in Ireland, which represents the Otherworld of Celtic lore. The cauldron can resurrect the corpse of dead warriors placed inside it (this scene is believed to be depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron). Bran gives his sister Branwen and her new husband Math — the King of Ireland — the cauldron as a wedding gift, but when war breaks out Bran sets out to take the valuable gift back. He is accompanied by a band of a loyal knights with him, but only seven return home.

Bran himself is wounded in the foot by a poisoned spear, another theme that recurs in the Arthur legend — found in the guardian of the Holy Grail, the Fisher King. In fact, in some Welsh stories, Bran marries Anna, the daughter of Joseph of Arimathea. Also like Arthur, only seven of Bran's men return home. Bran travels after his death to the otherworld, and Arthur makes his way to Avalon. There are theories among some scholars that Cerridwen's cauldron — the cauldron of knowledge and rebirth — is in fact the Holy Grail for which Arthur spent his life searching.

https://www.learnreligions.com/cerridwen-keeper-of-the-cauldron-2561960

[janiedean]

Do you think book!Bran will get the same ending he does in the show? I mean, if he does, it will obviously be better written (I was like "Does Edmure know about the Three-Eyed Raven? Is Yara going 'the hell did you smoke' at the 'he couldn't walk so he learned to fly' part? Is nobody going to go 'ok but shouldn't we look for someone older and better known through Westeros, with experience in both politics and military stuff' at Tyrion?" through the whole scene), but do you think that's that?

(I had another anon that went like:

i can't believe there are still bran is evil theories. im pretty sure that bran ending up on the throne is likely bc it doesn't make sense in the show. d&d don't know anything about bran, but they do know this is george's ending

so I’m answering both XD)

the short answer is yes, but obviously it’s not gonna be written the same way as in this dumbass show for a whole lot of reasons.

now: actually, bran on the throne makes in hindsight a whole lot of sense...... if you take into account also what tropes he’s there to deconstruct. (I’m gonna cp some older meta of mine on the topic that I did ages ago but it still holds up lol.)

as in, when it comes to bran GENERALLY:

bran is the first pov chapter in these books. the first. should hint that he’s important;

bran  has 90% of the magic-related storyline. I mean, if you don’t count the dragons/r’hollor + mel and the AA prophecy, there’s less magic in asoiaf than in regular fantasy for obvious reasons, but what there is of is all in bran’s storyline. all. of. it;

as it is right now, he’s arguably a powerhouse. possibly the most powerful powerhouse in westeros. he can probably warg dragons. he can time travel. if the show didn’t fuck it up, he can change things in the past while time traveling even if he shouldn’t;

the entire storyline is headed north/behind the wall and bran is the one main character who’s behind the wall rn. and bran is at a point where he basically is in direct connection with the north at least and when I say direct I mean literally. the guy can warg into anything. maybe he can’t walk but man he’s basically a hundred luke skywalkers put into one person;

he’s also tied to all the northern mythology - the trees, the children of the forest and the likes. him, his storyline, everything. and the north is arguably where this story started and will most probably end and he is the character more symbolizing that mythology, not anyone else.

when it comes to bran thematically.... guys. bran is the deconstructed fisher king. as in: the fisher king is a character from arthurian mythology who is absolutely fundamental in the entire scheme - also arthurian mythology is one of the basis people built modern fantasy on - and which has been rehashed and reinterpreted for a shitload of times since the middle ages. c/p-ing quickly from wiki because you don’t need to go in-depth to do 2+2 on this:

In Arthurian legend the Fisher King, or the Wounded King, is the last in a long line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Versions of his story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin and incapable of moving on his own. In the Fisher King legends, he becomes impotent and unable to perform his task himself, and he also becomes unable to father or support a next generation to carry on after his death. His kingdom suffers as he does, his impotence affecting the fertility of the land and reducing it to a barren wasteland. All he is able to do is fish in the river near his castle, Corbenic, and wait for someone who might be able to heal him.

+Many works have two wounded “Grail Kings” who live in the same castle, a father and son (or grandfather and grandson). The more seriously wounded father stays in the castle, sustained by the Grail alone, while the more active son can meet with guests and go fishing.+The Fisher King appears first in Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval (late 12th-century), but the character’s roots may lie in Celtic mythology. He may be derived more or less directly from the figure of Bran the Blessed (!!!!!!) in the Mabinogion. In the Second Branch, Bran has a cauldron that can resurrect the dead (albeit imperfectly; those thus revived cannot speak) which he gives to the king of Ireland as a wedding gift for him and Bran’s sister Branwen. +The Lancelot-Grail cycle includes a more elaborate history for the Fisher King. Many in his line are wounded for their failings, and the only two that survive to Arthur’s day are the Wounded King, called Pellam or Pellehan, and the Fisher King, Pelles.

now, what I said last year in that meta was:

then there’s the entire part where galahad (or whoever else in his stead but it’s galahad most times) heals the fisher king and saves the land which turns fertile again, but whatever, point is: asoiaf is a deconstruction of tropes, right, well sorry but I’m eating my own hat if bran isn’t a fisher king deconstruction where the wound actually makes him powerful rather than weak and where he definitely won’t need anyone to *heal* him, while at the same time he is tied with the (his) land directly and he embodies it and most of the magic storyline. and the fisher king is one of the main tropes/legends in western literature/arthurian mythology, if you have that kind of character in your book then you are not planning for them to be a second-rate player.

now, admittedly back then I was envisioning a finale when bran was either king in the north or in some similar position and not as endgame king but if we take the show finale for granted because as the other anon said it made no sense for d&d but it was george’s ending and they had to make it happen without understanding it.... well. actually:

if bran - ie deconstructed fisher king who becomes powerful because of his wound and doesn’t have to be healed by a knight to make the land fertile again because that wound gives him power - becomes actual eventual king it’s the full circle of that trope’s deconstruction because his wound means the eventual salvation of the entire continent, which works perfectly to bookmark how that specific scenario is turned on its head;

the problem is that d&d can’t write bran for shit and turned him into the heartless robot/3ER who might or might not have schemed the entire thing and didn’t make him do shit for three seasons because they can’t handle the magic storyline and then at the ending mAGICALLY we have king bran first of his name, but in a coherent version done by grrm and not by them where bran has his eye-opening experience beyond the wall, doesn’t magically lose his personality when he becomes the 3ER, keeps his sweetness and empathy after risking to lose them (which was his adwd storyline), helps greatly during the long night thanks to the fact that he’s a powerhouse and is eventually recognized as a savior of the realm in its own merit, then......... it’s actually very much coherent with grrm’s themes to have him become king, but not because he knew all along and played mysterious until now and whatever the fuck else, but because it’s the coronation of his entire storyline which starts with sweet young boy who just wants to be a hedge knight and then ends up saving the entire continent making the best use of what he has after that’s taken from him while using his connection to the magic roots of the story/to his land/to his family for the good of the entire realm, and that was a damn good story - sadly it’s not what d&d chose to tell except at the end;

edmure and yara were badly written but that entire scene was badly written and well-acted sadly, like no one objected because no one will object in the book storyline, given that ^^^^ happens, in the show they just basically tried to find a way to make it halfway plausible but it looks dumb because it’s badly written and it’s copypasting an endgame for a story that d&d have not adapted, but basically you had to buy that bran was it. it made no sense but like... what made sense, this episode’s salvation was the acting and that since the endgame was half grrm’s it wasn’t as shitty as 8x05 but like within itself it was incoherent af;

that said I think that bran being king + the small council being more or less what it was in the show (because LIKE HELL that’s brienne’s endgame like brienne is def. not going into any kingsguard in the books unless george smoked weed when he was writing acok/asos/affc) as in made of all discriminated categories in westeros or discriminated people in westeros after the throne’s destruction is absolutely a thing grrm would do, because basically we’ve gone from badly suited kings with a small council that’s basically the westeros equivalent of old white republican men to a realm where the king can’t walk (but can fly! ;) ) and the rest of the small council is a) a disabled man who’s been abused to hell and back all his life (REGARDLESS OF TYRION’S FAULTS let’s just look at the strict facts here), b) a former commoner who has been a lord for years but couldn’t read when the series began (davos), c) another former commoner (bronn) [note that both davos and bronn are former *criminals*/come from a really poor background, not from the wealthy side of the commoners], d) a woman who is also a knight ie something that pretty much disregards the entire status quo from before (brienne), e) sam who let’s all remember is a noble but was sent to the wall by his father because his skills were in his brain and not with swords/fighting/whatnot and who also was abused to hell and back when he was young - like, both the only nobles in it that were born nobles were disadvantaged and felt that on their own skin so they aren’t out of touch with the rest of the continent (sam was at the WALL where the only nobles go there for lack of options but it’s basically a glorified prison X°DDD). like, that is an ending I can absolutely see grrm going for because it’s basically the revenge of our forgotten-from-s1-and-dnd cripples, bastards and broken things that start the show the way they do and end it on top of things. that is absolutely a thing I can see grrm doing (with some changes bc again I really doubt the books small council would include bronn and brienne). the problem is that d&d wrote it like crap.

but bran becoming king and that being the general idea? I absolutely can see it same as while I was on team jon gets the throne and hates it before if this is how it goes... well, since I’ve been saying that if he wanted to be happy he should have just gone back beyond the wall if that is his actual endgame I have no issues with it. hell, it’s way better than the one I had envisioned for him for that matter.

that said bran being evil is a theory that makes no sense, it’s just that d&d can’t write him and they managed to make him look like an ass if we assume he knew everything from before. but like. it’s them being unable to write that story, not the story in itself being invalid or making no sense, because with the book elements we have.... it makes a hell of a lot of sense.

they just had to write it and they didn’t.

[shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl]

“Take my believing heart!”

Little Witch Persona AU anyone? Phantom witches?? Witch thieves???

**Please DO NOT edit, use, or repost any of these! Thank you!

—

Nine New Phantom Witches

character profiles, concepts and dialogues under the cut!

Diana Cavendish

Codename: Empress Arcana: Hierophant

Mask: Silver mask with intricate carvings reminiscent of crowns exuding a royal vibe

Outfit: Think Revolutionary Girl Utena just with a different color scheme, white and blue and gold

Persona: Celtic goddess of healing Sirona -> Roman goddess Diana (second awakening)

Skillset: Strong heal and magic spells, high magic resistance but weak to physical and status ailments

Weapons: Rapier and Desert Eagle

All-Out Attack Card: “Battle Royal” written with a castle in the background and she says, “It was hardly a challenge.”

———-

Atsuko “Akko” Kagari

Codename: Nova (short for Supernova) Arcana: Fool

Mask: Golden domino mask with star shaped holes for the eyes

Outfit: Think Shiny Chariot just more conservative and more red

Persona: Susanoo -> Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and of the universe [World arcana] (second awakening)

Skillset: Strong physical attacks and resistance but lower magical defense

Weapons: Shiny Rod (but Akko swings it like a bat) and slingshot gun

All-Out Attack Card: “A Dream Come True!” written with a colorful background and she says, “Wasn’t that so much fun!”

CHATS:

Akko: Just what kind of dish is “Cavendish” anyways? Diana: …I can hear your stomach growling. Have you eaten at all before this?

Akko: I don’t get this arcana thing. Why isn’t Chariot’s arcana Chariot? I mean it’s already in her name! Diana: Clearly you haven’t been studying. Again. If you did then you would know that that’s not how arcanas work.

Akko: Isn’t it weird calling out your own name when you summon your persona? Diana: I suppose it is but I’ve gotten used to it.

Diana: I’m still uncomfortable with the use of firearms in battle. Akko: At least you get to use an actual gun! Why the heck do I get a kid’s toy instead?

Diana: It’s amazing how there are worlds like this all because someone believes it. Akko: Chariot was right all along. A believing heart is magic. And it’s our duty to make sure that magic is used for good!

———-

Ursula Callistis

Codename(s): Chariot, Crane *NOTE for Ursula, she will have two masks: she starts out with Chariot and later on dons Crane (since the curse suppresses her powers)

Codename: Chariot Arcana: Sun

Mask: Golden masquerade mask

Outfit: Think Overwatch Mercy just more red than yellow and minus the halo

Persona: Astraea (star-maiden or starry night in Greek) [or second option Alfrodull, literally sun-chariot in Norse]

Skillset: Well balanced, master of all elements, high SP cost

Weapons: Shiny Rod which transforms into Shiny Axe for melee and then transforms into Shiny Arc for long-ranged

All-Out Attack Card: “A believing heart is magic!” written in the sky among the stars and she says, “I believe in you!”

Codename: Crane Arcana: Hanged

Mask: Red bird-shaped mask with pointed beak

Outfit: Simple white witch outfit with bird motif and red accents

Persona: Hestia, Greek goddess of the hearth, architecture, and the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state

Skillset: Strong bless skills, weak to curse skills

Weapons: Eskrima sticks and a crossbow

All-Out Attack Card: “Shoot for the stars!” written with the Fountain of Polaris in the background and she says, “I can shine at least this much!”

—–

Croix Meridies

Codename: Crow Arcana: Moon

Mask: Black bird-shaped mask with curved beak

Outfit: Same as anime but maybe edgier and more black accents

Persona: Morrigan, Irish mythology of a crow goddess –> Branwen, Welsh goddess of love, means “blessed raven.” (second awakening)

Skillset: Strong nuclear and has curse skills, weak to psychokinesis

Weapons: Gadgets linked to her smartphone and sniper rifle

All-Out Attack Card: “Sorcery Solution System” written on a smartphone interface background and she says, “Your magic is outdated.”

CHATS:

Ursula: What are the odds that our outfits are both bird-themed? This reminds me of the saying, “birds of the same feather flock together”. Croix: Except we’re both literally different species of birds.

Ursula: So your codename is Crow and your persona looks like a crow… not to mention the fact that your real name sounds like… Croix: You’re just jealous because I have a theme.

Ursula: I think Crow is a good fit for you. They’re known to be quite the smart animals that have good memory. Croix: You know what else crows are good at? Murder.

Croix: Don’t you want to find out who would win in a birdfight, a crane or a crow? Ursula: No. Let’s not find out. Ever. Can’t we just find out which bird has better manners?

Croix: If I fold you a thousand origami cranes then would you grant me a wish? Ursula: You don’t have to do that. I’ll gladly help you in achieving your wish with all my power.

———-

Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger

Codename: Steam aka the Navigator Arcana: Magician

Mask: Same goggles she wears in the anime

Outfit: Steampunk armor pls

Persona: Baduhenna, Germanic goddess associated with war

Skillset: “Wild Hunt” which is basically ship mode and the usual navigator skills, strong gun skills, offense support type

*Notes: Her persona is/can transform into a ship (like the one in the anime). Her persona also doubles as the transport vehicle of the group. She even makes “modifications” on her persona (skill exclusive to her and Croix)

Weapons: Her modified guns like in the anime; her persona also has canons

All-Out Attack Card: “Modern Magic” written on a circuitboard background and Stanbot says, “Victory!”

———-

Amanda O'Neill

Codename: Rogue or Rebel (couldn’t decide) Arcana: Chariot

Mask: White mask, maybe same as P5 Joker’s but edgier

Outfit: Think P5 Joker and her hair is groomed like in the Holy Grail episode

Persona: Eris, Greek goddess of chaos

Skillset: Strong physical, high agility, most likely to do follow-ups

Weapons: Bo staff and shoes that hurt as hell, and submachine gun

*Notes: Amanda has the only solo-rideable persona. It takes form of either a revamped broom or a hoverbike. She’s the only one who equips two melee weapons because of her acrobatic fighting style.

All-Out Attack Card: “Wrong side of the law” written with a heist background and she says, “That all you got?”

———-

Jasminka Antonenko

Codename: Mishka (Russian Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games) Arcana: Strength

Mask: Polar bear mask

Outfit: Think Overwatch Mei but with a different color scheme

Persona: Maslenitsa, Slavic goddess of harvest and witchcraft

Skillset: Good at party healing and dealing brutal AOE damage but the only catch is that she doesn’t have a lot of SP so she uses a lot of items to replenish it. Most likely to give cover fire.

Weapons: Two-handed axe or hammer and bazooka

All-Out Attack Card: “Chow Down” written on a dining table filled with food as a background, and she says, “Seconds, please?”

———-

Lotte Yanson

Codename: Owl Arcana: Temperance

Mask: Great grey owl-shaped mask but the eye holes are covered with prescription glasses

Outfit: Think traditional fantasy rpg mage but with grey feathery look

Persona: Luonnotar, the Finnish “female spirit of nature”

Skillset: Strong buffs and support; her high affinity with spirits makes her handy to have when doing shadow negotiations particularly recruiting shadows

Weapons: Spear and harpoon gun

All-Out Attack Card: “Night Fall and Spirit Calls” written with spirits celebrating in the background and she says,“I lost my temper back there.”

———-

Sucy Manbavaran

Codename: Miasma Arcana: Devil

Mask: Plague doctor mask

Outfit: Dark cloak and robes, horns headband, black leather gloves

Persona: Maria Cacao or “Maria” for short, the goddess at Mt. Lantoy in Cebu, Philippines

Skillset: Strong at dealing status ailments and debuffing enemies; her intimidating aura helps in shadow negotiations particularly shaking down more money and rarer items off shadows

Weapons: Sickle and modified gas pistol

All-Out Attack Card: “Deadly Concoction” written in a cauldron with mushrooms in the background and she says, “Was that too strong for you?”

———-

CHATS:

Akko: Why would you name yourself “My asthma”? You sick or something? Lotte: It’s not “my asthma”, it’s mi- Sucy: No. Don’t tell her. This is funny.

Akko: Why am I not surprised that Sucy is just as creepy even as a Phantom Witch? Sucy: It’s called consistency- something you lack.

Akko: Thank goodness we have Lotte with us, she’s really good at talking us out of a fight! Lotte: Well we wouldn’t be fighting so much if you just tried talking first instead of running in head first.

Akko: Hey, you’re not wearing your glasses. Can you even see anything? Lotte: Oh, actually my glasses are incorporated in my mask. It’s thoughtfully convenient.

Akko: Amanda’s outfit is so cool! Not like in a Chariot way but still cool! Amanda: Thanks. It just shows how cool my rebellious spirit is. Meanwhile your outfit is… very Akko. Akko: Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!

Akko: Just how many snacks do you bring with you each time? Jasminka: Enough for everyone… and more!

Akko: How come you guys get to ride your personas? Like Amanda can ride on hers and Constanze has a huge ship! Amanda: You can’t even ride a broom, how can you ride anything else? Constanze (through Stanbot): Akko, basics!

Akko: Constanze has it easy, huh. We have to fight shadows while she just stands back and supervises. Constanze (through Stanbot): No cover fire for Akko! Akko: Eh? Ehhhhhh? No way! J-Joke! That was just a joke! I was kidding!

Sucy: Hey, can you modify my gun so that it shoots gas more accurately? Or maybe something that shoots more painfully? Constanze (through Stanbot): Possible! I’ll work on it soon! Akko: Somehow, those two teaming up makes me feel uneasy…

Lotte: You’re so strong! I don’t know anyone else who can lift such a large weapon so easily. Jasminka: Thank you. I don’t know anyone else who can talk to spirits though.

Lotte: I feel kind of silly in my outfit. I’m not used to wearing something so eye-catching. Sucy: It feels the same for me. Well the mask is more pointed but as long as it serves its function, I could care less.

Amanda: Hm? So the Luna Nova’s “princess” is a Phantom Witch too. Huh, never thought I’d see the day. Diana: I would prefer if you call me by my codename “Empress”. Lotte: Please no fights. Let’s all get along now.

Amanda: You use a rapier? You know I’m pretty badass with one too. Diana: Yes, I’m aware. I think everyone has already heard of your infamous Appleton incident.

Diana: So a diplomatic approach could work just as fine… Interesting, I wouldn’t have learned that from Akko. Lotte: Yes, well you know Akko. She has her own way of dealing with things. Sucy: It’s called brute force. Akko: Hey! I can hear you guys over here!

———-

Some personal commentary,

Initially I just wanted to make edits as the girls and professors being Akko’s confidants but when I opened photoshop, my hand slipped. Maybe I’ll try and do edits for the rest of the girls some day so here have their profiles in advance. PS I love everyone. 

Anyways! As for this AU, this just came up for fun! I mean if you like it but think you have a different image for their outfits and codenames then by all means, do you! I’m just putting this self-indulgent idea out there. I believe that you can shape this into something more spectacular! Go and enjoy creating!

Feel free to edit or add to this AU. Have fun!!