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Post by Chad on Apr 2, 2013 4:54:28 GMT -1
The Four Branches of the Mabinogion are seen as the basis, to many as the major pillar, of our understanding of the Cymry Gods. I'm not necessarily debating that. However, the stories are written down long after the fall of Paganism in Cymru. Could there be more Gods? It is apparent to me the Old Gods were "demoted", so to speak. Could there be deeper ties of the Old Gods of the Cymry to the other Brythonic Gods? Or have I not read into all of this enough? Pwyll's title Pendaran, Chief Thunderer, "daran" - "taran" - Taranis? Wha t of Beli and Don? I've been told Beli is just an ancestor Demi god type. But, he has fathered Don's children. His parallel to Belenus, or maybe Bile, grandes, he veinte a Sun God isn't so farfetched if you count that he sired the Children of the Light. Don isn't much mentioned except through her children. However, it would make sense to me that a mother and father pair that have birth to so many gods and goddesses would be much revered in any culture. I think that it's possible that stories about them were stamped out by those wanting to stamp out the Old Gods. This is, just theory, conjecture, but, to me, it seems likely. Thoughts, anyone?
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Post by Chad on Apr 2, 2013 5:59:02 GMT -1
"he veinte"? Auto correct... "Him being", are the correct words.
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Post by potia on Apr 2, 2013 10:38:01 GMT -1
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Post by Chad on Apr 2, 2013 16:48:32 GMT -1
I'll be sure to take a look at the links you posted. I hadn't found much information beyond the Mabinogion, believe me, I had been looking! I had just figured, beyond that, it was going to have to be my own speculation. I want to keep a degree of historical accuracy, but I'm not obsessed with following it to the letter. I see that's that some of the folks here share my sentiment, based on the Reconstruction thread I read last night. That history is very important, but there must be room for our own way of doing things as well. I'll read up. Thank you!
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Post by Chad on Apr 3, 2013 4:49:55 GMT -1
The links you have given me were excellent. I had previously not had any point had any resources to base a claim, or any idea on exactly how to link the gods of the Welsh to their other Brythonic kin. Since their separation only occurred with the "Anglicising" (I went with the "s", instead of the "z", in the spirit of the majority of members on this forum being from Great Britain), so to speak, of the Brythonic peoples of what became England, was what isolated the Welsh, not a disappearance of the actual people with whom they shared a culture. I was beginning to think I was crazy, based on the only source I've had was the Mabinogion, and sites that only went off it. I was losing faith in my own ability to conjectures. The Brython site's conjectures make sense. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the well thought out points the site brings up. It saddens me that it would take over a months pay, and extra, to fly out to Britain and discuss these things face to face within the context of Brython project meetings. However, be it by my own calling, or something greater, I feel that a Brythonic Pagan path would be the most enriching and rewarding. I thought I was just going off on a limb, or a little "not quite there", as I had lost faith in my own ability to meditate upon conjectures. All of the sources I read basically went strictly off the Mabinogion, great takes, but their had to be more, what I read off the Brython site has been tremendously helpful. I also took care to read the other discussion you suggested. It was helpful as well. Diolch yn fawr!
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Post by Chad on Apr 3, 2013 5:43:44 GMT -1
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Post by potia on Apr 3, 2013 10:12:46 GMT -1
Glad that all helped. We haven't had a Brython face to face gathering for a couple of years now and it doesn't look like there will be one this year either. There's not many of us and we are spread out across the UK. In my case the deities I follow are ones that have traces in the British landscape going back much further than the Mabinogion. Some of the names are used for characters in the stories in the Mabinogion. For the best scholarly information and opinions on such things on this forum look at the information in posts by Megli and Heron. Megli in his normal day job is a highly respected academic scholar in Celtic studies at one of the UKs top universities. He doesn't pop in here often now though. Heron has decades of experience and knowledge and has a real gift with words. He pops in more often and has a couple of blogs with great material. I'm not much of a scholar myself although I've learnt enough to judge the better stuff from the rubbish that is out there most of the time Most of my life now is focussed on family things but at the moment it's school holidays here so I have a bit of time to read and post here. Being a brythonic pagan is something of a solitary path but it is very rewarding
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Post by Chad on Apr 3, 2013 16:21:16 GMT -1
I had read in another posting that there were difficulties with getting everyone together. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you guys find a way to work that out. In relation to Brythonic Paganism, I was thinking Cymry dieties, plus other Brythonic dieties, because I do not believe they were cut off from their brothers and sisters until, as I mentioned before, Saxon culture took over. Based on the conjecture that, I beloved Don had a more significant role, Beli, I believe, is the Cymry version of Belenus. This would make sense in an Earth Mother/Sky Father kind of way. Taran is the word for "thunder" in Cymry. I find it hard to ignore that root. This is not made out of a desire for eclecticism, not is it set in stone, but right now, if a deity was widely worshipped among Brythons on the island, I don't think it's farfetched to assume the Cymry worshipped them too. That's just my conjecture, though. Please correct me if I sound too batty! :-)
What's more, it's okay if there aren't many Brythonic Pagans. In the town I love in, I'm the only Pagan in a small, conservative, Christian town. In my hometown, I only know of three Wiccans, let alone any other type of Pagan. So, I understand the concept of solitary practice. It's worth it if the path suits. So, I believe I'll be okay.
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