Deity Sketches

[lorna]

Helloa,

I've started experimenting with some deity sketches for individual pages for each god and goddess. After writing a 250 word piece (furthest below) for Belisama I realised this was too sketchy to be significant and any longer would have constituted an article, so I decided to cut down to @50 words. I think the 50 words should tell the reader the basics then they click on links to articles and devotional material from Brython members and links to other academic and on-line sources. It would be nice to track down (or draw if anyone has arty skills, mine are limited) a pic for each deity. Here are two eg.s for Belisama and Creiddylad. Let me know what you think. If these work we could share the other gods and goddesses between us?

~

Deity sketches @50 words

Belisama

Belisama ('Most Shining One' or 'Most Mighty One') is a Gallo-Brythonic goddess of light, fire, water, crafts and wisdom. Her worship is attested in Vaison-la-Romaine and Saint-Lizier. Ptolemy's reference (2AD) to the Ribble estuary as Belisama aest suggests she was the goddess of the river Ribble in Lancashire.

Creiddylad

Creiddylad (etymology unknown) is a Brythonic fertility goddess. In Culhwch and Olwen she appears as 'Creiddylad daughter of Lludd Llaw Eraint the most majestic maiden there ever was in the Three Islands of Britain' and the beloved of two rival lovers: Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr ap Greidawl who battle for her every May Day.

~

Deity Sketch @250 words

Belisama

Belisama is a Gallo-Brythonic goddess. The root 'Bel' may be translated as 'bright' 'shining' 'mighty' or 'powerful' and 'isama' is a superlative. Full translations include 'Most Shining One,' 'the most shining, bright one,' and 'Most Mighty Queen' (from Riga Belisama).

A shrine to Belisama, dedicated by Gaul Segomaros, is recorded by a Gaulish inscription in Greek letters in Vaison-la-Romaine. A Latin inscription from Saint-Lizier identifies Belisama with Minerva. Belisama's name survives in French place-names: 'Belesmes, Beleymas, Belleme, Blesmes and Blismes.'

In Ptolemy's Geography (2AD) the Ribble estuary in Lancashire is recorded as 'Belisama aest'. This shows Belisama is the goddess of the Ribble. Ribchester, known during the Romano-British period as Bremetonacon 'the place by the roaring river', may have been a centre of Belisama's worship.

Lancashire folklorist John Harland connects Beltains (fires) and eating oat cakes on Halloween amongst inhabitants of the Ribble's banks in the 19th C with Belisama's worship as 'The Queen of Heaven'.

In Lancashire folklore Belisama takes on more sinister apparel. The Ribble (and hence Belisama) is believed to take a life every seven years and is connected with the malevolent water-spirits Peg O'Nell and Jinny Greenteeth.

In the present-day, Belisama is popular amongst pagans of various paths in Lancashire. Her worship as 'The Bright One' and 'Lady of Summer' is being revived in Britanny by Vivienne Crowley's group. No doubt other cults and individual worshippers exist.

SOURCES

Bernard Maier, Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture, (The Boydell Press, 1997)
James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, (Oxford University Press, 1998)
John Harland, Lancashire Folklore, (Kessinger Publishing, 1867)
Nick Ford, ‘Ribchester (Bremetenacum Veteranorum): Place of the Roaring Water’ Lancashire’s Sacred Landscape, ed. Linda Sever (The History Press, 2010)
Vivienne Crowley, 'Midsummer Blessings of Belisama,' Patheos Pagan www.patheos.com/blogs/viviannecrowley/2015/06/midsummer-blessings-of-belisama/

[Heron]

Lorna, I thought when you posted your previous suggestion that we should try using the formats to see how well they worked in practice, so I'm glad that you have started work on this and begun to draw some conclusions.

I agree that your 250 word sketch is moving towards the point where even more detail is required and - always in favour of being concise if possible - can see that the 50 word format provides a clear focus and imposes a good discipline on the writer to concentrate on essentials. Though I wouldn't want to be too prescriptive about not going a little beyond this if necessary. With these short definitions a link through to more detailed sources is also necessary as you suggest and the mix of longer pieces by Brython people and other sources would be ideal where it is possible.

Perhaps I can have a go at Rigantona:

Rigantona : ‘Divine Queen’ an epithet of a goddess associated with horses whose name is a back construction from the medieval form Rhiannon. She was a goddess of sovereignty whose stories show how she came from the Otherworld to validate the rule over a territory. The song of her birds also had the power of enchantment.

I'd better leave Epona so as not to step on anyone else's toes

[Lee]

Ok, so are we thinking that these form the basis - or top of the page for each god's own page?

what I was thinking, and what would work well would be a page each with something like this at the top - plus a picture too - and the devotional material beneath. Then, we can link from this page to the 'essay' section which will be set up on the site under its own standalone area.

Tomorrow or tuesday night - more likely tuesday - I will do a couple of these pages and get it set up as it might look eventually - that way you can see what I mean.

[Lee]

Here is the template for ease;

Name of deity (including meaning and interpretation of name):

Known Roles:

Archaeological evidence:

Myths and stories:

Modern Worship:


If you are going to do one, this thread is as good as any and I can copy it over from here to the main site

[lorna]

@ Heron, cool, let's go with the @50 words.

@ Lee, now we've decided on the @50 word limit the template is pretty much redundant. Apologies for the messing about - seems to be part of the process. In my next reply to this thread I'm going to post a sample 'Belisama Page' ready to cut and paste over.

Having put this together I'm wondering whether articles on particular deities should actually stay on their pages (as per now) rather than go in a separate essay section? If they were separate that would mean we'd have a whole list of god and goddess names again under essays, which we particularly don't want. It may be best to keep the essays to more over-arching Brythonic themes?

From the Page I've done 'with articles' seems to work ok but I'd be glad to hear your opinions.

[lorna]

BELISAMA

Belisama 'Most Shining One' or 'Most Mighty One' is a Gallo-Brythonic goddess of light, fire, water, crafts and wisdom. Her worship is attested in Vaison-la-Romaine and Saint-Lizier. A reference in Ptolemy's Geography (2AD) to the Ribble estuary as Belisama aest suggests she was the goddess of the river Ribble in Lancashire.

~

DEVOTIONAL MATERIAL

Belisama Changing Queen

For Belisama as Goddess of the Ribble

Belisama Changing Queen
Of the Ribble’s shining waters
Shaper of the dales and plains
Towns and cities and their dreams

A sparkling sight of sweet repose
You speak serenely under daylight
Shallows shifting playful hint
At beauties strange as subtle tides

Your hurtling force rocks roaring stones
When fair folk blow their horns at midnight
Enigmas flow in endless throes
Your current’s drowning change or die

Changing Queen of Transformation
Streams unite within your basin
Bridges cross worlds in collision
Town and dale and rushing dream

Lorna

~

ARTICLES

Belisama: Goddess of the Ribble by Lorna

Belisama is the goddess of the river Ribble, which runs from Ribble Head in North Yorkshire, through Ribblesdale, Central Lancashire and out to the Irish Sea. Her name is known from Ptolemy’s Geography 2AD, where at co-ordinates corresponding to the Ribble’s estuary he places ‘Belisama aest[1]’. Inscriptions to Belisama have also been found in Vaison-la-Romaine in Provence and Saint-Lizier, in the Pyrenees[2].

Her name has received a number of interpretations. Nick Ford translates ‘Rigabelisama (Riga-, a queen, and Belisama)’ as ‘Most Shining One’ making her the ‘Most Shining Queen’ or ‘Most Mighty Queen’[3]. Seeing the dazzling beauty of the Ribble illumined by sunlight or moonlight confirms the legitimacy of this epithet to me. However Delamarre claims the translation of bhel as ‘white or brilliant’ is based on a false interpretation of Belinus’ identification with Apollo. Belinus is ‘the Powerful One’ and Belisama is the ‘Most Powerful One’[4]. Watching the Ribble after heavy rain, particularly at high tide conveys a sense of her power, as does observing the landscapes she has shaped.

The town of Ribchester has a close connection with the Ribble. It’s native name Bremetonacon means ‘place by the roaring river[5].’ In Saint-Lizier Belisama is identified with the Roman goddess Minerva. A bust of Minerva was found at Ribchester and it was once largely accepted the town had a temple to Minerva-Belisama[6]. Whilst it would make sense that a place of worship dedicated to Belisama was located in the heart of the Ribble Valley beside the roaring ford this is based on a mistranslated inscription[7]. To whom the temple was dedicated is unknown. As a large part has been washed away by the Ribble it might be assumed either that it didn’t belong to Belisama or she didn’t want one.

A question I’ve pondered is how much to read into Belisama’s possible identification with Minerva at Ribchester- when the Romans built the fort in 70AD they were polytheists, and their experiences of Belisama may have led to this equation. Minerva is a goddess of wisdom, crafts and healing. From the Norman period (and indubitably before), until the end of the 18th century the Ribble was renown for being rich in salmon, the quintessential fish of wisdom, with the most important of the fish garths being located at Fish House Bridge in Penwortham[8]. Another possible reason for this identification is that wisdom can be gained from watching and listening to the flow of the Ribble in different spots. One of the lessons I’ve learnt from Belisama is dynamism and change; due to a combination of the tides, rain fall and the position of the sun or moon her waters never look the same in any place.

In terms of crafts, Belisama has inspired a good deal of creative writing from the poems of Richard Dugdale (the Bard of Ribblesdale 1849), James Flockhart’s ‘The River’ (1854), Gerard Manley Hopkins’ ‘Ribblesdale’ (1876) and John Heath-Stubb’s ‘The Green Man’s Last will and Testament’ – ‘the cruel nymphs / Of the northern streams, Peg Towler of the Tees / And Jenny Greenteeth of the Ribble, / Sisters of Belisama, the very fair one’ (1973)[9]. Jane Brunning, a Penwortham based author blogging as Reigh Belisama runs a site called ‘Save the Ribble,’ which played a leading role in preventing the river barrage at Brockholes and continues to oppose fracking on the Ribble Estuary[10].

Belisama’s influence on the cotton industry can be recalled by the number of old mills on her tributaries. Without Riversway Dockland, which was created by moving the Ribble from Strand Road to her present course beside Castle Hill, Preston could not have played its huge role in the industrial revolution. Whilst I’m unaware of any associations linking Belisama with physical healing, spending time beside the Ribble usually has a calming, cleansing effect on me.

Moving from Belisama to the Ribble, the first mention of the change of name is in ‘the Latin Life of St Wilfrid’ (patron saint of Preston) where ‘lands identified as ‘round Ribble’ (iuxta Rippel), Yeadon, Dent and Catlow’ are granted by the English ruler to ‘the community at Ripon’[11]. The Saxon Ripel was taken by Ekwall to mean ‘tearing, reaping’ making the Ribble ‘the tearing one’[12] relating Belisama’s qualities of power and might. Andrew Breeze suggests that Ribble may derive from the Welsh rhybwyll, which combined with the prefix ri could mean very great wisdom[13]. The name change and it’s interpretations demonstrate the qualities of flux and continuity innate to Belisama.

For me in present day Penwortham, (which without Belisama, in its current form would not exist), Belisama and her tributaries continue to shape the valleys and plains, as well as the lives of the wildlife and people who inhabit them. Belisama’s power and wisdom shine throughout her ever changing course and in those by which it is transmitted, whether by the spoken or written word, craftsmanship, or in the actions of those who stand against her exploitation and pollution.

[1] www.roman-britain.org/ptolemys-geography.htm
[2] Whilst this might be seen to indicate the presence of a goddess worshipped across Britain and Gaul, Nick Ford reminds us ‘most, if not all, the names of Celtic divinities seem to be descriptive epithets rather than real names.’ Nick Ford ‘Ribchester (Bremetenacum Veteranorum): Place of the Roaring Water’ Lancashire’s Sacred Landscape, ed. Linda Sever, 2010, p82.
[3] Ibid.
[4] theses.univ-lyon2.fr/documents/getpart.php?id=lyon2.2009.beck_n&part=159190
[5] Nick Ford ‘Ribchester (Bremetenacum Veteranorum): Place of the Roaring Water,’ Lancashire’s Sacred Landscape, ed. Linda Sever, The History Press, 2010, p82
[6] Malcolm Greenhalgh, Ribble River and Valley: A Local and Natural History, Carnegie Book Production, 2009, p83.
[7] ‘commander of the unit and region’ was mistranslated as ‘to the very mighty numen and queen’ Nick Ford ‘Ribchester (Bremetenacum Veteranorum): Place of the Roaring Water,’ Lancashire’s Sacred Landscape, ed. Linda Sever, The History Press, 2010, p82
[8] Alan Crosby, Penwortham in the Past, Carnegie Press, 1988, p48
[9] John Heath-Stubbs ‘The Green Man’s Last Will and Testament,’ Earth Shattering: Eco-Poems, ed. Neil Astley, Bloodaxe Books, 2007.
[10] save-the-ribble.blogspot.co.uk/
[11] Andrew Breeze, ‘Communications Yrechwydd and the River Ribble,’ Northern History, XLVII; 2, September 2010, p324.
[12] Ibid. p324
[13] Ibid. p326.

~

RESOURCES

Bernard Maier, Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture, (The Boydell Press, 1997)
James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, (Oxford University Press, 1998)
John Harland, Lancashire Folklore, (Kessinger Publishing, 1867)
Nick Ford, ‘Ribchester (Bremetenacum Veteranorum): Place of the Roaring Water’ Lancashire’s Sacred Landscape, ed. Linda Sever (The History Press, 2010)
Vivienne Crowley, 'Midsummer Blessings of Belisama,' Patheos Pagan www.patheos.com/blogs/viviannecrowley/2015/06/midsummer-blessings-of-belisama/

[Lee]

Okay, quick and dirty..

Dunbrython.org/belisama
Dunbrython.org/nodens


As examples. I was thinking i can merge the Brythonic polytheism piece Heron wrote and the 'core values' into a single page called Brythonic Polytheism. After reviewing the values part mind you

[Lee]

do you have a bigger version of that photo Lorna? on the site is is a bit pixelated as the image I have taken from here is smaller

[lorna]

Hi Lee, they're looking good I particularly like the way you've done the pics at the top with the sketches in larger writing with the rest below. I also merit your decision to do away with my divides for devotional / article etc.

Thanks for taking Nodens' Page. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. Coincidentally, this article, covering a lot of what your sketch encompasses plus the Fisher King parallels went live on Gods @ Radicals today 'What Ails You, Father? The Rain of Nodens' godsandradicals.org/2016/01/12/what-ails-you-father-the-rain-of-nodens/

A couple of minor edits are needed for Belisama - the first three paragraphs of the article have for some reason run together and I think 'For Belisama Goddess of the Ribble' would look better beneath in italics.

Here's a bigger pic. If this doesn't work I'll mail one.

Good work - I'm really excited for seeing all the pages done!

[lorna]

I'm looking over these page by page. Missing stuff in bold.

Ambactonos - Rearranged by Lee and looks fab.

Belisama - Rearranged by Lorna. Picture is great. Slight edit needed - for some reason the title Belisama has been repeated and italicised when the bit in italics should be 'For Belisama as Goddess of the Ribble.'

Briganti - All good but needs a sketch.

Creiddylad - Sketch needs adding. Needs devotional material.

Epona - Looks great. Needs a sketch.

Gwyn ap Nudd - Needs a sketch. Needs a pic - how about Glastonbury Tor in the mist? Will upload separately. I'm tempted to add my poem 'When You Hunt for Souls in the Winter Rain' to balance Calan Mai and Calan Gaeaf like on other pages if that's ok? Lee, how about adding 'The Charge of Gwyn ap Nudd' from your blog and some of your Koryos material? Also, Heather's video.

Maponos - Needs a sketch and pic.

Nodens - Needs devotional material.

Rigantona - Needs a pic.

Rosemerta - Needs a sketch and pic.

Taranis - Needs a sketch and pic.

~

There's a couple of deities I'd like to see included who I've been connecting with and aren't included:

Matrona
Don

Heron, would you like to add Coventina?

Lee, what about Moccus?

[lorna]

Actually, I've just realised the way I'm uploading pics - storing them on my blog so there's an address to type in isn't the best. Lee, I will send them over by e-mail.

[Lee]

that pic is fine
all uploaded, though if you have others for specific pages - fire away

[lorna]

Thanks, Lee, Gwyn's page looks good so far. The misty tor works well.

Hope you don't mind but I've taken the liberty of doing Gwyn's sketch as it's one I can do off the top of my head. Feel free to change or reject!

Gwyn ap Nudd 'White son of Mist' is a Brythonic warrior-hunter god and ruler of Annwn. In Welsh mythology as a 'bull of battle' with his white stallion, Carngrwn, and red-nosed hound, Dormach, he guides the dead. Every May Day he fights against his eternal rival, Gwythyr, for his beloved, Creiddylad. He is later known as a Fairy King and leader of the Wild Hunt.

I've also done Matrona:

Matrona 'Mother' is the goddess of the river Marne in Gaul. Her name seems connected with the Matronae 'Mothers' and Matres 'Matrons' who were worshipped across northern Europe from 1AD to 5AD. In Welsh mythology she appears as Modron 'Mother' and her children include Mabon 'Son' and Owain and Morfudd by Urien Rheged.

Here's Creiddylad with some edits:

Creiddylad is a Brythonic goddess of love, fertility and sovereignty. In Culhwch and Olwen she appears as 'Creiddylad daughter of Lludd Llaw Eraint the most majestic maiden there ever was in the Three Islands of Britain' and the beloved of two rival lovers: Gwyn and Gwythyr who battle for her every May Day. On Calan Mai she becomes May Queen. On Calan Gaeaf she becomes Queen of Annwn.

It would take me much longer to do any of the others as I'm not currently as connected.

I will see what I can do about more pics.

Another thought - I think long term it would be best to have much wider contributions. Is now the time to put a call-out for people to contribute to the existing pages and suggest new ones? I have a couple of people in mind for Manawydan and Cernunnos.

[Heron]

Jan 13, 2016 21:34:57 GMT -1 lorna said:

Heron, would you like to add Coventina?

Yes, I'll do it over the weekend.

[Lee]

I have got a bit lost in where we are with all this activity going on and not being able to catch up whilst at work - work blocks this site for some reason.

I have done the Gwyn and Creiddylad sketches. Little bit off edit to the Gwyn one to add some of my own perspective I took out the fairies bit because I am horribly biased against that work these days and because i think it is a distraction; a later christianised gloss of who or what Gwyn ruled over. I will go post something about the fairies on the other thread where they got mentioned

I am going to hold off on Matrona for now, mainly because I think it best to get the current ones filled with stuff rather than adding more empty ones. it als gives us content to add in the future too. I dont know if anyone has much going on with Matrona for instance - so when we do have that or people contributing, we can add them pages.

A wider base of contribution would be good - but i think more directed rather than broad appeal; i dont like the idea of us falling into the trap of other sites where we simply are using the same old pagan tropes of the 'Welsh Gods' and get the same rubbish regurgitated. it kind of goes against what we got Brython going for in the first place. So for instance we ask for 'cernunnos' stuff and get generic horned god of the forests stuff back; when as Deiniol or someone would point out that is very likely a totally modern way of looking at him influenced by Wicca (not meaning to be rude about Wicca - I am one after all) and he is more the Uderworld god like Succellos.

We do need pics - for now something as placeholder, though I do want to do some actual drawing again soon nd already know what i want to to fro gwyn based on one of the Gundestraup cauldron panels.

apologies for worse than usual typing - really cold and numb fingers

[Heron]

Jan 14, 2016 11:04:23 GMT -1 lorna said:

...
Another thought - I think long term it would be best to have much wider contributions. Is now the time to put a call-out for people to contribute to the existing pages and suggest new ones? I have a couple of people in mind for Manawydan and Cernunnos.

I certainly think that we should try to widen the range of deities represented and get people in contact with those deities to do them if possible. And maybe more people involved in Brython as a result

[Lee]

Ambactonos - done for now

Belisama - done for now

Briganti - sketch done

Creiddylad - Sketch done. Needs devotional material.

Epona - Looks great. Needs a sketch.

Gwyn ap Nudd - good for now, i will do my Koryos stuff as an essay, adding a few 1000 more words is going to make the page huge and potentially unwieldy 

Maponos - Needs a sketch and pic.

Nodens - I suspect the devotional stuff to be done in the coming weeks - call it a hunch I am having.

Rigantona - Needs a pic.

Rosmerta - Needs a sketch and pic.

Taranis - Needs a sketch and pic.

[lorna]

We're getting there. I'd say we're about half way now

Here's a sketch for Maponos:

Maponos 'the Son' is a Gallo-Brythonic god of youth, hunting and music. His centre of worship was the 'locus Maponi': the Clochmaben Stone in northern Britain. In Culhwch and Olwen, Mabon son of Modron 'Mother' is rescued from a house of stone with help from the oldest animals. Afterward Mabon plays a prominent role hunting Twrch Trwyth.

I'll e-mail you a pic of the Clochmabenstone from Wikipedia Commons, along with a couple of possible pics for Taranis and one of a grey mare and foal for Rigantona (unless Heron wants to choose one?) Also some devotional material for Creiddylad.

Yes - the joint Gwyn sketch works One last thing for Gwyn - should we give Heather's video a little more prominence as a devotional piece in itself rather than including it as an illustration in my essay, perhaps by placing it beneath your Charge?

Also, you mention the blog will appear on the Brython site. I assume it has a blog function? If so that would work really well

[Heron]

Short Sketch Coventina
Coventina is a water goddess who had a shrine dedicated to her at a well at Bricolita Fort on Hadrian’s Wall. Other sites for her worship have been identified in Gaul. The titles ‘Augusta’ and ‘Sancta’ appear on dedications to her, suggesting a high status as these were usually reserved for deities worshiped in Rome.


Dedication:

For Coventina
Who brings us otherworld water

Budding through earth and stone

Into our world of dry words:

Liquid whispers of something deeper

Longer Sketch:

Coventina is a water goddess. A large number of votive stones, altars and other objects inscribed with dedications to her were found at a well in the Bricolita Fort (now Carrawburgh) on Hadrian’s Wall. It is clear from these, together with the extensive evidence of other offerings, that she was venerated at the well around which a shrine was constructed. On one of the dedicatory thuribles found in the well she is given the title ‘Augusta’ and on one of the altar stones she is referred to as ‘Sancta’. It is very rare for deities other than those worshipped in Rome itself to be given these titles. Since the discovery of the shrine in 1876 other sites in Gaul and elsewhere have been identified with dedications to her.

There is no suggestion that the water in the well had any specific healing properties and Coventina can therefore be taken to represent divine water itself rather than the beneficial quality of a particular spring. The well was sealed at some time during the later Roman period and filled with the dedicatory objects , probably including items from the nearby Nymphaeum. It remained undisturbed until it was excavated in the nineteenth century. All of the items taken from the well are now in the nearby museum at Chesters Fort.


(altar stones in Chesters Museum)


Resource:
Coventina’s Well Lindsay Allason-Jones and Bruce McKay (Chesters Museum, 1985)