Gwyn Devotional Art/Space Journey

[lorna]

I'm posting this partly due to being inspired by others sharing their devotional spaces and partly because I've had a bit of a journey to create the art for this one. A while back I had a dream about changing my altars and awoke knowing Gwyn wanted a representation of him rather than just a candle inscribed with his name in Coel Bren. So I looked in pagan shops in Preston and Lancaster and even Glastonbury on a weekend away to no avail and trawled the internet. I found likenesses but nothing that equated to the images of him as he appears to me. So, even though I am not an artist, I decided to bite the bullet and pick up pencil and paper. The image that came out is based on the lines 'I come from battle and conflict/with a shield in my hand' in 'The Conversation of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir' and the way Gwyn appeared to me when I first meditated on those lines. It's not exactly as I picture him but seems to be what he wanted.

[lorna]

This is how it appears at Gwyn's shrine.

[Heron]

Thanks for sharing this with us Lorna. Often the only way to accommodate what a god wants is to do something other than rely on sources in the shops selling pagan paraphernalia.
Gwyn surveys the devotional space dedicated to him with Carngwrwn beside him as is proper, with Dormach also in attendance.
Good to see the Awen goblet there too!

[Lee]

I have rarely ever found anything 'fitting' in the normal places of pagan shops. most often they have faces or look plain awful. I will have to post up some o the prints I do when i make a start on a series of twelve

[lorna]

@ Greg - You may also notice the white stone from Borth beach. The peat you gave me is there too symbolising the place of Gwyn and Gwyddno's conversation.

@ Lee - would love to see your prints, looking forward to them

Following on from this my meditations on the image led to confirmation of the title and content of my next book, which will be called Gatherer of Souls and focus on Gwyn's mythology and its intersections with modernity. I've written a blog post about the journey in full here - lornasmithers.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/gatherer-of-souls-2/

[shadowhunter]

I am hoping to learn a lot more about Gwyn and his connections with the Berwyn Hills near Llangollen . Can you suggest reading please . I follow your blog keenly Lorna , it's wonderful

[lorna]

Hello Shadowhunter and welcome to Brython Many thanks for your kind words.

I personally haven't visited the Berwyn mountains but am aware that there a number of Gwyn place-names there. Cadair Berwyn is on the possible settings of St Collen's supposed banishment of Gwyn www.maryjones.us/ctexts/collen.html (although many people argue for Glastonbury, as Collen was Abbot of Glastonbury).

This piece, 'The Berwyn Mountains of Poetic Adventure' is clearly written from a pagan perspective and speaks about the Gwyn place-names and the notion that Gwyn has his fairy palace on Cadair Berwyn, where he was confronted by Collen. You need to scroll down a bit to get to the Gwyn section - mirrorofisis.freeyellow.com/id598.html

If you manage to get up there, do let us know how it goes