Lludd and Lleuelys Searles searles@summerlands.com Tue Nov 23 15:26:00 1999 In _The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales_, translated and edited by Patrick K. Ford, the part entitled "Lludd and Lleuelys" is said to be a parallel story to the Irish tale, "Cath Maige Tuired" (The Second Battle of Moytura). The two main characters are Lludd Llawereint and his brother Lleuelys. The name Lludd is a form of Nudd (Nudd is a Welsh form of Nuada, Llawereint is the Breatnach/Welsh for "Silverhand"). The name Lleuelys is cognate with the Irish for Lugh. This makes the title of the tale, "Nuada and Lugh" (in Irish).*p*Lludd (Nuada) has three afflictions upon his kingdom: from the Coraniad (a people very oppressively like the Fomorii), from a shout that occurred every Mayday eve (which took the valor out of the men, caused women to miscarry, children to lose their senses, and all of nature to become barren), from a mysterious disappearance of all their food each night, no matter how much there was or how they tried to safeguard it. He seeks out and embraces his wiser brother Lleuelys (Lugh) for the answers to how the kingdom can be rid of its oppressions. Their discourse occurs via secret means for the Coraniad (Fomorii) can hear anything that is carried upon the winds.*p*A reading of the resolution of these three oppressions also shows us the parallels of the two tales, as well as expanding our understanding of the role of the deities/forces of Nature and their relationship to the deities of order/society. The first oppression is resolved at a feast via magical/scientific "vermin" warfare. The second oppression sets the scene for the tale about Vortigern's Tower and the two dragons, as well as showing us a possible ritual for finding, establishing and honoring the omphalos (sacred center). The resolution of the third oppression in itself gives us clues as to how a spiritual journey may have been taken in that in-between-state that occurs between waking and sleeping. It's my intention to discuss the parallels between the Welsh and Irish tales in hopes of understanding the relationship between the two traditions, as well as to more clearly discover how the deities of each people were considered to be related (in both family and in their functions).*p*In a separate episode of the Mabinogi within Ford's book, we are given a rendition of the tale of Ceridwen and Gwion Bach. To me this tale seems to contain an analogy to the first experience of imbas for a young Drui or Fili. The establishment of the brew within the Cauldron of Knowledge, intercepting its gifts in competition with Afagddu (Utter Darkness), and the transforming experience of the three drops of wisdom, seem to suggest a possible course of study, including the use of herbs in journeying, the loss of self and ego to the void, and the eventual perils of mastering a return to present reality. This is another point of discussion that I'd like to explore more deeply in the lore, as well as the experiences and the visions of my peers.*p*I'll be posting these thoughts on several Druid lists and forums in hopes that we'll be able to establish a dialog in search of threefold wisdom for ourselves. Only through a quest for knowledge through tradition, experience and inquiry, will we ever deserve to be called "Wise."*br*