Also called Ceridwen, Keridwen.
Their story
In the Tale of Taliesin, Cerridwen brewed a cauldron for a year and a day to give wisdom to her son Morfran. The boy Gwion Bach, set to stir it, was splashed by the three precious drops and gained all its knowledge. She chased him through many shapes until, as a hen, she swallowed him as a grain of wheat, and later gave birth to him as the poet Taliesin.
Their day
Monday. In modern practice, Monday is often chosen for her because many modern pagans link her cauldron and changes with the moon.
Best times to give to them
- Samhain
- the full moon
- while cooking or brewing
What they like being given
- herbs
- a pot of soup or stew made with care
- grain or seeds
- a poem
- candlelight
How to honour them
- Stir a pot slowly and think of what you want to transform.
- Keep a small cauldron or bowl on your altar for her.
- Write down insights that come to you and offer them to her.
- Give her the first taste of something you cook.
How they can help you
- creative inspiration
- deep change
- learning and wisdom
- patience with long work
Symbols
- the cauldron
- the sow
- the hen
- grain
The tale survives in a sixteenth-century form, and whether she was once a goddess is debated.
Festivals
- Samhain 1 November, beginning at sunset on 31 October