Rune Oracle

Celtic god

Mabon ap Modron

The divine son who was freed

youthfreedomhuntingmusicliberation

Also called Mabon son of Modron, Maponos.

Their story

In Culhwch and Olwen, Mabon son of Modron was taken from his mother when he was three nights old, and no one knew where he was. Arthur's men asked the oldest creatures in the world, the Ouzel of Cilgwri, the Stag of Rhedynfre, the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd and the Eagle of Gwernabwy, until the Salmon of Llyn Llyw carried them to Gloucester, where they heard him lamenting behind a wall. Once freed, Mabon rode in the hunt for the great boar Twrch Trwyth. His name comes from the British and Gaulish god Maponos.

Best times to give to them

  • Calan Mai
  • the autumn equinox (in modern practice)
  • Calan Gaeaf

What they like being given

  • apples
  • music played or sung
  • a candle for prisoners of conscience
  • seeds for wild birds

How to honour them

  1. Ask the oldest person you know about the past, as Arthur's men asked the oldest animals.
  2. Support a charity that helps people who are imprisoned unjustly.
  3. Listen to music in his honour.

How they can help you

  • freedom from what confines you
  • learning from elders
  • youthful energy
  • reunion

Symbols

  • the salmon
  • the ouzel, stag, owl and eagle
  • the hunting hound
  • the lyre

Calling the autumn equinox Mabon is a modern name coined by Aidan Kelly in the 1970s and not an old Welsh festival.

Sources

  • Culhwch ac Olwen
  • Trioedd Ynys Prydein

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