Also called Rigantona, Great Queen.
Their story
In the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Pwyll saw Rhiannon riding past the mound of Arberth, and no horse could catch her until he simply called out to her. She chose him over the man she was promised to. When their newborn son vanished she was falsely blamed and made to carry visitors on her back like a horse, until the boy was found and returned, and she named him Pryderi. Her birds, in the Second Branch, sing so sweetly that time passes unnoticed.
Their day
Monday. In modern practice, Monday is often chosen for her, linking her pale horse and otherworldly nature with the moon.
Best times to give to them
- Beltane and May Eve
- the full moon
- dusk
What they like being given
- apples
- oats or grain
- birdseed put out for wild birds
- song or music
- white flowers
How to honour them
- Feed the birds in her name and listen to their song.
- Ask her for patience and dignity when you are misjudged.
- Support horse welfare or spend time with horses if you can.
- Keep a white horse image or a small bell on your altar.
How they can help you
- enduring false accusation
- patience
- dignity and self-respect
- choosing your own path
- grief and loss
Symbols
- the white horse
- the birds of Rhiannon
- the mound of Arberth
Her link to a Gaulish goddess Rigantona is a scholarly reconstruction.