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Courtesy Mythic Images Galleries
Ceridwen lived with her partner, Tegid, in a cabin on a lake for many years before
they decided to have children. They were lesbians so they tried to get Ceridwen pregnant by artificial insemination.
Since it did not seem to be working they decided to adopt. They told the adoption agency that they wanted a girl and
a boy. The girl, they named Creirwy, was stunningly beautiful. Ceridwen and Tegid knew that society was a shallow one
and only valued wimin for their looks. Because Creirwy was so beautiful they did not worry that she would have a hard time
in the world. However, the boy, Afagddu, was so ugly that Ceridwen and Tegid worried he would be taunted and abused by
others. They knew that Afagddu would have to be an exceptional child if he was to pass through this world without being discriminated
against.
In the new millenium, Paganism was not lost. Ceridwen was a witch. After thinking about
the situation and talking it over with Tegid, she decided to draw upon her knowledge of herbs and would create a
potion. She intended to make a potion that would bestow on Afagddu such wisdom and wit that he would be irresistable
to anyone he came in contact with. Ceridwen picked an auspicious time and began to create the special brew
in the huge iron cauldron that sat in the middle of her sacred circle back on the wild part of their land. She
boiled up herbs picked at special times of the year and governed by astrological lore. This potion was created over a year
and a day and the whole time Ceridwen stirred. Finally, when the potion was ready to be distilled into 3 precious drops, she
hired the kid down the street, Gwion Bach. Gwion seemed to be a good kid. Ceridwen and Tegid had hired him to dog sit before
and had been impressed by his sense of responsiblity. Ceridwen was very tired...her ritual was beginning to sap her energy
so she hired Gwion to stir the potion for her. She knew she needed to get some rest before she could complete the potion.
Used with permission by Katlyn Breene
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Ceridwen told Gwion that he must stir the brew and that he
must be very careful not to spill a drop. She left the circle and went into the cabin that she shared with Tegid. She was
so tired that she barely made it to their big brass bed. Soon she was fast asleep while outside Gwion stirred the brew carefully.
Now, even though Gwion Bach was a responsible child...he was still a child. He began to grow
bored with his task. To keep things interesting he began to stir the brew to the rhythm of the music blasting in his headphones.
And just like that, on a particularly energetic pass Gwion accidently splashed the brew and one little drop flew out and landed
on Gwion's thumb. The temperature was hot and he raised his thumb to his mouth without a second thought. In that instant Gwion
was overcome with knowledge, insight, and wisdom. He knew that Ceridwen would kill him for the mistake. He ran for his life.
Ceridwen awakened at the very moment that Gwion put his thumb to his mouth. She knew that
he'd tasted the potion. She flew into a rage and ran from the cabin to her cauldron. When she got there she was not surprised
to see it unattended. She looked wildly around her trying to ascertain the direction the boy had taken as the cauldron suddenly
burst. The brew had turned into a vile poison that no cauldron could hold. She screamed like a wild thing because she knew
Gwion had deprived her son of the precious brew. Creidwen was crafty and knew the woods well. She picked up Gwion's trail
in an instant and was soon in fast pursuit.
Gwion could feel Ceridwen draw closer and in the moment that he pictured
himself as hare, he became one. He bounded through the underbrush quickly and quietly but Ceridwen could shapeshift as well
and had turned herself into a greyhound. She was just behind him, jaws snapping wildly. Gwion realized he was near a river
and in the moment that he imagined himself a fish, he became one and jumped into the river, swimming madly downstream. Ceridwen
cackled loudly and promptly changed into an otter. She was so close to catching him in her razor sharp teeth when Gwion imagined
himself as a bird. He flew up out of the water and into the air, soaring ever higher. Ceridwen let out a screech as she changed
into a hawk and flew swiftly after him. Gwion was beginning to tire but had a flash of inspiration. As he flew over a barn
he imagined himself a grain of wheat and fell into a silo. Ceridwen, ever clever, changed
into a black hen and began hunting and pecking. Soon she found Gwion and swallowed him up.
Finally the rage began to subside in Ceridwen and she started to feel like her old self.
She returned to the cabin and told Tegid what happened. A month later they were surprised to discover that Ceridwen was pregnant.
On April 29th, with Tegid by her side, Ceridwen delivered a beautiful baby boy. They named him Taliesin. He was so special
that Ceridwen decided to give him the best education she could find even if it meant that he would have to be sent away. And
send him away she did...
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