Mabon and
Modron
The traits of the divine child, consort, and lover of the Goddess are a common theme in modern Pagan traditions, but they are particularly relevant and fitting to the Celtic tradition, where their influence affected both Celtic and Roman society.
Mabon, Son of Modron: The Divine Child
The term Mabon, son of Modron is derived from the Celtic deity Maponos, son of Matrona, meaning the youthful son of the Mother Goddess. Epigraphic evidence for a cult to Maponos is evident mostly in the northern regions of England and in Gaul, but of particular note is the evidence of a strong cult to Maponos within the garrisons of troops who guarded Hadrian’s Wall, which separates what is now England from the northern tribes of Britain. Altars along this region, particularly at Hexham, bear the inscriptions “Apollini Mapono” and “Maponus”; offerings and votives found at these sites are indicative of devotional activity by military chiefs of the Roman army, perhaps indicating that aspects or attributes of Maponos were considered useful to those who served in the armed forces. However, this is evidently not the only attribute afforded to Maponos, the divine son who, within the context of mythology and devotional acts, seems to embody several qualities that adapt to various circumstances, conditions, and seasons.
Devotion to Maponos was seen far beyond the shores of Britain, and he appears in several inscriptions to bear the name “Apollo Maponos,” suggesting his adoption into Roman society and his similarity to Apollo, one of their most favored gods. The term mabon is a medieval Welsh designation for Maponos, the divine son, and there is compelling evidence to suggest that the etymology of the word Mabinogi originally meant “the collective material pertaining to the god Maponos.” 19 This suggests that the four branches of the Mabinogi are the myths of the mabon made locality and culturally specific in the guise of Rhiannon and her son Pryderi as facets of Modron and her son Mabon. Pryderi as the mabon or divine son seemingly meets his death in the final branch of the Mabinogi, only to be replaced by another facet of the mabon, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, who resumes the journey.
Perhaps one of the most influential accounts of Mabon comes to us from the pages of one of Wales’s oldest tales, the saga of Culhwch and Olwen. In this tale the hero, Culhwch, seeks the hand of Olwen in marriage, but her father presents him with a series of impossible tasks before he will permit him to marry his daughter. One of these tasks requires the assistance of Arthur and his band of warriors to find an ancient being called Mabon to help them hunt down a wild boar who was previously a king. With the help of the earth’s oldest and wisest animals, Mabon is discovered to be held prisoner in what is today the city of Gloucester. Snatched from the arms of his mother when he was only three days old, he is held captive in a subterranean prison until freed by Arthur and his men.
The Triads of the Island of Britain 20 record this instance, and Mabon is listed as one of the three exalted prisoners of the Island of Britain, together with Llŷr, one of the gods of the Britons, and Gwair or Gweir, who is cognate with Pryderi, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, also stolen from his mother at three days of age, and the mythical prisoner Gweir in the Book of Taliesin poem “The Spoils of Annwn,” 21 all of whom are believed to be representations of the god Mabon.
Mabon can be seen as a character who epitomizes the pan-European concept of the infant in exile and return. This theme of imprisonment and release in the Mabinogi—particularly in the third branch and the Culhwch and Olwen saga—is suggestive of a magical fertility myth. This myth is indicative of the separation of the youthful god from his mother, the great goddess, and the resulting desolation of the land, which is only restored once the youthful god is reunited with his mother. 22 The salmon upon whose back Arthur and his helpers ride a river to breach the prison of Mabon are, as Will Parker suggests in his exploration of the Mabinogi, “potent elements of the mystery of conception.” 23
Parker further elaborates and suggests that
the mabon would represent the divine child, sacrificial victim or lover of the Goddess, whose perennial imprisonment in the underworld realms follows the seasonal patterns of the plant and animal life of the land, withdrawing as it does into the earth during the winter months. 24
There is literary evidence to suggest that he was not limited to a single quality. In the Book of Taliesin he takes on a definite psychopompic attribute—a helper to the dead or a deity who initiates the transition from one state of being to another. In poem number 38 of the aforementioned Book of Taliesin we find the following lines:
Whoever saw Mabon on his white and lovely horse, who mingled before the cattle of Rheged. Unless it were with wings that they flew, only as corpses would they escape from Mabon. 25
This psychopompic aspect can be seen emulated on a lead tablet that was discovered in Chamalieres (in former Gaul) and written in Gaulish. The tablet—a spell to communicate with the mabon, beseeching action—says:
Andedion uediiu mi diiiuion risu Maponon Aruernatin, loites sni eooic sos brixtia Anderon (I beseech the divine Maponos Avernatis by means of this magic tablet, quicken us named by the magic of the underworld spirits). 26
Here Maponos is perceived as a god who traverses the fickle line between the under and upper world, the realm of light and darkness; having access to both worlds, he is useful to those who require the qualities of either state. Fertility, birth, and death, in the case of Mabon, are simply opposite sides of the same coin; all are necessary.
In the Book of Taliesin his name is applied to Christ, the newborn child of hope and light, and this theme continues through the Book of Taliesin and into the Mabinogi saga, where the entire four branches can be seen as the birth, imprisonment, life, and death of the hero Pryderi and, later, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, who can be seen to be representative of the mabon. Mabon simply means “son”; modron, “mother.” This implies that all the gods and goddesses of the Celts carry qualities of the divine son and mother, and may, in fact, be representatives of those faceless, nameless deities within the context of the seasons or the human condition. Perhaps most significantly for this discourse is that the magicians’ initiatory journey is indicative of and emulated within the mythology of the mabon and the great mother, or modron. In many ways, the mabon is you, a child of the great mother. We may externalize the teachings of the mabon and may perceive him as something other than us, whereas by working with the energy of the mabon we realize that we are essentially him. As adventurers on the great wheel of life, not just passive observers, the key to knowing the mystery lies in the experience of this immanency, of becoming the mabon.
Exercise
becoming the mabon
The mabon is immanent; he is the spark of divinity that resides within all of us. We are all children of the great mother. Become the mabon, the sacred child.
Take some time to memorize the englyn below until you know it by heart. Then take to a room lit only by candlelight and burn sweet incense to fill the air with fragrance. Sit comfortably and allow your eyes to close gently.
Imagine that you float serenely from a pristine blue sky high above a tidal estuary. The tidal waves, in and out, mimic your own breath. In the center of the estuary is an island, upon which stands a tower of sand-colored stone. A lament rises from within by breath of briny wind to reach your spiritual ears. It is the mabon who sings from within the tower, the top of which is open to the elements.
You descend; as you do, you see a young lad sitting cross-legged in the center of the tower. He sings a song in an ancient tongue; the words are haunting, alien, and yet familiar. Your body sinks into his—your eyes become his eyes, and as they do so, his words become your words as the englyn sings from your spirit combined with the mabon.
I am the mabon, I am the child,
I am the mabon, I am the wild.
I am the mabon, I am the tame,
I am the mabon, I am the flame.
I am the son, I am the foal,
I am the hidden secret of soul.
I am you, and you are me,
Child of the mother, let me see.
Secrets and magic of Modron wise,
I call to the mabon in me to rise.
Mabon of Modron, Mabon the child,
Awaken in me the spirit beguiled!
Sense the spirit of the divine child within you: you are the mabon, child of the great mother. When it is time, rise up from the body of the mabon and take to the skies above. Become aware of your breath in tune with the waves of the estuary calling you back to your body, to the here and now.
Give thanks to the mabon. Eat, drink, rest, and, on the morrow, record your impressions in your journal.
Mabon
Spiritual Function: Teaches us the significance of the great wheel and the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth. Teaches the student the importance of assimilation, reflection, and taking time out to reflect and absorb the function of liminality.
Magical Ally Function: Teaches us the function and magic of immanency, discovering the deity within.
Modron, the Great Mother
The medieval designation modron has its roots in the earlier Celtic term matrona, meaning “great mother”; her name is given to the river Marne in France and to the parish of Madron in Cornwall, along with numerous other place names that are linked to the great goddess. Modron is the deity that links the past to the present. She can be seen within every facet of European spiritual traditions, she gives rise to all things, she represents the earth and the powers of conception and birthing, death and rebirth. Simultaneously she gives rise to myriad archetypes who are representative of her powers and attributes, and they do so by giving her a name and attaching her to facets of the human condition. It could be argued that all the goddesses of the Celts are aspects of the great mother. They are sparks that fly from the central fire—they contain a fundamental component of the source and yet are individuals in their own rights.
In her guise as the great mother, Modron and her son are amorphous; they are devoid of individuation and yet contain the potential to be made manifest and fitting for any season, situation, circumstance, or condition. Within the four branches of the Mabinogi, Modron and Mabon can be seen represented as Rhiannon and her son Pryderi, who form the basis for the entire sequence of events. The great mother becomes the great queen and is representative of a host of human qualities that humans can equate to. So rather than the goddess being something up there, out of touch, out of sight, too amorphous and ethereal for true and meaningful connection, a spark from that source is sent flying into the tales of the Celts, and suddenly we are able to connect to her, to see her in human guise.
Modron’s survival through the ages and her continuous influence on modern traditions is a testament to the fact that she transcends diversity and time and remains relevant. She is able to adapt to change and new religions, becoming relevant to all who seek her. Her status as sovereign or that which represents the sovereignty of the land itself is attested in the tale “Washer at the Ford” from northwest Wales. Generally seen as a death portent, this aspect of the great mother has long been feared by the Celtic peasantry, and yet the tale demonstrates her ability to become relevant to new ways and new people, lest she fell into obscurity.
The tale recounts how Urien Rheged, a king of Britain, arrived at the Ford of Barking in Denbighshire to find a young woman washing and surrounded by incessantly barking dogs. The dogs ceased their barking as he arrived, and he was so taken by the young woman that he had intercourse with her, there and then. It transpires that she is cursed to wash at the ford until she begets a son by a Christian man, which she subsequently does. A year later, Urien is presented with a son named Owain and a daughter named Morfyd. The Triads of the Island of Britain refer to this folk tale as one of the “three fair, holy, and blessed womb-burdens of the Island of Britain, of which the second was Owain, son of Urien, and Morfyd, daughter of Urien, by Modron, daughter of Afallach, their mother.” 27
You will note that Modron is named as the daughter of Afallach, who in turn was the son of Beli Mawr—another great god of the Celts. Afallach was considered a king of Annwn, the indigenous Celtic underworld, and yet his name is also a noun meaning “a place of apples.” 28 It is tempting here to veer into the realms of Arthurian romance concerning the Isle of Avalon, which is directly linked to the name Afallach. However, in this case, it is in all probability a reference to the abundance of apple trees that characterize the landscape of the Celtic otherworld and may have given rise to the later renditions of Arthur and his connections to Avalon. What is important here is the fact that Modron is changing her guise—she is being humanized and, as such, is interacting with the world of men in a direct manner. In this case she is awaiting conception by a Christian man, demonstrating her ability to transcend tradition, and it could be argued that the great mother continues to be present in the Christian religion in the guise of the Virgin Mary. Consequently Urien is also directly linked to the deific dynasties of Britain by his union with Modron, thus affirming his sovereignty by proxy of his connection to the goddess as an aspect of the land.
But what can we do on a practical level with this information? What does it all mean—how do we make sense of this ambivalent, amorphous goddess? The magic of Modron (and her son) is in her universality—she is the source, she is the beginning and the end, she is the one that turns the great wheel of life and keeps it spinning. She is the faceless canvas onto which we superimpose all other goddesses; it is by means of the arbitrary goddesses and their attributes that we sense the spirit of the great mother. She is the great wheel of life, and in her skirts hide the faces of all the goddesses that we connect to. They are aspects of her, and they, in turn, represent aspects of us. When we align ourselves to the energy of our goddess allies, we move into the energetic field of the great mother; it is by connecting to our personal goddesses that we sense the power of Modron.
As a magical ally, Modron connects us to the great wheel of the year and the nourishing and sustaining qualities of the mother essential for the brewing of magic for healing, nurturing, and stability.
Exercise
modron’s daily devotional
Position a figurine or other representation of the great mother in a central position at the back of your altar or designated ritual space. Place a pillar or taper candle on either side of the figurine. In the foreground position a cauldron or similar vessel. Place eight small candles or tealights around the cauldron; having these contained within small glass receptacles is even better. Each of these candles represents one face of the great mother as she traverses the great wheel of the year that is beloved of modern Paganism.
Stop; take a breath with the sky above you, and draw it into your body.
Take a breath with the lapping waves of the seas that surround your land.
Take a deep breath and draw the power of land from beneath you.
Light the candles on either side of the image or figurine and repeat the following in Welsh while lighting the left-hand candle and in English for the right.
Modron, Matrona, Mam y ddaear, cod a tyd at a fi.
(Modron, Matrona, MAM uh DDAY-arr, cohd AH tId att ah vee.) 29
Modron, Matrona, Mam y bydysawd, tyd, clyw fy nghri.
(Modron, Matrona, MAM uh beed-US-awwd, tId, KLEEW vuh NG-hree)
Modron, Matrona, Mother of earth, arise and come unto me,
Modron, Matrona, Mother of all, arise and come unto me.
Light an incense stick within the cauldron or drop some incense onto a hot charcoal block. As the smoke rises, repeat the above twice.
Light each of the eight candles, acknowledging the many facets of the great mother as the wheel of the year turns. Imagine her as the following:
Winter Solstice/Alban Arthan: the ancient mother, bearer of new light
Imbolc/Gwyl Ffraid: a young girl, innocent, light, and fair
Spring Equinox/Alban Eilir: the blossoming maiden bursting with potential fertility
Beltane/Calan Mai: ripe, fertile, sexually powerful and independent
Summer Solstice/Alban Hefin: the maturing mother, experienced, powerful
Lughnassadh/Gwyl Awst: letting go, untying the apron strings,
last blossoming
Autumn Equinox/Alban Elfed: the coming of the grandmother,
wisdom from knowing
Samhain/Calan Gaeaf: the old woman, crone, bone hag, and devourer
Cradle the eight candles with your hands; feel their warmth seeping into your palms and sense the great mother. Either look directly at the image or figurine or close your eyes and sense her presence. I use these words:
Modron, All-Mother, giver of life and bringer of death,
I sing my praises to thee,
Modron, Great Mother, weaver of life and death,
arise now and be within me.
Sit awhile and sense the presence of the great mother. Extinguish the candles and then go about your business as usual. Attempt to perform this ritual every day at a time that is convenient for you.
Modron
Spiritual Function: Teaches us about the nature of the great mother and the effect of the turning year on the planet and ourselves.
Magical Ally Function: For acts of magic focused on nourishment, sustenance, healing, and encouragement. Seasonal magic.
19 Ford, The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales, 3.
20 The Triads of the Island of Britain, also called Trioedd Ynys Prydein, is a collection of 97 triads from various manuscripts that express an ancient body of lore and mythology. They have been extensively studied by the late Celtic scholar Rachel Bromwich.
21 Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, 147.
22 Parker, The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, 386.
23 Ibid., 215.
24 Ibid.
25 Kychwedyl am Dodyv (“A Rumor Has Come to Me,” from the Book of Taliesin); my translation.
26 Koch, The Celtic Heroic Age, 2–3.
27 Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, 195.
28 Ibid., 274.
29 See the pronunciation guide on page 313 for tips.