The Mabinogion · 163 of 191 · tr. Lady Charlotte Guest
Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWY-h
And a good enough name it is.
Llew Llaw Gyffes be he called henceforth.” Then the work disappeared in seaweed and sedges, and he went on with it no further.
And for that reason was he called the third Gold-shoemaker.
“Of a truth,” said she, “thou wilt not thrive the better for doing evil unto me.” “I have done thee no evil yet,” said he.
Then he restored the boy to his own form.
“Well,” said she, “I will lay a destiny upon this boy, that he shall never have arms and armour until I invest him with them.” “By Heaven,” said he, “let thy malice be what it may, he shall have arms.” Then they went towards Dinas Dinllev, and there he brought up Llew Llaw Gyffes, until he could manage any horse, and he was perfect in features, and strength, and stature.
And then Gwydion saw that he languished through the want of horses and arms.
And he called him unto him.
“Ah, youth,” said he, “we will go to-morrow on an errand together.
Be therefore more cheerful than thou art.” “That I will,” said the youth.
Next morning, at the dawn of day, they arose.
And they took way along the sea coast, up towards Bryn Aryen.
And at the top of Cevn Clydno they equipped themselves with horses, and went towards the Castle of Arianrod.
And they changed their form, and pricked towards the gate in the semblance of two youths, but the aspect of Gwydion was more staid than that of the other.
“Porter,” said he, “go thou in and say that there are here bards from Glamorgan.” And the porter went in.
“The welcome of Heaven be unto them, let them in,” said Arianrod.
With great joy were they greeted.
And the hall was arranged, and they went to meat.
When meat was ended, Arianrod discoursed with Gwydion of tales and stories.
Now Gwydion was an excellent teller of tales.
And when it was time to leave off feasting, a chamber was prepared for them, and they went to rest.
In the early twilight Gwydion arose, and he called unto him his magic and his power.
And by the time that the day dawned, there resounded through the land uproar, and trumpets and shouts.
When it was now day, they heard a knocking at the door of the chamber, and therewith Arianrod asking that it might be opened.
Up rose the youth and opened unto her, and she entered and a maiden with her.
“Ah, good men,” she said, “in evil plight are we.” “Yes, truly,” said Gwydion, “we have heard trumpets and shouts; what thinkest thou that they may mean?” “Verily,” said she, “we cannot see the colour of the ocean by reason of all the ships, side by side.
And they are making for the land with all the speed they can.
And what can we do?” said she.
“Lady,” said Gwydion, “there is none other counsel than to close the castle upon us, and to defend it as best we may.” “Truly,” said she, “may Heaven reward you.
And do you defend it.
And here may you have plenty of arms.” And thereupon went she forth for the arms, and behold she returned, and two maidens, and suits of armour for two men, with her.
“Lady,” said he, “do you accoutre this stripling, and I will arm myself with the help of thy maidens.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Shapeshifting Transformationtheology
Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. Loki and Odin's transformations in Norse, Math's pigs and Blodeuwedd's owl-shape and Pwyll's exchange with Arawn in the Mabinogion, the Greek Proteus, the Indian dasavatara, Vainamoinen's bird-flight in the Kalevala, Ovid's metamorphoses, the shamanic and witch's capacity for ritual form-change. Distinct from anthropomorphism (divine taking specific human form, single embodiment) in that anthropomorphism establishes a stable form whereas this concept establishes form's plurality and instability.
The passage centrally features Gwydion and Llew changing their form to deceive Arianrod, utilizing shape-shifting as a key mechanism of the plot.
All passages →Word Power Incantationpraxis
The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.
The narrative highlights the causal efficacy of speech through the naming of Llew and Gwydion's invocation of magic to create auditory illusions.
All passages →Related passages · 8 parallels
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“" The Dhyanis ( Pitris ) are those who have evolved their BHUTA ( doubles ) from themselves , which RUPA ( form ) has become the vehicle of monads ( seventh and sixth principles ) that had completed their cycle of transmigration in the thre…”
Shared concept: Shapeshifting Transformation — Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. (derived)
western_esoteric|The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite)|Page 53
“§ 2. Concerning the Forms of Infernal Spirits in their Manifestations Having regard to the nature and antecedents of the Intelligences with which Black Magic professes to be concerned, it must be highly important that the operator should kn…”
Shared concept: Shapeshifting Transformation — Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. (derived)
western_esoteric|The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall)|The Elements and Their Inhabitants-e
“The imagination of the Greeks peopled the regions of earth and sea with divinities, to whose agency it attributed the phenomena that our philosophy ascribes to the operation of natural law." Thus, in behalf of the plant it worked with, the…”
Shared concept: Shapeshifting Transformation — Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. (derived)
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|14. Transmutations-b
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Shared concept: Shapeshifting Transformation — Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. (derived)
hinduism|The Bhagavad Gita|Chapter XI, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XI.
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O you whose eyes are li…”
Shared concept: Shapeshifting Transformation — Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. (derived)
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Shared concept: Word Power Incantation — The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. (derived)
western_esoteric|Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune)|8. The Risks Incidental To Ceremonial Magic-e
“Enough must be hinted, however, to reveal what, under certain circumstances, may be experienced.
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They…”
Shared concept: Word Power Incantation — The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. (derived)
renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LXXI — Of Many Words Joined Together, as in Sentences and Verses; and of the Virtues and Astrictions of Charms|Chapter LXXI, Section 1a
“CHAPTER LXXI.
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Shared concept: Word Power Incantation — The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. (derived)