Cerridwen (also known as Caridwen) was the Welsh goddess of the moon, magic, agriculture, poetry, music, art and science. She was also known as the mistress of all knowledge. As the keeper of cauldron of inspiration and rebirth, Cerridwen had the ability to grant requests that she deemed worthy of her powers. One night she made three brews in her magical cauldron one was good, one was bad and one was the ugly truth.
What is Cerridwen?
Cerridwen was a Welsh goddess, sometimes associated with Diana and sometimes with Brigantia. She was associated with the moon and with wisdom and knowledge. She is sometimes described as a silver-haired goddess, or as a young woman with flowing hair, holding a staff of learning in one hand and a cup of wisdom in the other.
Is Cerridwen a real figure?
Cerridwen is a fictitious character and has no historical basis.
Did Cerridwen really appear in a magical cauldron?
A magical cauldron has been seen on a number of occasions. In the 17th Century, for example, the case of Newgate was turned on its head when the prisoner heard a strange sound and, opening his cauldron, found he was holding a beautiful woman.
What can we learn from Cerridwen?
Knowledge is power
The tales of how Ceridwen unleashed her magick into the world are both fascinating and, unfortunately, haunting. To avoid upsetting her lover, the husband of her daughter, Cerridwen disguised herself as a man. But in the process of her disguise, she accidentally released an evil and cursed book from the Ancient Library of Ynysangharad, a magical library in Wales.
Before the evil book was released, it possessed the daughter of the mistress of Ynysangharad. The evil book prophesied that unless someone sat on the underworld monster Ceridwen the moon maiden, Cerridwen would wither into a pale moon who would torment mankind. The girls name was Evheniya, and she suffered from long-term conjunctivitis.
Why is cooking important?
Ceridwens brew was good. She gifted the magic to the workers on her farm a very long time ago. The bad brew was bad news for all, and it gave rise to Cauldron of Mayhem.
When her farmers started to use bad brew to make food, the witches of the land came together to prevent the horrific consequences that would occur if they lost their harvest. This would threaten Cerridwens reputation, and so the ingredients for the original brew were hidden and new ingredients were produced. The good brew was used to heal the fields and crops and produce magical foods for the rest of the year, while the ugly truth was hidden and food poisoning flourished.
Cerridwen used her powers to make some of the greatest gifts we have the harp, the lyre and the crossbow, among others.
What does Cerridwen teach us about cooking?
Honesty. Cerridwen was known for her transparency. She would teach people about herbs by sharing the ugly truths about them and how to use them, encouraging her students to believe in themselves and experiment. She made it a mission to introduce people to new foods, new spices and new recipes that were healthy and flavorful. Cerridwen encourages her students to be less cynical and take a chance on exciting flavors.
Creativity. Cerridwen was known for her inventive nature. She knew how to cook with ingredients from herbs to peppers. She loved experimenting and making new things. Cerridwen also knew the power of combining flavors, particularly spices, to create rich, flavorful, flavorful food. She believed in creating new things and challenging the conventions of taste.
