It is likely quite obvious to those reading this blog that I am obsessed with the Matter of Britain, or as it is commonly known the Arthurian legends. This is something I believe can be partially explained by the idea of ancestral mythology. I have written about ancestral mythology in the past, but today I want to focus more specifically on ancestral myth and the Arthuriad.
Ancestral mythology is the myths that are connected with the regions where a person’s ancestors resided. This is literally the myths of our personal ancestors. It is the heritage of our own bloodlines, and therefore deeply and intrinsically connected to us from long before we are aware of it! For me this means myths connected to the British Isles, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine.
Personally I am most connected to the myths of the British Isles, in particular the Arthurian legends. I have always felt pulled to read and study the stories of this particular group of myths and legends. It does make me wonder why these feel so important and so real to me, more so than any other group of tales. When I was old enough to realize that I had ancestry on my mother’s side that lived there once upon a time, it began to make sense.
These stories have been around for at least fifteen hundred years. They are kept alive by both people who live in Britain, and those who grow up loving them from all over the world. I feel pulled to study figures within these myths because they feel so real to me. I especially feel drawn to Morgana le Fay, and to a lesser degree Guinevere. Morgen is so special to me because she is the most powerful and intelligent of all the women in the Arthuriad! She is an enchantress, a priestess, a Goddess, and an empowered woman who pushes people to become who they most want to be.
It is Morgen that inspired me to name my artistic pursuits after her magical isle of Avalon. It is also her that inspired me to follow the path of Avalon. This spiritual path is so right for me, and it is something that I am so blessed to have found! Between Morgana and Rhiannon I know that I am following the path of Avalon to empower myself and live my best life. The tales of the Mabinogion are intimately linked to the Arthuriad, and I feel their pull as deeply. The British myths and legends make me feel like my most fulfilled self. It is a great process of becoming the most fully realized version of myself, and learning about the reasoning behind my obsession with these tales has been a powerful experience. I hope that this post helps to inspire some of my readers to dig deep into why they love what they love, and into their own ancestral myths. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
White Rose of Avalon 