For today’s post, I have decided that I would do a blog post about Celtic Goddesses that embody Aphrodite energy. I feel this will be a good companion to my post about Aphrodite fitting into my Faery Lifestyle! Now, this is not a countdown, it is simply seven Goddesses from Celtic lore that I have found to embody Aphrodite energy in some way. I decided to have this list be of seven Goddesses because seven is a powerful Faery number, which makes it brings my connection between Aphrodite and Faery Lifestyle full circle! Without further ado, here’s the list.
Number 1: Guinevere
~Guinevere is most remembered as the wife of King Arthur in the Arthurian legends. She is a figure that originated in Celtic lore and myth before the Arthurian legends were first written down in the early medieval period. Her connection to being a probable Goddess and Faery Queen comes in the form of her appearance, alongside Arthur as his Queen, in the earliest Arthurian tales found in The Mabinogion (or The Mabinogi). We know that other female Faery women in this collection of eleven (or sometimes twelve) tales are considered to have been Goddesses stripped of the title due to the fact that they were recorded by Christian clerics! That is why I chose to include Guinevere on a Goddess list. She embraces Aphrodite’s energy in that Guinevere is all about love. She has love affairs with many knights across countless tellings of the legends. After Chretien de Troyes, that knight is almost always Lancelot, but many other knights of Arthur were accused of being lovers of the Queen before this version of the legends. It is the fact that we associate Guinevere with love, sexuality, and abundance that she is a Celtic embodiment of Aphrodite energy!
Number 2: Aine
~Aine is an Irish Goddess who is associated with the Sun, the Moon, Midsummer, her nature as a Faery Queen, and Love. Aine is a Goddess who balanced the romantic nature of love with the protective nature of revenge against those who would abuse her. She is famously a Goddess that did not let being assaulted (as she is in one myth, but she has her vengeance) keep her from being loving and having many satisfying love affairs. She is also one of the main Faery Goddesses that many Irish people claim descent from, as she is known to have sired many half-faery half-human offspring with her mortal lovers! It is this nature of being so associated with love and sexuality which shows Aine to embody Aphrodite energy. Oh, and she gets a bonus Aphrodite energy point for the fact that she has a mermaid form in mythology, and we know that Aphrodite is associated with mermaids!
Number 3: Blodeuwedd
~Blodeuwedd is another Faery Queen Goddess whose tale was first recorded in The Mabinogion. Blodeuwedd is a Goddess who was literally made of flowers, either three or nine blooms depending on the telling, in order to be married to the Solar Deity and King Llew Llaw Gyffes. Much like Guinevere, Blodeuwedd grew tired of her husband not paying her attention and ended up falling in love with another man when he left her to travel yet again. Blodeuwedd and her lover Gronw plotted to kill her husband in order for them to take over the rulership of his lands. They did nearly succeed, but Llew was saved by his uncle Gwydion (who along with the other magician Math, created Blodeuwedd for his bride). They punished the lovers by killing Gronw and cursing Blodeuwedd into her Owl Form! Blodeuwedd embraced Aphrodite’s energy when she chose to put everything into her romantic relationship. Her unwillingness to settle for a loveless marriage is what most shows her to be a Celtic Faery Goddess that embodies Aphrodite energy!
Number 4: Maeve
~Maeve is a Faery Queen and Goddess associated with both war and sexuality. It was a competition between herself and her husband that would lead to Maeve’s most famous mythological tale in the Ulster Cycle of Irish myth. Maeve is shown to be a wild lover that has an insatiable appetite for sex and her name means “she who intoxicates.” This is a reference both to her association with alcohol like mead (which is named for her) and the fact that no one could resist her beauty and sexual allure! Like Aine, Maeve is known to have sired many half-faery half-human offspring, meaning that several Irish people can claim descent from her as well. This voracious sexual appetite, as well as her irresistible allure, is what shows Maeve embodying Aphrodite’s energy. After all, who amongst Gods or mortals could ever resist Aphrodite?
Number 5: Rhiannon
~Rhiannon is a Faery Queen Goddess who also first appeared in The Mabinogion. She is a Goddess of Sovereignty and her tale is built on love. Her marriage to Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, is one that she chose over a loveless union with a man to whom she had been engaged in an arranged marriage situation. Her marriage to Pwyll, after they actually could marry (as it took a while to get things right in order for them to get together), was a happy one. Their union was put in jeopardy when his men were upset that Rhiannon had not yet conceived after years of marriage, but this just spurred on the conception of their son Pryderi. Sadly, Rhiannon had to endure punishment unfairly because the baby was stolen away. She did not lose her crown or place as Queen though, and when Pryderi was returned their marriage was back on a happy footing! Rhiannon’s love for both her husband and her son shows her as a Goddess who is associated with emotions. This emotional connection is what most associates her with Aphrodite energy in my opinion.
Number 6: Iseult
~Iseult, or Isolde, is an Arthurian legendary Goddess who was originally an Irish Princess. This is why many consider her an Irish Faery Goddess instead of a Welsh one (as the Arthurian legends are rooted in Welsh Celtic lore). Iseult is most famous for marrying King Marc of Cornwall, but truly loving his most powerful knight, Tristan! This likely sounds familiar, as it is very similar to the iconic Lancelot and Guinevere love story, also from Arthurian legends. Iseult is a healer, as well as a Faery Queen, which links her to a Goddess nature. She is often said to have healed Tristan more than once, and is even sent for to heal him after their affair was discovered and they were parted! The connection to love and her willingness to continue her love affair even after her marriage to Marc is what most connects Iseult to Aphrodite’s energy!
Number 7: Melusina
~The final Celtic Faery Goddess I want to highlight as being connected to Aphrodite energy is Melusina. She is a Faery Queen who is associated with being born to a Faery woman from Avalon and having married French and German rulers. She appeared in French legends as Melusine and in German ones as Melusina. The story of her punishment for plotting to kill her father in revenge for his betraying her mother’s wishes, which ended her parents’ union, is what led to her caring for a fountain, common in Celtic and Arthurian lore. It is here that she meets her husband, whom she had a whirlwind courtship with. He married her with the promise he would never see her on Saturdays, as she had to spend Saturday in her mermaid form as part of her curse. They are married for many years in happiness and have many children, but eventually, his curiosity gets the best of him and he spied on her. When this betrayal comes to light, Melusina abandoned her husband and returned to Avalon. She did still visit her children when her husband was traveling! The fact that her story is so related to love, both romantic and familial, and the importance of keeping promises, is what links her to Aphrodite energy. After all, Aphrodite would never let someone betray a promise to her! Also, like Aine, Melusina gets bonus points for her mermaid form.
Note on Morgana: I did not include Morgan le Fay on the list because I already acknowledged that she has some Aphrodite energy comparisons in Friday’s Aphrodite and Faery Lifestyle post.
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Further Reading
- The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
- Your Goddess Year by Skye Alexander
- Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
- The Faery Gates of Avalon by Gareth Knight
- The Romance of the Faery Melusine by Gareth Knight
- The Irish Queen Medb by Lora O’Brien
White Rose of Avalon 