5 Ways to Connect With Arianrhod

Who is Arianrhod?

Arianrhod is the Celtic goddess of the night sky, the moon and stars. She’s a daughter of Don, the Welsh mother goddess, and Beli Mawr, the god of the sun. Her name means ‘the silver wheel.’ She’s most often depicted as a beautiful, powerful maiden. Like many Celtic goddesses, she’s associated with fertility, and the cycle of life and death. However, her realm is the night sky, where she also governs the moon and celestials.

As a lunar deity, she controls the tides, the cycles of the moon, and the passage of time, along with magic, and the cosmic mysteries. In Welsh mythology, Arianrhod is a divine figure who governs fate, destiny, and the web of life.

She is a primal and complete figure of feminine power, with no need for a mate or consort. In one version of her myth, Arianrhod lived in a castle named Caer Arianrhod, on a rotating magical island named Caer Sidi, with a number of female attendants. Caer Sidi was known as the Otherworld, the land of the dead. When people died, their souls were brought to Arianrhod in her castle. There, she would decide their fate in their next life while providing them a nurturing home before reincarnation. (Today, Caer Arianrhod is connected with a rock formation at Llandwrong in north-west Wales, which is only visible at low tide).

In Welsh and Celtic legends, Arianrhod was tricked by the magician Gwydion into birthing his child. One day her uncle Math, a great magician and Gwydion’s teacher, was required to keep his feet in the lap of a virgin when he wasn’t in battle, otherwise he’d perish. The trickster Gwydion suggested he use Arianrhod’s lap.

Math demanded proof of her virginity, and forced Arianrhod to step over his magician’s staff. When she stepped over it, she gave birth to two boys. One was fully formed and immediately ran to the sea and swam away. Math named this boy Dylan. The other boy was made of unformed matter. Gwydion secretly scooped him up and raised it in the forest, thus tricking Arianrhod into giving him a child and causing her humiliation.

Arianrhod spent the rest of her days at Caer Arianrhod, on Caer Sidi. When the sea reclaimed the land, Arianrhod and her realm drowned, and her rule ended.

Working with Arianrhod

Ancient Celts worshipped Arianrhod through the cycles of the moon and stars. By aligning themselves with her cyclical energy, they could call on her blessing and wisdom for fertility, protection, or enlightenment. Flowers, herbs, and fruits were offered, and ceremonies were held during the full moon to invoke her guidance and protection, especially for women’s fertility or healing.

Arianrhod is a Welsh Moon Mother and virgin goddess of fertility (this context, the term ‘virgin’ means ‘not belonging to a man,’ and has nothing to do with sex).

Some things sacred to Arianrhod are the owl, wolf and the birch tree. To the Celts, the owl is associated with death, and the birch tree is the tree of new beginnings. The owl and the birch together represent her rule over reincarnation. The wolf was associated with the power of the Moon, her celestial embodiment. As a fertility goddess, she is associated with grains, as well as the cycles of regeneration and reincarnation. Silver coins can also represent her silver wheel of fate. 

Today, witches and pagans invoke her as a patron goddess for lunar spells and rituals, and divination. She continues to be a symbol of feminine intuition, psychic ability, and the spiritual awakening which follows. As a goddess of the stars, Arianrhod holds the keys to the universe’s mysteries, bringing insight and guidance. This makes her a wonderful ally to call on during your divination or dreamwork practices.

Some connect Arianrhod to the Triple Goddess, represented by the waxing, full, and waning phases. She’s the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. As the Maiden, Arianrhod represents innocence, purity, and new beginnings. As the Mother, she embodies nurturing, fertility, and creation. As the Crone, she symbolises wisdom, death, and transformation.