More on Sacred Wells

A follow-up to yesterday's post:  Possible Sacred Well Discovered in Wales.

In addition to the information/links contained in Robur's comments about the Gihon spring and Hobbs Well:

http://weavingandmagic.blogspot.com/2011/04/asherah-eve-and-shekhinah.html#gihon
http://weavingandmagic.blogspot.com/2011/01/lady-godiva-and-her-priest-king.html#hobbswell

here is a prior post on sacred wells from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets that I made in 2009. 

Here's a post on (Saint) Dwyn or Dwynwen, who became a patron saint of the love lorn and also sick animals!  She is connected with a sacred well or spring in Wales.

Interestingly, "visiting sacred wells" used to be part of "pious practices" in the honoring of Saint Brigid of Ireland.  I posted about her in 2008 (emphasizing her connection to birds and as an aspect of the Mother Goddess who was often represented as a bird in various cultures and religions through the ages.)

Another interesting legend concerning a "witches' well" in Tuhala, Estonia, that I posted about in 2009.  In it, I wondered if there could be a connection to old Celtic legends of "water horses" that were often associated with springs, wells, rivers and - in the case of the "selkies" the ocean itself.

St. Winifrede's Well at Holywell, Flintshire, North Wales

Back to the post from yesterday about the discovery of a possible sacred well in Wales, three names were noted in the article in connection to an old Welsh legend about a sacred well:  St. Winefride, her suitor, Caradog and St. Winefride's uncle, said to be St. Beuno. 

Having refreshed my memory by reading over the prior posts, it seems there are similarities in at least some of the legends associated with sacred or holy wells in Ireland and Wales.

There is a lot of information online about the legend of St. Winefride (also Winefred, Winifred, Gwenfrewi) and Caradog (also Cardoc).  You can see representations of St. "Gwenfrewi" and St. Beuno in the stained glass window (last photo) at the website of  "St. Winifred's Well" by Jeffrey L. Thomas

Evidently Winefrede's holy "well" (a spring that was enclosed), has been a place of pilgrimage practically since the time of her death, allegedly in 660 CE.  Information at Wikipedia.  

I checked Walker's book and found no entry for St. Winefride but I found a very similar name to Gwenfrewi and Dwynwen - you may recognize it - Guinevere.  Guinevere, of course, was the famous lady of the triangle with King Arthur and his favorite young, handsome knight, Lancelot.  (Notice how "triangles" of people are also involved in many of the legends noted above: daughter/wife; father/uncle/saving or guardian angel/husband; and lover/rejected suitor.)

Here is what Walker has to say about Guinevere:

In Germany, Guinevere was Cunneware, "female wisdom"(1)  According to the Welsh Triads, she was the Triple Goddess, Gwenhwyfar, "the first lady of these islands," at times one queen, at times three queens, all named Gwenhwyfar, all of whom married King Arthur.(2) 

Arthur was born of the same Goddess when he was cast ashore on the ninth wave.  The Welsh called breaking waves the Sheep of the Mermaid, and the Mermaid was Gwenhidwy, or Gwenhwyfar.  The ninth wave represented the "god born of nine maidens," also known as The Ram.(3)  Nine maidens signified the triplicated Triple Goddess, like the nine Muses in Greek myth.

Guinevere embodied the sovereignty of Britain. No king could reign without her.  Thus, in story after story, she was abducted by would-be rulers.  Melwas, Melegant, Artur, Lancelot; and Mordred all took Guinevere away from the incumbent ruler when they wished to make themselves kings.  When a king lost Ginevere, he lost the kingship. [Emphasis added.]  Some myths suggest that she was a sacred statue, like the Fortuna Regia of Roman Caesars.(4)  Yet she was also a living woman, who impersonated the Destroyer when she gave the apple of death to Patrick, and was nearly burned at the stake when she was accused of witchcraft.  Early legends said she disappeared into the castle of Joyous Gard, the earthly paradise, where she reigned each spring as May Queen.

Notes:

(1)  Campbell, C.M., 448.
(2)  Malory 1, xxiv.
(3)  Turville-Petrie, 152.
(4)  Encyc. Brit., "Guinevere."


Hmmmm, "when a king lost Guinevere, he lost the kingship" - a man might get very angry about such a turn of events, evoking the equivalent of the raging "IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, NOBODY WILL."  We see this ethos at work in an unending epidemic of female spouses, ex-spouses and girlfriends being violently killed by former male intimates. 

Dwynwen - A Version of the Ancient Female Soothsayer

Prior post on sacred wells, etc. from Barbara Walker's "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" will help put things in perspective.

I came across this by accident. This saint doesn't seem so much a patron of sick animals as a patron of the love sick and a modern-day version "Dear Abby" (pardon the pun :))

St. Dwynwen (Dwyn) of Tolentino-Patron Saint of Sick Animals:

Dwyn was a 5th century Welsh maiden from a wealthy family. Her father was a Welsh Saint and king, Brychan Brycheiniog of Brechon. She had her love troubles, however. The story is that Dwyn fell madly in love with a Welsh prince named Maelon Dafodrill. A marriage was planned but it was not to be. As St. Dwyn distanced herself from Maelon, his bitterness toward her became unbearable.

Heartbroken, Dwyn accepted a heavenly potion offered to her by an Angel appearing to her in a dream to soothe her heartache. However, the angel failed to tell her the effect of the potion on Maelon, who was turned into stone (or ice according to other accounts) once administered to him. [Oops, a minor oversight on Almighty God's part, heh heh].

Appalled, Dwyn requested and was granted three wishes from the angel:

-- That Maelon be restored to life
--That all True Lovers that invoke her name either achieve their hearts desires or recover quickly from disappointment
--That she not marry or wish to

Dwyn committed her life to God and founded a convent on what is now Llanddwyn island, just off the Isle of Angeles. Within that Abbess, there is a miraculous spring (Ffynnon Dwynwen) wherein, from the movement of the fish, the adept can tell the future. One other interesting fact, the water works wonders with sick animals. Over time Dwyns name was invoked to heal sick and distressed animals, a tradition that has
survived even today.

The ruins of Llanddwyn chapel, a 16th century Tudor church, can still be seen. Moreover, her name lives on in the town of Porthddwyn and a church dedicated to her can be found in Cornwall.


I also read that she was one of 24 children of this "king" who later became a "saint".  Probably couldn't afford a dowery and determined she would be a nun - often the fate of female children that a father couldn't afford.  Well, I suppose it's better than what the Chinese do - kill the female babies at birth.  See what happens when a dude can't keep his penis in his pants.  Thank Goddess for Birth Control Pills!  Now we just need to get them for the dudes, and the problem of unwanted pregnancies will be solved. 


Photographs of the island and surroundings - it's a haunting place, with lots of megalithic placements.  It seems likely to me that the legend of the healing well predates the legend of "St. Dwyn" by a couple thousand years, at least.  The location of the well is probably an ancient "sacred place/sacred space" of power, dedicated to the Mother Goddess.  Notice the references in the various versions of the legend to the ability to tell the future when  an adept (a  woman, since this was a nunnery) "working" the "fish" in the sacred well.  I wouldn't be surprised if there are underground caves nearby. 

Some other interesting versions of the legend of "St. Dwyn:"

Wales Patron Saint of Lovers - Dwynwen

By Rauncie Kinnaird
Most of us are familiar with St. Valentine, but did you know that Wales has its own Patron Saint of Lovers?


Dwynwen was one of 24 children of the King of Wales, Brychan Brycheiniog of Brechon in the 5th Century. She fell in love with Maelon Dafodrill, but they could not be together. The reason varies between stories- her father had already promised her to another Prince, she wanted to become a nun, or her father simply refused. Maelon grew bitter, and some stories say that he raped Dwynwen. She fled to the woods and prayed that she could forget him.

While sleeping, an angel brought her a potion. After she drank it, Maelon turned to ice. Dwynwen prayed to God for three wishes: that Maelon be thawed, that God would watch over true lovers, and that she would never marry and devote her life to God. The wishes were granted. She settled on Ynvs Llanddwyn, founded a convent, and became a nun.

The site of her church became a place of pilgrimage. Visitors would often leave offerings, making it the richest area during Tudor times. Her holy well, Ffynnon Dwynwen, was said to indicate lovers' destinies. A woman would scatter breadcrumbs in the well and then lay her handkerchief on the surface. If the eels in the well disturbed the handkerchief, then her lover would be faithful. The ruins of the Llanddwyn chapel can still be seen today.

Saint Dwynwen was the Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers and Sick Animals. Saint Dwynwen's Day is celebrated on January 25th.


St. Dwynwen

St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers. Her feast day is January 25, Dydd Santes Dwynwen. If you are Welsh, or the one you love is Welsh, January 25 is an opportunity to express your affection and say "Dwy'n dy garu di".

Dwynwen was a daughter of the 5th Century saint Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with Maelon Dafodrill, but displeased him when she rejected his sexual advances prior to marriage. She prayed to God for deliverance from her situation, and was given a sweet drink which released her from her heartache. The same drink was given to Maelon, who was turned to ice. Again she prayed, and was given three wishes, the first that Maelon should be unfrozen, the second that she should never again desire marriage, and the third that God should answer all requests by her on the behalf of lovers.

She became a nun, and founded a convent at Llandwyn, on an island just off Anglesey. A freshwater spring there, Ffynnon Dwynwen, has become a place of pilgrimage, not only for lovers, but also for those seeking her help in healing sick and distressed animals.