| Afagddu (Avagddu) |
The son of Ceridwen and Tegid Veol, in the Welsh myth of Taliesin. Ceridwen had two children; a daughter of outstanding beauty, and a son Afagddu, who was malformed and ugly (the least favoured of all men). To balance Afagddu's misfortune, Ceridwen decided to create a potion in her cauldron of inspiration, so that he might have knowledge of the future, clear sight, and be favoured among men.
The task of boiling the cauldron was a tedious affair, as it had to be stirred continually for a year and a day. Because of this Ceridwen appointed the blind man called Morda to tend the fire, and Gwion Bach to stir the brew. After a year and a day of stirring, three drops flew from the cauldron and alighted on Gwion's finger, he immediately put his burnt fingers into his mouth and so gained knowledge of all things. After this there was only poison left in the cauldron, which then burst, and Afagddu had to remain ill favoured.
The name Affagddu means dark or ugly, and he may be based on an archetypal dark god.
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| Aengus Angus |
An Irish god of love, he was one of the offspring of the promiscuous Dagda, and there are various tales told about his exploits in Irish mythology.
One of the most famed is Aislinge Oenguso (The dream of Angus) from the eighth century. It tells how he had a dream, in which he saw a maiden from the otherworld called Caer Ibormeith. He fell in love with her, and enlisted the help of Bodb to help him find her. The maiden spent one year in human form, and one year in the form of a swan, and it was in this form that he found her at Loch Bel Dracon on Samhain (Halloween), with a group of 149 other maidens also in the guise of swans. Angus shape-shifted into the form of swan, and they circled the lake three times singing enchanting music - so that all the people in the area fell asleep for a period of three days and nights. After this he returned with her to his palace.
He is often seen as a god of youth and beauty.
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