Cerridwen, a deity associated with the feminine symbols of water and the Moon, is the shape-shifting Celtic Goddess of inspiration, wisdom, and the magical arts of enchantment, divination, and prophecy.
She possesses the three aspects of the maiden, mother, and crone, and is a goddess whose invocation is a significant aspect of both the initiatory and mystery rites of Celtic magic.
In her mysterious cauldron, according to ancient Celtic legend, Cerridwen prepared a potion of enlightenment for her son that consisted of the yellow flowers of the cowslip, fluxwort, hedgeberry, vervain, the berries of the mistletoe (a plant sacred to the Druids), and the foam of the ocean.
It was warmed by the breath of nine maidens, and required brewing for a year and a day.
A youth named Gwion drank three drops of the potion, causing the rest of the brew to turn into poison and destroy the cauldron.
To hide from the angry goddess, he used his newly-acquired shape-shifting powers to change himself into a grain of wheat.
However, Cerridwen transformed herself into a black hen and devoured him
