Dôn
Dôn (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdoːn]) was a Welsh mother goddess. She does not play a direct part in the action of the Mabinogi, though many characters in that cycle are related to her. She is the mother of Arianrhod, Gwydion, Gilfaethwy, Gofannon, Eufydd, Elestron and Amaethon. Patrick K. Ford asserts that she is the equivalent of the Irish Danu and of the Gaulish goddess "whose name is preserved in the river name Danube (Donau)".[1]
This theonym appears to be derived from Proto-Celtic *Dānu meaning "fluvial water".[2]
The House of Dôn
| Dôn | Math fab Mathonwy (Dôn's brother) | Goewin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gwydion | Gilfaethwy | Arianrhod | Gofannon | Amaethon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dylan ail Don | Lleu | Blodeuwedd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In astronomy
Llys Dôn (literally "The Court of Dôn") is the traditional Welsh name for the constellation Cassiopeia. At least two of Dôn's children also have astronomical associations: Caer Gwydion ("The fortress of Gwydion") is the traditional Welsh name for the Milky Way, and Caer Arianrhod ("The Fortress of Arianrhod") being the constellation of Corona Borealis.
See also
- The House of Llŷr
References
- ↑ Patrick K. Ford (ed./trans.). 1977. The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. University of California Press, Berkeley. p.89
- ↑ Proto-Celtic—English lexicon and English—Proto-Celtic lexicon. University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. (See also this page for background and disclaimers.) Cf. also the University of Leiden database.
External links
- The New Companion to the Literature of Wales, Meic Stephens.