A poem on Sunday: Blodeuwedd by Sarah Persson

Blodeuedd is strictly speaking, a character in the Mabinogi, an intricate work of mythology or literature (see my current series 'Magnificent Mabinogi', on Nation Cymru). The Mabinogion is the title of a collection of mediaeval tales, which includes the Mabinogi. To remember which is which, the longer word (all 11 tales) includes the shorter word. I do not share many people's delight and fascination with Blodeuedd. What many do not know is almost all the pretty flowers use in her manufacture, are poisonous. A mediaeval audience living in a farming society would hvae known this, so picked up the advance warning of something nasty. Blodeuedd is interesting as a non-human construct, a vegerable. It (she) has no initiative/ choice of her own. It (she) is manufacrured by two males as a sex-doll, handed as a passive gift to a third male. Its (her) one independent act is to choose yet another male to service sexually. It (she) then becomes his thing, his tool, and does his will as a treacherous killer. Not a female type I like. I did see a reference to Blodeuedd dreaming which suggested it (she) found a kind of freedom in dreams of her former green life. Nice idea and reflects the pathetic freedom in dreams that is all slave-type females have. Finally I like and admire owls, fine mothers, excellent collaboraive hunters with a partner. Blodeuedd in the tale becomes an owl as a cursed fate. Perhaps instead that gave her finally a real life with freedom and choices.