Cerridwen’s Cauldron
A Celtic Crone Goddess, Cerridwen presides over the Cauldron of Knowledge, the contents of which must brew for a year and a day. She is known to shape-shift in the form of a sow.
Cerridwen creates the potion of knowledge which brews for a year and a day in her magick cauldron. A few drops of the potion and one gains all wisdom including the ability to see into the past and the future. Legend says that Cerridwen asked her servant, Gwion, to watch over the cauldron. Some of the potion splashed on his fingers which he licked without thinking. He immediately possessed all knowledge and ran away. Cerridwen pursued him as he shapeshifted into many forms, lastly becoming a small grain. Cerridwen changed into a hen, consumed the grain and became pregnant, giving birth to the great bard, Taliesin.
The origin of the witch stirring her cauldron of brew is most likely the image of Cerridwen.
Cerridwen’s Cauldron is available in two sizes at MagickMermaid Studio.
https://magickmermaid.com/Magick-Goddess-Pagan-Celtic-Mythology-Art.html
MagickMermaid 
If she’s a crone does that slant sideways and qualify her as a witch? Seems like a worthy pic for the #Witchtober hashtag on Twitter this month. 🙂
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Yes! Thank you so much!
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She is interesting! I would have chosen something other than a sow, if I could shape shift 😉
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Thank you! Sows are quite formidable 🙂
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Great illustration and interesting goddess. Good post.
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Thank you do much! 🙂
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Fascinating story! You must do a lot of research for these tales, no? Beautiful artwork, Mer!! ❤
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Yes, I do; it’s always interesting. Thank you! 🙂
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I love this painting. Beautiful details and I particularly like Cerridwen.
I can’t help feeling Gwion got a shitty deal here though. It splashed on him FFS! This chicken grain debacle smacks of constructive dismissal to my mind. What Gwion lacked was a good employment lawyer. I wonder how Cerridwen is pronounced – I want to say Cerruthwen. Hey maybe it’s the origin of Katherine?
Anyway, as always, I loved this post. Thank you mermaid master painter extraordinaire!.
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Thank you so much! 🙂 Some people say KER-id-wen and others say Ker-ID-wen.
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I was way off then. Or alternatively, all of those people are mispronouncing it and I’m right. (I think I know which I believe). Well its a bonnie painting and a charming story however the name is pronounced.
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Thank you! I appreciate it! 🙂
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Now you’ve got me wondering, if I could shape-shift what animal would I become? A boar, or would it be a bore? 🙂
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You would never be boring! I vote for the boar! 🙂
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Ah, how did I miss this one? I love Cerridwen, one of my favorites. Beautiful work!
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Thank you so much, Christine! 🙂
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