Chlíodhna , Celtic Goddess of Beauty, the Sea and the Afterlife by Judith Shaw

Having spent the past year and a half immersed in the study of Celtic Goddesses, I am intrigued by the sharing of many of their attributes, symbols, and associations – shape-shifting, magical birds, and apple orchards in the Otherworld to name just a few. One other common thread found in so many Celtic Goddesses is the existence of many contradictory folk tales about them.  Their stories, like the otherworldly mists of the Celtic countryside, which materialize suddenly, obscure reality and then melt away again, exist on the frontier of myth and reality.

Chlíodhna (pronounced Kleena), Celtic Goddess of Beauty, the Sea and the Afterlife, is such a Goddess.

Chlíodhna of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is the daughter of the Sea God Manaan Mac Lir.  She often took the form of a sea bird, symbol of the Celtic Otherworld.  As Goddess of the Celtic Otherworld she is associated with light and happiness. As a Sea Goddess she was thought to be found in every ninth wave, which breaks higher and stronger than other waves.

The number nine is found frequently in Celtic mythology. Nine, is considered to be thrice sacred as it is composed of three trinities, the all-powerful 3×3.  It represents perfection, balance and order – the beginning and the end.

As with many other Celtic Goddesses, She rules a particular area.  A Faery Queen of the province of Munster, She is associated with the coastline near Cork.  Carrige Chlíodhna is Her sacred hill in County Cork.  She is also associated with the lake, Lough Derg located at the end of the Shannon River in County Limerick.  Her wide and beautiful lake is located close to many sites associated with Grainne, Celtic Sun Goddess.

Like Rhiannon, Chlíodhna has three magic birds which can heal the sick with their bird song.  Some believe that Her birds ate golden magical apples from an apple tree with silver leaves, which brings to mind Brigid and her apple orchard in the Otherworld.

But sometimes Chlíodhna grew bored in the Otherworld where life was alway bright and sunny.  She would take human form as the most beautiful woman on Earth.   Many men were seduced by Her charms but woe to them when that happened.  Once returning with Chlíodhna to the Otherworld, they were never seen again in this world. She was most often seen on the seashore perhaps leading to the the old Irish superstition that to see a woman before one goes to sea is unlucky.

Many tales of her loves exist. One story, which perhaps speaks of our human resistance to that final transition to the Otherworld, tells of a young man who had learned her magic and planned to kill her.  But she escaped by taking the form of a wren.

In another tale, She became enamored with Ciabhan of the Curling Lock.  She left the otherworldly island of Tir Tairngire (“the Land of Promise”) to be with him.  Similar to the disapproval which Rhiannon faced when she left the Otherworld to be with Pwyll, the Gods of the Otherworld did not accept Chlíodhna’s departure.

One day while Ciabhan was away hunting Chlíodhna fell into an enchanted sleep.  Some accounts say that Mannan Mac Lir, the Sea God, caused this sleep; other accounts credit the enchantment to the Winter Goddess, The Cailleach.  In any event once She lay in this enchanted sleep a large wave was sent to bring her back to the The Land of Promise.  She was never allowed to return to the mortal world again.

It is believed that Her drowning occurred in Glandore Harbor.  To this day, The waves which enter cliff caves near the harbor are called Tonn Chlíodhna – Chlíodhna’s Wave.

Call on Chlíodhna for beauty, love and healing.  Chlíodhna’s blessing can help with the grief of the losses you experience on your life’s journey, including the loss of a loved one who has made that passage to the Otherworld. Through Chlíodhna let the unfathomed depths represented by the sea wash over your soul bringing you greater understanding of the eternal circle of life.

Sources: http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deitiesc.html, http://bardmythologies.com/cliodhna/, http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM02/foremothers.htm, http://www.silverenchantments.com/fairy-goddesses.html, http://www.crystalinks.com/numerology2.html

Judith’s deck of Celtic Goddess Oracle Cards is available now.  You can order your deck on Judith’s website. Experience the wisdom of the Celtic Goddesses!

Judith Shaw, a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, has been interested in myth, culture and mystical studies all her life.  Not long after graduating from SFAI, while living in Greece, Judith began exploring the Goddess in her artwork.  She continues to be inspired by the Divine Feminine in all of Her manifestations. Originally from New Orleans, Judith now makes her home in New Mexico where she paints and teaches part-time.  She is currently hard at work on a deck of Goddess cards. Purchase Judith’s prints and paintings, priced from $25 – $3000 through her website.

Author: Judith Shaw

Judith Shaw, a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, has been interested in myth, culture and mystical studies all her life. Not long after graduating from SFAI, while living in Greece, Judith began exploring the Goddess in her art. She continues to be inspired by the Goddess in all of her manifestations, which of course includes the flora and fauna of our beautiful Earth. Judith has exhibited her paintings in New York, San Francisco, Mytilene Greece, Athens Greece, New Orleans, Santa Fe NM, Taos NM, Albuquerque NM, Houston TX and Providence RI. She has published two oracle decks - Celtic Goddess Oracle and Animal Wisdom Oracle and is hard at work on an illustrated fairytale - Elena and the Reindeer Goddess. View all posts by Judith Shaw