Avalon: Island of Apples

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

Avalon: Island of Apples

The Celtic Otherworld has always been a mystery; a strange, mysterious, and elusive place. What is not always appreciated is the extent to which the Celtic Otherworld, especially the magic Island of Apples, agrees with its Greek counterpart.

Since ancient times it had in fact been believed that the Celts got their concept of the Blessed Isles from the Greeks. The Greek historian, Plutarch, in his Life of Sertorius (8.2-3), maintains that the belief in the Elysian Fields passed into the Celtic world and modern scholars hold the same opinion.

In order to delve somewhat deeper and explore these possible origins, a closer look needs to be taken at a Celtic god and goddess closely associated with the Celtic Otherworld, namely Manannán/Manawydan and his consort, Rhiannon.

Manannán/Manawydan

An intriguing figure among the Tuatha Dé Danann was Manannán mac Lir, remembered in Welsh tradition as Manawydan fab Llŷr, “Son of the Sea.”

Manannán was a shapeshifter and had a crane bag in which he kept the earliest form of the Hallows, the treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He often appeared to sailors on the outset of their voyages. Manawydan was also a cunning and master craftsman. His first consort was Fand, “Pearl of Beauty.” He later married Rhiannon. After the Milesians gained control of the land, Manannán became the overlord of the remnant of the Tuatha Dé Danann as we read in the story, Altram Tige Dá Medar or The Nourishment of the Houses of Two Milk-Vessels.

Manannán was lord and guardian of the Blessed Islands, especially the Isle of Man, which bears his name, and the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. Any one of these islands (other possibilities have also been put forward) could have been Emhain Abhlach, from which the well-known name, Avalon, was derived. Abhlach means “of the apple trees.” This refers to the apple trees that grew on the island, trees which bore golden apples, the source of eternal life and inspiration. The island, also called the “Plain of Honey,” was a place where “the young do not grow old at all.”

A branch from a blossoming tree on the Island of Apples, called the Silver Branch, had poetic and prophetic properties and was carried by an otherworldly woman in a story about Manawydan’s brother, Bran, called The Voyage of Bran. It became the symbol of the poet’s craft, a symbol of entry into the Otherworld.

Manannán was lord and guardian of the Blessed Islands, especially the Isle of Man, which bears his name, and the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland. Any one of these islands (other possibilities have also been put forward) could have been Emhain Abhlach, from which the well-known name, Avalon, was derived. Abhlach means “of the apple trees.” This refers to the apple trees that grew on the island, trees which bore golden apples, the source of eternal life and inspiration. The island, also called the “Plain of Honey,” was a place where “the young do not grow old at all.”

A branch from a blossoming tree on the Island of Apples, called the Silver Branch, had poetic and prophetic properties and was carried by an otherworldly woman in a story about Manawydan’s brother, Bran, called The Voyage of Bran. It became the symbol of the poet’s craft, a symbol of entry into the Otherworld.

[Julie]

Thanks for the article, I've visited the Isle of man a couple of times, although I haven't seen all of the Island is seemed special and a good place to be.

I love apple blossom, my apple trees here in England have abundant blossom this year

[Julie]

Wordpress blog on fairies

On the Isle of Man, the fairy lover, the lhiannan shee, was a very strong tradition. 

Wikipedia

The leannán sídhe (lit. 'fairy lover';^[1] Scottish Gaelic: leannan sìth, Manx: lhiannan shee; [lʲan̴̪-an ˈʃiː]) is a figure from Irish Folklore.^[2] She is depicted as a beautiful woman of the Aos Sí ("people of the barrows") who takes a human lover. Lovers of the leannán sídhe are said to live brief, though highly inspired, lives. The name comes from the Gaelic words for a sweetheart, lover, or concubine and the term for inhabitants of fairy mounds (fairy).While the leannán sídhe is most often depicted as a female fairy, there is at least one reference to a male leannán sídhe troubling a mortal woman.

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

Yes I like apple blossoms too, I took a photo of some at a clients house, I was going to try to paint them..but never got round to it though as yet,like many things,they sit n wait their turn..but I must say they will make a beautiful piece of art..

[Julie]

Beautiful flowers Vlada, thanks for sharing them.  I hope you get to paint them 

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

Eventually everything gets completed with me..I just take my time doing them lol..

[Julie]

bit like me then Vlada, it's getting the timing right, all things happen when ready.  

apple blossom photographed in my garden

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

Yes they have to wait in a type of production line of sorts with me,but they do get completed,I just finished restoring my Art Deco garden Naida nymph that took a while,as it was trial & error,I shared that in here already,I gave her a aged patina look? ..HERE..

I also have a outdoor pond venture I wish to do, with a flowing water fall from a urn into it..I have the pond container,the rocks & urn & pump etc,I just have to get it started, I thought I'd find time this summer, but no,got busy on othert tings...now its Autumn I should really get going on it,cos the ground will be softer to dig.

now did you actually paint that picture of your blossoms below?,

Taikunping avatar ~ Julie Parry said:

bit like me then Vlada, it's getting the timing right, all things happen when ready.  

apple blossom photographed in my garden

[Julie]

I photoshopped my picture in watercolour mode...I'm a beginner at painting, but when I set my mind to things I seem to do lots.  When we got the lock down in 2020 I started painting more often.  A friend encouraged me to try out acrylics as I'd only used a very basic watercolour set.   From last August I've painted more often.

The pond in my garden is overgrown, but it's attractive to frogs, and not sure the frogspawn turned into tadpoles this year as the weather was pretty cold.  There lives there lots of lilies 

I've lived where I am now for a long time, so bit by bit the garden gets revamped, but like everything it has to wait on occasion.

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

Ahh so that's why I thought it had been painted.... I'd have no idea on how to use photoshop on my pc, I'm not that cleaver or pc literate,lol despite being cleaver at many other things....but now I wonder what my top photo would look like in it..I can envisage via my 4th eye what it would look like painted in water colours itself..

[Julie]

I'm pretty much a technophobe so I only learned some basics and I only had the programme because my son's girlfriend has a copy.  I loved using it and it helped to produce some strange but hopefully beautiful images.

There was a beautiful image I had a few days ago, it was a group of faery or angelic beings holding a big satin sheet and bouncing a lady up and down gently and slowly the lady was catching stars and adding them to what looked like her apron pocket.  It was when I tuned into mum who had had a particularly stressful day and was in tears.  Inner child healing that's the idea that came to me, but I thought at the time I wish I could paint it because it was such a beautiful feeling

[Julie]

the hawthorn tree I posted when I joined up ...I named the image Avalon

[ënagualí~ᏉLAᗪἇ ኔጡ።]

I love that huge oak tree in your video at 1:16..now that would be awesome in water colour....I also have loads of wonderful tree pictures I've wanted to paint,never get to do them..lol but oh well one day I just might..