Painting by Blanche Fisher Wright. Image from Art Today.

Her Legend (From Encyclopedia Mythica): "Rhiannon (her name is either "Maid of Annwn" or a variant of Rigatona, "Great Queen"), a version of the horse-goddess Epona and of sovereignty. She was mistress of the Singing Birds. She appeared to Pwyll, lord of Dyfed, as a beautiful woman in dazzling gold on a white horse. Pwyll sent his fastest horsemen after her, but could not catch her. On the third day, he spoke and she told him she wanted to marry instead of her espoused husband Gwawl. Pywll was to meet her in a year and a day. He won her at the court of her father, Hefeydd the Old, by her aid. She bore Pwyll a son, who vanished. Her women killed a puppy and smeared its blood on her, to avoid blame at the child's loss. As punishment, Rhiannon spent seven years telling her story to all comers and bearing them, like a horse, to the court.

The child, meanwhile, turned up at the court of Teyrnon, whose mares foaled on May eve and lost the foals mysteriously. When Teirnon kept watch, he saved a foal from a mysterious beast and also discovered, outside the stable, a child, whom he and his wife adopted. Then child grew to young manhood in seven years, and was given the foal rescued on the night he was found. Teirnon recognized the child as the son of Pwyll and returned him to his family, where he was named Pryderi ("worry") by his mother. Later, after Pwyll's death, Rhiannon married Manawydan, brother of Bran and Branwen and son of Llyr, a great magician. One day, all of Dyfed turned into a wasteland, and only Rhiannon, Manawydan, Pryderi, and his wife Cigfa, were spared. Manawydan and Pryderi out hunting followed an enormous white boar into a caer, where Pryderi saw a golden bowl; when he touched it, he was enspelled. Rhiannon went after him and fell under the same spell the caer then vanished, taking them with it. She was rescued when Manawydan captured the wife of their enemy, Llwyd, who was taking revenge for the ill-treatment of Gwawl." (Copyright (c) 2000 Encyclopedia Mythica. All rights reserved.) Rhiannon rode on a white mare that could run faster than any other, accompanied by three birds. The songs of her birds could wake the dead, put the living to sleep for seven years.

From "East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North", by Kay Nielsen. Image from Art Today.

What She Can Mean to You and Me: In Celtic mythology, she's Epona. She rode a horse faster than anyone, and her birds are harbingers of bliss. Seek out Rhiannon when you need speed, and you may find help from horses and birds. Painting of Valkyrie Battle-Maiden from the Picturesque Tale of Progress 5, New Nations 1 by Donn P. Crane. Image from Art Today.