Arianrhod

Arianrhod is a fairy of Welsh Mythology. She is a powerful Welsh fairy queen and belongs to the winter fairies as she is ruler of the circumpolar stars of the north, called Corona Borealis. These stars are also known as the crown of the North Wind and in Welsh mythology they are sometimes known as Caer Arianrhod, the castle of the silver circle.

Arianrhod is the daughter of Dôn, a Welsh Goddess, and Beli Mawr, a Welsh deity. Arianrhod has two brothers. Gwydion who is a magician and Gilfaethwy. Her uncle, Math ap Mathonwy is the King of Gwynedd.

Legend says, that Arianrhod's uncle would die if he did not keep his feet in the lap of a virgin when he was not at war. Math fab Mathonwy kept his feet on the lap of a virgin called Goewin, but she was raped by Arianrhod's brother, Gilfaethwy. When Math fab Mathonwy learnt that Goewin was no longer a virgin, he married her to save her honour and punished his nephew by turning them into a breeding pair of deer for a year, wild boars for the second year and wolves for the third year.

When their punishment was over, Gwydion suggest that his sister, Arianrhod became the next virgin footholder. She was asked to step over Math's rod to prove her virginity, but she was not and gave birth to a son. She also gave birth to a second son which she refused to name Lleu. However, she was tricked into naming him. Furious at being tricked she placed a tynged on him but Math and Gwydion created a woman from flowers and brought her to life. She was known as Flower Face.