This is the third in a series of Beltane Blogs! In this installment we consider the God Beli, whose name lives on today in the name of the festival Beltane. As means of introduction to this fascinating God and his mythological roles, what follows is an extract from the book The Isles of the Many Gods by Sorita d’Este & David Rankine, in which the authors present an A-Z of deities who are known to have a history of worship in the ancient British Isles. The book contains carefully presented evidence for each of the deities listed, together with short descriptions – as it is would not have been possible to offer a comprehensive analysis of each deity within its context, however it presents the reader with enough information and references to enable them to easily find out more about the deities they are particulary interested in. For more information on the Isles of the Many Gods click here.
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Beli
Name Shining Place of Origin Wales Place of Worship Wales Other Names Beli Mawr Literary References Book of Taliesin, Harley MSS 3859, Red Book of Hergest, White Book of Rhydderch Beli, meaning “Shining”, was the son of Mynogen, and the father figure of the House of Don, married to the goddess Don. One manuscript gives his wife as Ana, a variant of Anu/Danu, which reinforces the notion of a link between the goddesses Danu and Don.[1]
With Don he was the father of Amaethon, Arianrhod, Gilvaethwy, Govannon, Gwydion, Nudd and Penarddun, who were known as the Children of Light. He was also said to be the father of Caswallon. Beli was also known as Beli Mawr (meaning “Great Shining”) and as Beli Mawr he is given as the ancestor of the Gwynedd line of kings in one of the genealogies.[2]
Beli is mentioned in the Book of Taliesin, where he is described as “victorious” and as the “son of Mynogen” in the poem called “A Bright Festivity”.[3]
He has also been equated with the Irish god Bilé and the Gallic Belenus. The Romans equated him with the father god Dis Pater. The Triads refer to Rhun, the son of Beli, as one of the “Three Blood-Stained Ones of the British Isles”.[4] Another son, Jago, is mentioned as the recipient of one of the “Three Infamous Blows with the Axe”.[5]
[1] MSS Harley 3859, Genealogy 10.
[2] Harley MSS 3958.
[3] Book of Taliesin ch. 69.
[4] Triad 31.
[5] Triad 48.
Excerp from The Isles of the Many Gods. (c) Sorita d’Este & David Rankine, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information on the Isles of the Many Gods click here.
