The Oracle

The name Rhiannon, meaning Goddess or Queen, orginates from Rigantona, meaning Great or Divine Queen. She is the daughter of Heyvedd Hen (the Old), although i have yet to find a mention of her mother or possible siblings. She was the wife of Pwyll pen Annwfn and later Manawyddan Mac Lir, and the mother of Pryderi. She is mentioned in at least three stories of the Mabinogion and is listed in the Welsh Triads as one of the Three Matriarchs of Britain. She evolved to become the Lady in the Lake in the Arthurian legends.
She is known as a Goddess of fertility, birds, joy, oblivion, horses, enchantments, the Otherworld and even Death. She is known to give help to those who ask for it and hold those who won't in disdain. She is accompanied by three birds who have the ability to 'lull the living to sleep and wake the dead'.

Rhiannons life was by no means smooth. The best known myths appear in the Mabinogion:
Rhiannons first encounter with her first husband, Pwyll, was when she rode by him on a white horse that no one could catch. She rode past him for three days in a row. It was not until he asked her to stop that he finaly came face to face with her. She asked for his help as she was engaged to a man named Gwawl, a man of great power, who she did not wish to marry. So Pwyll offered to marry her himself.
On the day of the wedding, a man came before Pwyll. He asked a boon without making it clear what it was. In a moment of stupidity, Pwyll agreed. Unfortunately, the man was Gwawl in disguise. The boon was for Rhiannons hand in marriage. Pwyll had no choice but to accept.
Rhiannon promised she would rectify the situation and gave Pwyll a magical bag. She told him to go to the wedding feast dressed as a beggar. When at the feast, Pwyll asked Gwawl to fill the bag with food. The nature of the magical bag was that the more that was put in, the larger it would grow.
Pwyll told Gwawl that to fill it a man of 'great dominion' must stamp on the contents and say 'Enough!'. Gwawl stepped into the bag, but before he could say 'Enough!', Pwyll tied him in the bag and threw it to his soldiers for a beating. After he came out of the bag, he went his own way, and thus, Pwyll and Rhiannon were married.
When they got back to Pwylls kingdom in Dyfed, Rhiannon was adored by the people. But as the years wore on and she had become with child, the people began to turn against her. But, she eventually became pregnant and gave birth to a son. While Rhiannon was sleeping, her baby was kidknapped from under her maids noses. Fearing their punishment, they smeared the blood of a puppy around Rhiannons mouth and scattered its bones around her. They told the King she had eaten her own child. The people of Dyfed were outraged and demanded she pay penance. Being unable to prove her innocence, she agreed. Her punishment was to stand, everyday at the gates telling anyone who would listen of her 'crime' and to offer to carry guests on her back as a horse would do.
After four years of bearing her punishment without complaint, Teyrnon of Gwent, a former vassal of Pwylls, came to the gates. Rhiannon carried out her punishment one last time. But then she notcied a young boy, who she immediately recognised as her son. After this, her son was named Pryderi, meaning 'care'.
That wasn't the end though. Pwyll eventually died, leaving Rhiannon a widow.

After the war with Ireland, Pryderi returned home with his comrade, Manawyddan, who had been saddened by the death of his brothers and sister. Pryderi suggested he marry his mother, Rhiannon. As the two got on well, the marriage of Rhiannon and Manawyddan went ahead.
Pryderi, with his wife Cigfa, and Manawyddan with Rhiannon made peace with Caswallawn, who and usurped the kingdom while Bran had been at war with Ireland. They went back to Dyfed at lived happily. Until one day when they visited the mound at Arberth where Pryderi's father, Pwyll, had first seen Rhiannon. While they were sitting on the mound, there was a clap of thunder and a thick fog covered the land.
When the fog lifted, there was not a person in sight. Everyone expept for those four had disappeared. For a year they lived in in Dyfed hunting their own food. But then they went to Lloegyr (England) to make a living. They had to keep moving from town to town because of the jealousy towards Manawyddan and his skills. After a while they returned to Dyfed.
While out hunting one day, Pryderi and Manawyddan came across a strange castle they had never seen before. Pryderi went inside and found a fountain on which a golden bowl rested. Pryderi touched the bowl and was transfixed to the spot and unable to speak. When Pryderi didn't reappear, Manawyddan returned home and told Rhiannon of this. She scolded him for leaving Pryderi behind and went to find him herself. She found the castle, with Pryderi still transfixed. She too touched the bowl to free him, but became enchanted too. At nightfall there was a huge clap of thunder and the castle, with Rhiannon and Pryderi still inside, disappeared.
Manawyddan went back to Lloegyr, but the resentment of the people forced them back to Dyfed.
This time, Manawyddan became a farmer. But swarms of mice kept eating his crops. Eventually, he caught one and resolved to hang it.
As he was getting ready to do so, a passing Clerk offered Manawyddan a pound if he wouldn't hang the mouse. Manawyddan refused and sent the Clerk on his way. And then a passing Priest offered Manawyddan three pounds witht he same request. Manawyddan still refused. And then, just as Manawyddan was putting the noose around the mouses neck, a Bishop and his entourage came by and offered seven pounds. After the refusal, he then offered twenty four. And then he offered everything he had with him, his horses, packages, everything. And finally, the Bishop asked Manwyddan what it would take to stop him hanging the mouse. Manawyddan answer was that he wanted his wife and her son back, and all the people of Dyfed. The Bishop told him that if he set free the mouse, he would restore Dyfed. The Bishop explained that the mouse was in fact his pregnant wife, and it was him that cast the enchantment, as revenge for Rhiannon and Pwyll tricking his father, Gwawl.
Manawyddan released the mouse, and all went back to how it was before the enchantment.

So, as you can see she didn't have an easy life. But this was the Christianised version. Pre-Mabinogion, the tale starts in a similar way. Although her son is kidknapped while they sleep beside Rhiannons white mare. Instead of Lord Teyrnon fostering her son, Rhiannons mare becomes pregnant. In place of a foal, her son is reborn. Unable to forgive Pwyll for his cruel punishment, she leaves him and eventually marries the God of the Sea and Underworld, Manawyddan Mac Lir.

The sacred symbols of Rhiannon include the number 7, horses, songbirds, the Moon, gates, dragons, Narcissus, leeks, pansies, sage, Sandlewwod, lavender, Gold, moonstone, the colours dark green, gold, white, rich brown, ruby red and many many more.
There are two Pagan festivals still connected with the Goddess:
Gwyl o Rhiannon (the Feast of Rhiannon) on December 2nd and Rhyfeddod Lleiaf o Rhiannon (the Lesser Mysteries of Rhiannon) from sundown March 3rd to dawn on March 6th.
As an interesting tid-bit, the original version of 'Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross', was about Rhiannon.
'Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross, to see a fine Lady upon a White Horse, with birds at her shoulders and bells on her toes, she will have music where ever she goes.' is how the original rhyme goes.

Next months Deity of the Month - Odin.

Sources:
Mythology of the British Isles by Geoffrey Ashe

http://www.angelfire.com/pa/WoundedDove/welsh.html

http://www.dutchie.org/Tracy/dg.html

http://www.goddess.com.au/goddesses/Rhiannon.htm

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myth ... iannon.htm

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myth ... iannon.htm

http://www.hotlib.com/articles/show.php?t=Rhiannon_[RHEE-awn-on]_is_a_Celtic_of_the_moon

http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/welsh.html

http://rhiannon.horsegoddess.co.uk/rhiannonextra.html