Image from MaxPixel<\/a>. Public Domain image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMabon ap Modron<\/em> is a figure from Welsh mythology and the source of Mabon as a name for the Autumn Equinox. He\u2019s not a frequent figure in that mythology and only shows up once in The Mabinogi<\/em>, where he\u2019s rescued by King Arthur. It\u2019s likely that he was a deity of some sort before becoming a mythological figure, and he\u2019s probably related to the Celtic deity Maponos<\/em>, though it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll ever know for sure.<\/p>\nEarlier this week I noticed some of my Welsh friends complaining about the sabbat often called Mabon, believing that it disrespects the figure Mabon ap Modron. But does it? If we believe that our relationships with the gods are reciprocal, and that honoring them, worshipping them, and even just plain saying their names gives them power, maybe his name being used for the equinox has worked out well for him? I\u2019m not sure anyone would write or talk about him very much at all if he hadn\u2019t been sucked into the vortex of the Autumn Equinox. <\/p>\n
I\u2019d argue that using his name for the equinox has given him a new lease on life, and maybe he wanted it that way? Everyone loves to write about how the gods have agency, until the gods are used in a way they disagree with. Who is to say that Mabon ap Modron didn\u2019t whisper in Aidan Kelly\u2019s ear four decades again when Kelly began looking for a poetic sounding name for the Autumn Equinox? I remember as a Witchling in the 90\u2019s wanting to learn everything there was to know about Mabon ap Modron because his name was attached to my favorite harvest festival. <\/p>\n
Even if people are invoking Mabon ap Modron in a way that\u2019s different from his historical nature, I\u2019m not sure we can say with absolute certainty that he disagrees with that. After all, he\u2019s allowing it to continue (there\u2019s that agency thing again). I don\u2019t think deities are correspondences or simply figures from stories, but I do think myths have the ability to change over time, and that new ones are slowly being created. Perhaps we are in the middle of such a change with Mabon ap Modron? (And deities have many faces, a deity can be honored in a traditional way and a new fangled way as well. They are deities after all, I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll figure it out.) <\/p>\n
I think we also sometimes forget that language is a living thing, which means it\u2019s going to evolve. The definition of words are going to change over time, and sometimes a word will start being used for a purpose that has nothing to do with that word\u2019s original intention. The word bully for instance once meant sweetheart. It obviously doesn\u2019t mean that anymore. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve reached a point where \u201cMabon\u201d now means the \u201cFall Equionx\u201d to millions of people even if that\u2019s not what it was originally intended to mean. Even those who don\u2019t like Mabon as a name for the Fall Equinox know exactly what someone means when they say \u201cI\u2019m having a Mabon ritual.\u201d The names of deities are in a whole host of words today too. I\u2019m sure for some of you Thursday still means \u201cThor\u2019s Day,\u201d but to most people it simply means the fourth or fifth day of the week (depending on when you start the week). Words have a life of their own, regardless of where they started.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t like Mabon as a name of the sabbat? Simply call it the Autumn Equinox, and if you feel the need to talk about Mabon ap Modron go ahead, I\u2019m sure he\u2019d like that. But there\u2019s no reason to belittle someone for calling the equinox Mabon or to use barf emojis every time you see the word mentioned in social media. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If we believe the gods agency, maybe it’s possible Mabon ap Modron wanted the Autumn Equinox named after him? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":10419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1233,79,54,55],"class_list":["post-10416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-autumn-equionx","tag-mabon","tag-sabbats","tag-wheel-of-the-year"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>