Celtic Gods: The Brythonic and Gaulish God, Afarwy, The Sorrowful
Afarwy
The Cymric and Gaulish god, also known as Averanus: The Sorrowful

This deity is known from a mention in the Ancient British Triads (Trioedd Ynys Prydein). As Averanus he is also mentioned in an inscription from Melles in the Haut-Garonne, France and is probably a sky deity of some kind, perhaps even the god of rain.

Synonyms: Averanus
Cym, Gaul: The Sorrowful

Very little is known about Avarwy as a deity save for the existence of a single Gaulish inscription and a mention in the Trioedd Ynys Prydain. In triad 51 (admittedly a late 14th Century poem) Afarwy is mentioned as one of the 'Three Dishonoured Men of Britain' who supposedly summoned Julius Caesar to Britain. This is undoubtedly a late tradition, however the lineage of Afarwy is given in this verse as Afarwy mab Lludd mab Beli. This would seem to be an older tradition and places Afarwy amongst the ranks of the Elder Cymric Gods and makes him a member of the Plant Dôn.

The deity's name seems to be derived from the old Cymric afar (sorrow) though other instances of afarwy (where it is not used as a proper name) in Old Cymric poetry suggest that the word also had the meaning of 'sword hilt' possibly with the connotation of 'defender'.

The root afar also seems to be included in the name of Averanus a deity known from an inscription found at Melles in the Haut-Garonne, France. Could this represent a Gaulish representation of the Sorrowful or Defender god? Unfortunately the mythos of this deity has been entirely lost and we are left only with a name and an ancestry. However, Afarwy's ancestry would indicate that he is a sky deity of some kind (As both Lludd and Beli are) and his name might even indicate him to be a god of precipitation or a god of storms (Thunderstorms having both rain and the sword of lightning within them).



Couldn't find what you were looking for? Search the web:



stefan and zogo small One Million People Campaign
If you can spare $1 then help support this site and change someone's life forever? Learn how and why on the One Million People campaign page. Or donate $10 and get my Guide to Spices or The Recipes of Africa eBooks as a gift for your donation!