The White Goddess

(NOTE: The term "White" does NOT denote race or skin tone: it is an appellation from mythic lore). The White Goddess is a term universally applied to various Goddesses of poetry, music and lore. White Goddesses were known across all cultures and all continents (for instance, White Buffalo Calf Woman of the Indigenous American plains people). In the Welsh culture, most Goddesses were termed "white" (the phoneme 'Wen' means 'white' in Welsh): for instance, Branwen (White Raven), Henwen (White Sow), and Rhiannon (Rhian-Wen: White Queen). The name Jennifer comes from Guenevere, the Cornish name of Arthur's wife, which means White Way or White Road/Path.

Robert Graves, one of the most famous poets and mythographers of the twentieth century, wrote a book called 'The White Goddess,' in which he explores the legacy of the White Goddess in poetry and the written word. Graves believed that it was the Celtic White Goddess that inspired poets in the ancient world.

Acrylic on canvas, 12x36.