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Definition: Amaethon

Part of Speech Definition
Noun 1. The farmer god; ancient god of agriculture.[Wordnet].

Source: WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

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Extended Definition: Amaethon

Amaethon

In Welsh mythology, Amaethon or Amathaon ( Welsh ?‘great ploughman’), was a son of Dôn and a presumed agricultural deity.

Sources

The principal reference to Amaethon appears in the medieval Welsh prose tale Culhwch and Olwen, where he was the only man who could till a certain field, one of the impossible tasks Culhwch had been set before he could win Olwen's hand.

In the obscure early Welsh poem Cad Goddeu, a possible reference is made to Amaethon/Amathaon, but the passage is obscure. One possible interpretation, if the reading is accepted, is that he steals a dog, lapwing and roebuck from Arawn, king of Annwn (the underworld), leading to a battle between Arawn and the Children of Dôn. Gwydion used his magic staff to turn trees into warriors who helped the children of Dôn win.[1]

In one of the triads invented by Iolo Morgannwg, he teaches magic to his brother Gwydion (this is not accepted as a genuine medieval triad by modern scholars).

Etymology

This theonym may be derived from Proto-Celtic *Ambaxtonos meaning "great ploughman, farmer, labourer", an augmentative form of ambactos (ultimately from *ambhi-ag-to-[2]). However it could also derive from the Welsh word amaeth ("agriculture").

Bibliography

  1. Proto-Celtic—English, English—Proto-Celtic lexicon from the University of Wales. Cf. also the Indo-European and Celtic data collected at the University of Leiden.

  • Ellis, Peter Berresford, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press, (1994): ISBN 0-19-508961-8
  • MacKillop, James. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
  • Wood, Juliette, The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art, Thorsons Publishers (2002): ISBN 0-00-764059-5

External links

Celtic mythology series
Welsh mythology
Stories Cad Goddeu • Mabinogion • Trioedd Ynys Prydein
Characters Amaethon • Arawn • Arianrhod • Arthur • Afallach • Beli Mawr • Blodeuwedd • Bendigeidfran • Branwen • Caswallawn • Ceridwen • Cigfa • Creiddylad • Culhwch • Cyhyraeth • Dôn • Dylan Eil Ton • Efnysien • Elen • Euroswydd • Gilfaethwy • Gofannon • Gwawl • Gwydion • Gwyn ap Nudd • Hafgan • Llefelys • Lleu • Llŷr • Lludd • Llwyd • Mabon • Macsen Wledig • Manawydan • Math • Matholwch • Modron • Nisien • Olwen • Penarddun • Pryderi • Pwyll • Rhiannon • Taliesin • Ysbaddaden
Places Annwn • Cornwall (Celliwig) • Dyfed (Arberth, Gwales) • Gwynedd (Aberffraw, Arfon, Ardudwy) • Ireland • London (Ludgate)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Amaethon". Image Credit.
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