Bedtime Stories: Morgan La Fay
The old Welsh myth of the nine sacred sisters who live on the magical island of apples, Ynys Afallon, still weaves a spell of fascination through time.
The name of the eldest sister is Morgan. One of our oldest fragments of myth tells the story of the mother, Modron, who has lost her child, Mabon.
Some researchers think that Morgan and Modron are one and the same and that she is folklore’s memory of a Celtic Mother Goddess.
There are other references to Morgan in early medieval legends, when Morgan is known for her knowledge and power as a healer, as Morgan the Wise.
But in later accounts Morgan is vilified as a spiteful sister and a wicked witch.
How and why did Morgan’s story change? How can Morgan’s story help us understand our own stories?
In this masterful weaving together of ancient myths from Wales and other Celtic lands, Cath Little breathes the stories of Morgan La Fay back to life.
Bio
“Mesmerising mythic stories from a wonderful Welsh storyteller” Cardiff Storyteller and Singer Cath Little has “rough magic” in her voice, and in her words “the gift of the story comes through.” She has a strong belief in the power of stories to connect us to one another, to the land, and to the people who once lived here. Cath is passionate about sharing the ancient British wonder tales of The Mabinogion. She loves to share myths of the goddess and to re-imagine traditional stories with women at their heart.
Cath helps run the Cardiff Storytelling Circle and curates their seasonal concerts, Tales for the Turning Year. She tells and listens to stories at Oasis, a Cardiff Charity which offers a warm Welsh welcome to refugees and asylum seekers. Cath is a mentor for Riverside Young Storytellers, helping to give young people in her community the confidence to imagine and speak out for themselves. #TogetherLandStories
Cath keeps busy sharing stories in schools, libraries, museums, castles, cafes and fields. She has performed at clubs and festivals across Britain and Ireland and is the author of Glamorgan Folk
Curated & Hosted by
Amy Hale is an Atlanta based writer, curator and critic, ethnographer and folklorist speaking and writing about esoteric history, art, culture, women and Cornwall. She is the author of Ithell Colquhoun: Genius of the Fern Loved Gully (Strange Attractor 2020) and is currently working on several Colquhoun related manuscripts. She is also the editor of Essays on Women in Western Esotericism: Beyond Seeresses and Sea Priestesses (Palgrave 2022). She has contributed gallery texts and essays for a number of institutions including Tate, Camden Arts Centre, Art UK, Arusha Galleries, Heavenly Records and she is a curator and host for the Last Tuesday Society lecture series.
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