Like Beli Mawr, Dôn is a great ancestral figure who does not appear directly in the Mabinogi tales. She is the powerful matriarch of the Plant Dôn (The Children of Dôn), one of the two great divine families of Welsh mythology. Her children are figures of the sky, masters of magic, intellect, and craft, and their stories dominate the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi.
Dôn
The Great Mother
Gwydion
Son
Arianrhod
Daughter
Gilfaethwy
Son
Click on a figure to learn about their connection to Dôn.
The Welsh Mother Goddess
Dôn is widely considered by scholars to be the Welsh equivalent of the Irish mother goddess, Danu. In Irish mythology, the great divine race is the Tuatha Dé Danann, "The People of the Goddess Danu." Similarly, in Welsh myth, the divine family of Gwynedd is Plant Dôn, "The Children of Dôn." This parallel is too strong to be a coincidence, suggesting both figures are reflexes of a common Celtic mother goddess.
A Celestial Queen
While the Irish Danu is associated with the earth and rivers, the Welsh Dôn seems to have a more celestial aspect. Her daughter Arianrhod's name means "Silver Wheel" and her fortress is a constellation (Corona Borealis). Another name for the Milky Way in Welsh is *Caer Gwydion* (Gwydion's Fortress). This suggests that Dôn was seen as a celestial mother goddess, a queen of the heavens whose children were the personifications of stars and cosmic forces.
Domains of Influence
This chart visualizes the core components of Dôn's significance. Her power is a blend of her divine status as a goddess, her role as the matriarch of a magical lineage, and her celestial connections.
Symbols of Sky and Magic
As a mother goddess of the sky, Dôn's associations are connected to the cosmos, magic, and the very concept of lineage and inheritance.
Further Reading
Like Beli Mawr, Dôn is referenced as an ancestor rather than appearing as a character. Information is found in scholarly analyses of the Mabinogi and Celtic mythology.
MacKillop, James (2004). A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology.
Provides concise entries on Dôn and her Irish counterpart Danu, explaining the scholarly connection between them.
Squire, Charles (2000). The Mythology of the British Islands.
An older but comprehensive work that details the two great families of Welsh myth, the Children of Dôn and the Children of Llŷr.