Pagan Portals - Gods and Goddesses of Wales: A Practical Introduction to Welsh Deities and Their Stories

by Halo Quin

An introduction to Welsh deities through traditional myths and practical exercises. Written by a practising witch, living in the heart of Wales and working with the deities woven into the land, this book contains the major stories and backgrounds for the Gods and Goddesses of the heartland of the Druids. Within its pages you will find information on the major deities and where their stories can be found, alongside suggestions on how to connect with them and weave relationships with them into a modern pagan practice.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism, Religion, Magic, History

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2015

Reviews

[zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book to read if your studying deity. Couldn't but it down

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an inspirational book by a talented writer and a learned person in the realm of Welsh deities and their stories.
For those who are already inquisitive and yearning for more, then this book will be a practical manual to transform their quest and spiritual journey.

The author although steeped in pagan ways is very open, honest and inclusive in her desire to help others along their path.

I found nothing dogmatic or you must do it my way.
This is a very practical book but rooted in spirituality based on pagan elements, traditions and stories.

It was for those stories I wanted to read this piece. I found the presentation balanced and extensive.
I also liked the effort to transform theory into practice. The writing encourages and reminds one that within the general population default position is doubt and disbelief.

The stories have numerous characters within them and the author takes their persona and crafts them into godlike deities a potential follower can make practical steps to explore and know them better.

From their stories what aspects they can help an adherent with. How to build relationships and make personal devotions through altars, shrines, offerings and prayers. Ideas of pilgrimage to get a sense of place and setting. To meditate and encourage journeys into one’s imagination to envision the deity and spend time with them.

Not my bag but nothing here to fault in terms of approach to spiritual matters and worship apart from my own personal belief and spirituality within the Christian Faith.

I commend the author for her own insights and journey of faith. I am sure she is an excellent teacher for others. She has researched carefully and in this area seems an expert. Again not preachy, her just her understanding and interpretation but encouraging others to discern whatever truth they find distilled in the stories and the associations to the characters.

It would be unfair to dismiss her work. I do not. I acknowledge her personal integrity and desire to share her experiences openly with others.

It is obviously not a book for me but I recognise a gifted author and genuine communicator. Her encouragement to worship her gods and the practical demonstration of caring for the wider world is humbling as she is open, searching and mindful of others.

For those who share her beliefs just now or who are searching for an alternative spirituality I consider she is a practical guide into this place of searching and those who desire for pagan values in modern life.

But as stated, and this isn’t about me but to explain my award of stars. As a book it is 5 stars, but worship to me is with a living God who provides everything Halo Quin aspires for and seeks in her own way.

[Wendy Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a new path, this book is a great introduction to Faery and Faery Magic.

Well written and informative, Quin guides the reader through the introduction before sharing her own path and offering an opportunity for the reader to take her own first steps. The workings are simple, inclusive and practical, ideal for the busy lives we lead.

As a practitioner on a different path, I loved the honesty and the eloquence of the writing.

This beautifully written book takes the reader gently by the hand and accompanies her through the realms of Faery.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to Welsh mythology and its deities for the beginner, plus some good tips for getting started on worshiping them in a Pagan or polytheist context.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting, but that is my fault for not reading the blurb properly. As a brief intro to Welsh Gods and Goddesses, this is good, not in depth, but good. Witches may find the rituals helpful, but not being one myself it was less so for me! Nicely written, easy to read, interesting subject matter

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating insight into some aspects of the extensive Welsh mythology. It’s a great primer for further study, as it was clear and easy to read. Would recommend it as as a starting point before jumping straight into the Mabinogion as it will give you some idea of how that text is structured and introduce you to some of the main characters you’ll find in each branch. Handy pronunciation pages at the end and some translations of the Welsh throughout. Really enjoyable! It’s geared towards people looking to start their own relationship with Welsh gods/goddesses so there is also some hints and tips about following that path. If that’s not you’re intent, it is still worth reading just for the historical aspect.

[Lora Milton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very much a Pagan book, but includes the original folktales of many Welsh legends. These were well-researched and it's good to find them collected in one place!

The first part goes through rituals and offerings, visualisation suggestions, that sort of thing. The second part is more what I expected, following through the tales and their relationships to history and belief in Wales. Sources are cited and there's a pronunciation guide at the end.

There's a heavy dose of the author's personal beliefs throughout, but the folktales are genuine and this would be a good reference for anyone interested in British folktales and legends.

[Lora Milton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much a Pagan book, but includes the original folktales of many Welsh legends. These were well-researched and it's good to find them collected in one place!

The first part goes through rituals and offerings, visualisation suggestions, that sort of thing. The second part is more what I expected, following through the tales and their relationships to history and belief in Wales. Sources are cited and there's a pronunciation guide at the end.

There's a heavy dose of the author's personal beliefs throughout, but the folktales are genuine and this would be a good reference for anyone interested in British folktales and legends.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an introduction to the Gods and Goddesses of Wales, it is not totally in depth but give you a basic over view of each of the Deity's. It does though tell you where you can find more about each though.

You get the Authors understanding and interpretation of her journey through her life and research for writing the book. It is filled with Pagan aspects, so if that if not your thing this book many not be for you. I personally enjoyed it though.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly off-putting title but a good book. Down plays the dangers of the Fey, but does at least mention them. Good exercises that apply to almost any spiritual path.

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pagan Portals – Godes and Goddess of Wales by Halo Quin

120 Pages
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing Ltd, Moon Books
Release Date: June 28, 2019

Nonfiction, Religion, Spirituality, Celtic Spirituality, Paganism, Neo-Paganism, Body, Mind, Spirit

The book is divided into the following Chapters.

Chapter One: How to Use this Book

Part I: The Backdrop
Chapter Two: Sources, History and the Present Day
Chapter Three: Theory and Practice

Part II: The Gods
Chapter Four: The First Branch and the Gods of Annwn
Chapter Five: The Second Branch and the Protectors
Chapter Six: The Third Branch and the Silled Ones
Chapter Seven: The Fourth Branch, the Skies and Seasons
Chapter Eight: The Hidden Tale and the Holders of Mystery
Chapter Nine: The Mabinogion and Beyond – The Others

Part III: Further Threads
Chapter Ten: Looking Forward

I was interested in reading this book since my husband has roots in Wales and I have been studying Celtic spirituality for many years. This is a short book to be used as an introduction to Welsh deities. Each chapter is only a page or two. I always love to read about the Celtic Goddesses. They are such strong women leaders. At the end of the book is a pronunciation guide. If you are new to studying Celtic deities, this is a good introduction.

[Pseudonym Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Am So Torn Over This

First let me say, there is amazing advice in this book. One should absolutely do the suggested things in here to get to know themselves. We should absolutely be taking better care of the earth. I would recommend reading this book for those things alone.

I would not, however, recommend this for working with the fae. The fae are not nature spirits or nature angels. I get that it is a popular neopagan view but it's just not true. People want everything, especially nowadays, (deities, angels, fairies, spirits, daemons, etc) to be all love and !ight and fluffiness. It is a very naive and one-sided view of beings (if you believe in them) and can lead you into a world of trouble because you couldn't see the danger for the sake of a very childlike view. They are just as nuanced as humanity with capacities for both light and darkness that are much wider and greater than ours.

Please do your own research and get past Tinkerbell and Victorian England's flower fairies.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction. There was two parts to the book. The first half was a basic background on the Mabinogion, general information on altars, offerings, prayers…etc

The second part deals with the gods and goddesses. Each of them has there story summarized from the Mabinogion. The author shares a couple of insights then goes into corresponds like attributes and symbols, ideas for offering, potential representations, vision.

I really liked the book through it’s only a introduction.

[Lissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the Welsh deities. The book is short and is intended to be a jumping off point for further study of those that call to you more (in my case, Blodeuwedd, Arianrhod, and Taliesin). It definitely has a pagan worldview, but there isn't a particular dogma or path that is championed, and the author states at the beginning that everything is personal so follow as you're being led without worrying about getting everything "right."

[Steven Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little book, mixing tales of Gods and Goddesses of Wales with how to build your altar and honour them. There's plenty of gems here and lots to discover, whether you're an active Pagan, writer, interested in the subject or not.

[William Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Love this work. Definitely jibes with much of what my own studies have revealed to me and given a perspective in others I wouldn't have noticed I think before reading this book. As I said above.... Excellent!

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read; thank you, Halo! It would be great to get an updated, more modern audiobook version with your pronunciations. I've seen some of your YouTube, too, so some new content with high-quality audio would be awesome if you could swing it. Looking forward to learning more.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to keep track of the names of the many characters in these stories but the stories were fun to read and read like fairytales
An excellent book if you want to find out about the welsh gods and goddesses and their stories

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to those I have only known through their stories told and studied at school.
Very much enjoyed reading this.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good summary and basic introduction of the Mabinogion, but you can see how the author's love of the Fae has slightly influenced this book

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the first books in my spiritual path that I ever read. It is a wonderful book and greatly impacted my spiritual journey. Literally one of my favorite books to this day.

[Nicole H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have things both good and...less good to say about this book so bear with me. To start with, let me give you some background on me so that you can sort of see where I'm coming from. I'm a classical studies major, which means I study ancient civilizations and their cultures, etc. I had high hopes for this book because while I know a little of Welsh lore, I'm not as advanced in the subject like I am other ancient cultures.

PROS: I liked from Part II to the end of the book, which was the section that told the lore: tales, deities, etc. (Part I focused more on paganism and practicing it.) I already knew two of the stories but the rest were new to me so that was a happy revelation. The author did a lot of research and it showed. I learned more than I knew when I started and, in that aspect, the author did a great job.

CONS: Some sections read like a research paper almost. By that I mean the narrative was brief and succinct. It was all very to the point, which, at times, made this a boring read and I ended up skimming around a bit. The formatting of the book was a little wonky: spacing issues, and blocky text, etc. but, nothing that I couldn't soldier through till the end of the book. The book itself was a quick-ish read (For me. Reading speeds is a relative thing, unique to the individual.) and I felt like certain parts could have been more fleshed out to enhance the reader. However, all of that is just my opinion.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe. Only to a beginner though and only for someone that just wants the basic points.

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Description

An introduction to Welsh deities through traditional myths and practical exercises. Written by a practising witch, living in the heart of Wales and working with the deities woven into the land, this book contains the major stories and backgrounds for the Gods and Goddesses of the heartland of the Druids. Within its pages you will find information on the major deities and where their stories can be found, alongside suggestions on how to connect with them and weave relationships with them into a modern pagan practice.

My Review

It was fascinating learning about the Gods and Goddesses of Wales. Very well written and easy to follow. It’s definitely a great staring point. Kept me interested in learning more and more. I’m even going to try building an altar, let’s see if I can accomplish this correctly.

Thank you for a great book.

I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning about Wales 👍🏼👍🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📚

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was informative and well written. Being from Wales the title of this book immediately caught my attention. Having grown up in Wales but in a English speaking environment, I didn’t come across welsh mythology.

This was a wonderful and concise book about the gods and goddess of wales. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the actual stories. The added sections on mediations and altar offerings to these deities were well written and thought provoking too. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I’d highly recommend this book if you have an interest Welsh folklore or gods and goddess.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy of ‘Pagan Portals: Gods and Goddess of Wales’ in exchange for a honest review.

[Heather K Veitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gods and Goddesses of Wales is a valuable and comprehensive introductory guide to the traditional deities of the Welsh landscape. In this slim but accessible book, Quin takes the reader on a historical and spiritual journey to meet gods and goddesses such as Arawn, Rhiannon, Blodeuwedd, and Llyr, amongst others. As well as sharing the major myths and legends, Quin provides information on how to honour and connect with these deities in modern Pagan practice, and how to take this further in your personal spiritual and/or magical work. Recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Moon Books, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

have always been immensely fascinated with both the history and the "mythology" of Wales, so I was immensely gratified to come upon this book, which draws upon on both historical fact and narrative (such as The Mabinogion) and upon the centuries' long Bardic tradition, still kept intensely alive today in Wales. The author brings this information not to be a final determination, but to be an inspiration for questing individuals and groups. I particularly admire the emphasizes on "unverified personal gnosis," a way of adhering to what is intuitive truth for the individual.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoy reading about the old ways and the old gods of various cultures. Halo Quin is a pagan like myself, so I enjoy reading about her take on things spiritually. I wasn't familiar with Wales deities until this book. I was assuming they were the same as the rest of Britain and never gave them any thought. I should know better! Well, I am always on the look out for new knowledge! This was a great read!

I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shamefully, although I'm Irish and enjoy folklore, I know very little about Welsh myths. This volume has started to repair that. It's designed mostly for neo-Pagans who might want to connect with these gods and goddesses on a deeper level, with brief stories followed by the best way to appeal to the main characters. It's a very interesting read and I'll come back to it in future.

[KatsCauldron R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple starter book in Welsh Deities and mythos.that is much more palatable read for beginners than that the original tomes of the Mabinogion. The author includes a pointer reference to various energies each represented Deity entails and altar set up ideas and small guided meditations for them. This is nice light airy

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reference book and a good introduction to the deities of Wales, I appreciated how the book is organized and the hints on when you could need that god/goddess.
Another great addiction to Pagan Portal books.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.