Gender Feminine
Usage Welsh, English, Welsh Mythology
Meaning & History
Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *Rīgantonā meaning "great queen" (Celtic *rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix -on). It is speculated that Rigantona was an old Celtic goddess, perhaps associated with fertility and horses like the Gaulish Epona. As Rhiannon, she appears in Welsh legend in the Mabinogi [1] as a beautiful magical woman who rides a white horse. She was betrothed against her will to Gwawl, but cunningly broke off that engagement and married Pwyll instead. Their son was Pryderi.As an English name, it became popular due to the Fleetwood Mac song Rhiannon (1976), especially in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Related Names
Popularity
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Images
Rhiannon (wife of Pwyll) from an 1877 edition of the MabinogionCategories
asteroids, banjo players, bluegrass musicians, child actors, country music singers, currently out of the US top 1000, fertility deities, Fleetwood Mac songs, goddesses, greatness, horses, leadership, legend, lunar deities, moon, mythology, queens, song titles, Squishmallows, The Sopranos characters, witches, Xeno characters
Sources & References
- Page at https://www.mabinogi.net/pwyll.htm.
