Synonyms: Aerfen
Cornish/Welsh
Aerten Caisleán: the Castle of Aerten
A Brythonic godess, also known as Aerfen. Her name is derived from the proto-Celtic (and Cymric) aer (battle) and literally means ‘Renowned in Battle’. Aerten is a Goddess of fate who presided over the outcome of battles of several Celtic clans. She had a shrine at Glyndyfrdwy on the banks of the river Dee. Cymric legend tells of her being invoked during the struggles between the native Cymry (Welsh) and the Anglo-Saxon invaders and, according to local legend, three human sacrifices had to be drowned in the river near her shrine every three years to ensure success in future battles. Her symbol is the double-bladed axe. In former times Aerfen has been equated with the Greco-Roman classical Fates (as all Celtic deities had to have a Roman counterpart). In truth, however, it's probably more accurate to equate her with the Irish Morrigan. Herself a deity of battle fates.
