Rhiannon is a Welsh Goddess, she is also known as Epona, Macha, Rigatona and The Great Queen. She is a Mare Goddess as well as a Goddess of birds. She hails from the otherworld known as Anwynn and is often connected to the Fey. Her stories are told in the ancient book of Celtic mythology known as The Mabinogin. The tale leads the reader through her courtship, during which she displays her intellectual prowess and ability to get exactly what she wants. Her Wedding tells us of her great generosity. Later in her story, she meets with tragedy and suffers humiliation, which she bears with great dignity and grace. She eventually overcomes her tragedy with great triumph. The Mare Goddess has been a very important figure in history, evidenced by the many statues of her that have been unearthed, as well as the amazing monument of the great White Chalk Horse carved into the side of a hill in Uffington. The horse culture advanced the people with the ability to travel farther, and their use in warfare as seen in the Goddesses aspect of Macha. In much later times the horse was used in agriculture and therefore was a bringer of abundance. Rhiannon is sometimes accompanied by magical birds that sang so sweetly that they lulled the living to sleep and could wake the dead to repeat their tales. She has been described as wearing a dress of gold and riding a white mare that, while seeming to run at a normal pace, can not be overtaken by the fastest horse. The trick to catching up with her is deceivingly simple, merely ask her to stop, and she will tell you that you would have saved your horse the strain if you had asked her sooner. 11''x17'' acrylic and Berol Prismacolor pencils on Illustration board. By Mickie Mueller