The Furball Factory

This is a statue of my namesake, the Celtic God Gwydion.

Despite the fact that Gwydion is pretty prominent in the Celtic pantheon, I was disappointed by the complete lack of imagery associated with him. I mentioned this one day to a friend and she asked "Why don't you make one?"

So here is the result...

The statue is made using a variety of materials. He's primarily made of Sculpey III over a wooden frame skeleton. His eyes are made of pearls. The sword at his side is made from a combination of wood, leather, and pieces from a broken pewter dragon ring. I made the lute slung over his back out of assorted bits of wood and thin guage copper wire for the strings. I carved/burned the designs on his staff from a sweetgum stick I found out in my yard.

This was my first attempt at doing something so elaborate with Sculpey and I definitely learned some lessons along the way. So if you have an interest in doing something similar, feel free to drop me an email -- I'll be glad to share some tips.

Here's some info about the symbology I used...

One of the best known tales about Gwydion is when he contrived with his brother Gilfaethwy the seduction of the virgin maiden Goewin, King Math's foot holder. When Math learned of this, he was outraged and punished his nephews by making them spend three years as animals: Gwydion as a stag, a wild sow, and a wolf, breeding each year with his brother Gilfaethwy who was hind, boar, and she-wolf. They produced three offspring, whom Math made human and raised at his court. Afterward, they were restored to the court. him and his brother.

Though they were restored to human form, it was a harsh lesson that left it's mark. Gwydion retains vestiges of each creature he became. Hence he still bears remnants of the antlers of a stag, the cloven feet of a sow, and the eyes of a wolf. These marks serve as a reminder that we can not only learn from the worst of our mistakes, but can turn them to our advantage, as Gwydion come out of the experience with the unique powers and insights associated with each animal.

The "Battle of the Trees" from the Book of Taliesin VIII tells of a great battle in which Gwydion enchants the trees to fight with him against Arawn. So he bears the symbol of a tree on his leather armour as a reminder that he has powerful magick at his command.

The Celts referred to the Milky Way as Caer Gwydion, which means "Fortress of Gwydion". Hence his cape is decorated with swirls and stars.