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Afallach
A Brythonic god, also known as Aflach: Orchard Lord
This deity is known from references in the Welsh Triads (Trioedd Ynys Prydein) and the ancient Cymric Genealogies. He was the ruler of Ynys Afallach (The Isle of Avalon) and counts as the ruler of the Celtic Elysium, the Realm of the Departed. |
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Cym: Orchard Lord
The name of god, Afallach is derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic word for apple *abalnƒ which becomes the Middle-Cymric afall. Though in reality the name is probably based on an old word for orchard Afallen. Literally the place of apples. He was the ruler of Ynys Afallon, the Isle of Avalon which, when literally translated is ‘the Orchard Isle’. This realm can be considered as the Celtic Nirvana; the final resting place of the immortal, transmigratory, soul.
In the genealogies (Harleian Genealogy X) traces the lineage of Gwynedd through Afallach to his father Beli Mawr. In triad 70 of the Trioedd Ynys Prydain Afallach is described a the father of the great mother goddess Modron. These genealogies are interesting especially as some commentators have tried to place Ynys Afallach as Ynys Enlli at the westernmost point of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd.
As a son of Nudd, Afallach belongs to the plant Dôn and is a member of the elder gods. However, in the Genealogies Afallach is described as a son of Beli Mawr though as the leader of the gods changes in Cymric mythology this may simply reflect Afallach's importance in mythos.
According to the Trioedd ynys Prydein, the Triads of Britain, Afallach was also the father of nine sister goddesses who tended the sacred cauldron which was the chief treasure of the realm of Annwfn, as described in Preiddeu Annwfn, the Spoils of Annwfn. As such Afallach may be the ruler of the realms of Annwfn and could be cognate with the deity Arawn.
It should also be noted that Afallach, as both a common and proper noun is in all likelihood a borrowing from the Irish abhlach as the -ach noun ending is not native to either Brython or Cymric. This should not be surprising as the two main areas referenced in the Mabinogi and the Triads, Gwynedd and Dyfed were both sites of Goidelic invasion and settlement.
If you would like to try the foods of the time of the ancient Celts, then why not have a look at the ancient recipes section of this site. For the foods of the time when some of these tales were written down, take a look at the Medieval recipes section of the site and, in particular, the recipes from The Forme of Cury.
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