In The Way of the Gods Edward Butler speaks of the ‘fractal quality’ of Egyptian cosmogony. He says: ‘There is one way in particular in which I believe that Egypt can still guide us, namely in the coexistence there of a numerous incommensurable cosmogonies, in a system which lacked any overarching structure integrating them, and which was yet highly stable over vast spans of time… If we can grasp how the Egyptians sustained the belief in many different cosmogonies without reducing them to mere images of some single, superior truth, we can scale up that model to apply to the vast number of incommensurable cosmogonies at the heart of the world’s many sacred traditions traditions, and arrive at a genuine solution to the problem of religious pluralism…. Egyptian cosmogony… has a fractal quality, because everything which comes to be does so in the manner in which the cosmos itself came to be, and continues every day to come to be.’ (1)

A fractal is: ‘an irregular geometric structure that cannot be described by classical geometry because magnification of the structure reveals repeated patterns of similarly irregular, but progressively smaller, dimensions.’ (2) The term was coined by the mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot and comes from the Latin fractus ‘broken or fractured’. (3) Fractals occur in mathematics, physics, architecture, decorative art, and natural phenmomena. Examples include tree branches, lungs, lightning, clouds, crystals, and snowflakes. (4)

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Butler’s identification of cosmogonies as fractal can be applied more broadly to myth and can help us gain a better understanding of British mythology.

Unfortunately, here in Britain, we don’t have knowledge of any of our ancient creation myths. They are merely hinted at in medieval Welsh literature in which Taliesin, who claims to be have been born or created in various ways, is often represented as a microcosm of the macrocosmic world. In some sources he is (re)born from the womb of Ceridwen, the Goddess of the Cauldron, who takes the form of a crested black hen. (5) In others he is created by five enchanters, Math, Gwydion, Eurwys, Euron and Modron ‘from nine forms of consistency’ (fruit, God’s fruit, primroses, flowers, blossom of trees and shrubs, earth, sod, nettle blossom and ‘the ninth wave’s water’) (6) and by God from ‘seven consistencies’ (fire, earth, water, air, mist, flowers, and ‘the fruitful wind’). (7) This suggests the world was seen as originating from the womb of Ceridwen and as being created by the Gods. These stories, like the Egyptain cosmogonies, are incommensurable. This speak of the fracturing of the crochan, womb or cauldron, of Ceridwen, who I see as Old Mother Universe, with the Big Bang, at the beginning of time. Such a beginning perhaps explains the fractal nature of our myths.

Another myth that might be read as fractal is that of Merlin. Many versions of the stories of Merlin Emrys / Merlin Wyllt are located across Britain and in Brittany. Similarly with the story of King Arthur which has been told and retold since the medieval period with his court at Camelot having numerous locations including Caerleon, Celliwig, and Cadbury Castle. He and his knights are also said to be sleeping in various underground caverns.

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It is little known that Arthur’s fractal mythos as the Sleeping King is a purloined one. This can be read from the fragments portraying Arthur’s raid on Annwn, his defeat of the Head of Annwn and his theft of His cauldron through which he claims leadership of His hunt and His role as the Sleeping King.

In Culhwch ac Olwen Arthur and his men ‘go North’ (then presumably into Annwn) to rescue Gwythyr ap Greidol and a group of northerners from the fortress of Gwyn ap Nudd, the Head of Annwn. In this fragment Arthur wins by negotiating. (8) In other fragments there is carnage, ‘Shields shattered, spears broken, / violence inflicted by the honoured and fair’. (9) Of the ‘three full loads of Prydwen’ (Arthur’s ship) to go into Annwn ‘save seven’ none return. (10) (Lllen)Lleog thrusts his sword into the cauldron and makes off with it (11) and in another fragment grabs Arthur’s sword, killing the Head of Annwn’s cauldron keeper and his retinue and likely the Head himself. (12)

Interestingly, in ‘The Spoils of Annwn’, Arthur raids seven fortresses which might be fragments of a fractal – the Head of Annwn’s fort. There is no original. All are incommensurable. Intriguingly we find Caer Wydyr ‘the Glass Fort’. Our texts are redolent with the imagery of shattering. Shattered shields, shattered forts. The Head of Annwn Himself is conspicious by His absence whereas Arthur’s presence is lauded and sung through all.

Following his victory over the Head of Annwn and theft of His cauldron Arthur usurps the hunt for Twrch Trwyth ‘the King of Boars’. The twrch was originally a human chief turned into a boar because of his sins by God. This is a Christian overlay obscuring that it was a hunt for human souls – the Wild Hunt. Thus Arthur became known as the Leader of the Hunt. 

Finally, Arthur lays claim to the Head of Annwn’s role as the Sleeping King. The battle between Gwyn and Gwythyr likely has its origins in an ancient British seasonal myth wherein Gwyn, Winter’s King, is killed by Gwythyr, Summer’s King, on Calan Mai. When Gwyn dies he returns to His fortress in Annwn to sleep until His return to the world on Nos Galan Gaeaf later in the year. Arthur’s retreat to beneath the Isle of Avalon is a mirror image of Gwyn’s.

As Christianity rose to popularity the fractal mythos of Arthur replaced the fractal mythos of Gwyn. Their fractals might be seen to be like two crystals, their reflections reflecting one another, composed of fragmentary tales.

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For the past couple of years Gwyn has been appearing to me with a jewel in His forehead. In a meditation with the Monastery of Annwn on His birth at the end of last year He said: ‘There are as many stories of my birth as facets to my jewel’.

When I first came to polytheism it was with the preconception that the Gods had one true story that could be found by piecing together the fragments into one whole or peeling them away to reveal some singular truth. Now I know better. Myths are, in their essence, fractal. There is no one truth or original.

This has been pushed home as, over the past two years, in our meditation and group at the monastery Gwyn has revealed Himself and His stories to us as monastic devotees in many diverse and sometimes contradictory ways. Yet there have also been many reflectings suggestive of their fractal nature. 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Gwyn has revealed Himself to be associated with so many fractal things – trees, clouds, jewels, snowflakes. There is a similar beauty in the incommensurability of His myths and mysteries. Every year I look forward to different stories of our Sleeping King.

*Image of quartz crystal from La Gardette mine, Bourg d’Oisans, Isère, France, courtesy of Wikipedia commons.

(1) Butler, E., The Way of the Gods, (Indica 2022), p100 – 104
(2) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fractal
(3) https://iternal.us/what-is-a-fractal/
(4) Ibid.
(5) ‘The Story of Taliesin’ in Hughes, K. From the Cauldron Born, (Llewellyn Publications, 2013), p32 and ‘The Hostile Confederacy’ in Haycock, M. (transl), Legendary Poems from the Book of Taliesin, (CMCS, 2007), p313
(6) ‘The Battle of the Trees’, Ibid. p180
(7) ‘The Song of the Great World’, Ibid. p516
(8) Davies, S. (transl.), The Mabinogion, (Oxford University Press, 2007), p207
(9) Hill, G. (transl), ‘The Conversation between Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir’, Awen ac Awenydd
(10) ‘The Spoils of Annwn’ Haycock, M. (transl), Legendary Poems from the Book of Taliesin, (CMCS, 2007), p435
(11) Ibid. p146
(12) Davies, S. (transl.), The Mabinogion, (Oxford University Press, 2007), p208