![Support [Bring Mercy]: Campaigns and Projects of the Fenniocht of Cerddorion Nyfed](https://www.angelfire.com/poetry/fenniocht/Beirbutt.jpg)
Hawk As Totem
Gawain (White Hawk); Gwalchmai (Hawk of May)
In Celtic tradition, the hawk is the oldest of the animals. As such, it represents remembrance and the ancestors. It is also a messenger animal, bringing messages from the past and the Otherworld to those who will listen.
White animals in Celtic/Gaelic legend represent those blessed by or sacred to the Goddess, or to Deity in general. They also represent beings from the Otherworld (such as the white hounds of Annwn or the white stag which leads hunters into the faery realm in various legends). Therefore, a white hawk would be one representing those powers: the power of Deity combined with the powers of the Otherworld.
As the Hawk of May, Gawain/Gwalchmai finds himself associated with Beltaine, and with the changing of the seasons. Here you have a link to the tradition of Sovereignty as well: as one king steps down, another steps into his place, as dictated by the changing seasons of the Land.
The association with Beltaine also suggests an association with fertility and sexuality, as the elements of the Beltaine rite deal heavily with these. We see this in the story of Gawain, too, as he is being seduced by Bercilak's wife. This represents, to me, a responsible sexuality: we have to understand that we are sexual beings, and know how to healthily act on that and control it. That's part of the power of the hawk, and of Gawain.
It is interesting to note that hawks are one of the few species of the animal kingdom that mate while facing one another. Being able to face a lover is an important part of that "responsible sexuality," as is being able to look yourself in the face (something that Gawain never quite got the hang of!). |
|
