Awen as used in the Codex Runicus

This symbol is the British Druid Order (BDO) Awen logo which is based on an original design by the 18th-19th century Druid revivalist, Iolo Morganwg. It represents three rays of light emanating from three points of light and symbolises, among other things, the triple nature of the Druid path, incorporating the paths of Bard, Ovate and Druid. Image from BDO site at: https://www.druidry.co.uk/awen-the-holy-spirit-of-druidry/
Awen in ancient Latin and Welsh Gaelic texts:
The first recorded reference to Awen occurs in Nennius’ Historia Brittonum, a Latin text of circa 796 CE, based on earlier writings by the Welsh monk, Gildas. After referring to King Ida of Northumbria, who reigned from 547 to 559, Nennius says that:
  • "Then Talhearn Tad Awen won renown in poetry" 

The italicized words have always been assumed to be a proper name but that is incorrect. It is actually an Akkadian phrase meaning "sired by emotion-powers."
The word "Talhearn" seems to have become "Taliesin" of later Welsh bardic tales.
Amazingly, Gaelic scholars of the 1800's essentially hit upon the correct Akkadian meaning of Awu and en from their use in Gaelic texts. To quote the British Druid Order website:
"To discover what Awen is, we should first look at what the word means. The feminine noun,  Awen, has been variously translated as ‘inspiration’, ‘muse’, ‘genius’, or even ‘poetic frenzy’. According to a 19th century Welsh dictionary, the word itself is formed by combining the two words, aw, meaning ‘a fluid, a flowing’, and en, meaning ‘a living principle, a being, a spirit, essential’. So Awen may be rendered literally as ‘a fluid essence’, or ‘flowing spirit’."
The 12th century poet, Llywarch ap Llywelyn (c.1173-1220), also known by his splendid Bardic name, Prydydd y Moch, the ‘Poet of the Pigs’ says:
  • "The Lord God will give me the sweet Awen, as from the cauldron of Ceridwen."

Awen - The Emotional Energy Class

(August 14, 2024)

The ancient Druid culture divided all powers of change in two classes, the life class and the motion class. Each had their own triad of gender balanced deities. In turn the motion class was sourced from both inner emotions which moved animals and the astrological powers because the night sky also moved. Awu and A'u are the Akkadian words for these emotion class of powers. In Akkadian, an /n/ put on the end of a deity or spiritual entity  indicates its powers (plural) are meant instead of its personified form. (the letter "he" representing English letters E or H on the end indicates a singular power is meant.)

So Awen, means "emotion-powers." These are the inner powers which motivate and inspire people and animals.  This can be the shamanic energy generated from emotional-arousals or the meditative, insightful, energy transferred from attunements (logos). According to the Codex Runicus, in order to have any magical worldly effect emotion powers also have to be authorized by the astrological powers during the setting of various heavenly bodies. The word "Awen" is found in most runic texts with its first mention being in the Minoan Phaistos Disk dating to 1900 BCE.

In modern Druidry its inspirational characteristics are found in the classic bardic tale of Taliesin as found in the Gaelic Book of Taliesin dating to the 1200's in which awen is imparted to famous future poet Taliesin by a magical potion made in a cauldron by Ceridwen (Kerdwin). In these tales awen is always something received as a gift from the divine realm and not something which is interactive having 2-way flows as it is in the runic texts. This shows how much Christianity had already affected the culture by turning humans into passive animals completely dependent upon divine or royal favor (something empires always want).

Awen As Used In the First 10 Pages of the Codex Runicus (1190 CE)


(number is "page, line")
3.7 The Form-Revealer (Asher) can be an enemy of emotion-powers (Awen)  :  Those can change with omens from astrology-magic's allocations.  :  The changes  :  by Thu's priest-parents  :  is not from doing astrology-magic.  :
4.14 Alu  :  cannot be astrologically-empowered  :  by the activity of the eyes-of-fate (stars and planets).  :  Don't involve the eagle-vultures.  :  Don't involve them.  :  Involve the emotion-powers (Awen) with the astrological-powers.   :  Open Involvement.  :  The boundary's eagle-vultures  :  will be manifested by the openings.
5.1 Reveal the enemies.  :  Involve the eagle-vultures with the moon-eye's (Su's) activity.  Enemies of Su have been opened and  :  are lacking nothing.  :   Lack of nourishments was death-omened for the emotion-powers (Awen) :  by the lack of nourishment from the zodiac-houses.
5.3 Divert nothing.  Reveal Alu.  Reveal the emotion-powers (Awen). Manifest astrology-magic activity.  Alu can set the reduction of moon-eye's astrological-activity.
6.2 Emotion-Powers (Awen) :  can elevate the form-manifestation's state-changes.  :  Reveal the emotion-powers (Awen).  :  Winds can manifest the changes.  :  Ayu is not being astrologically-activated.  :  Weave the form-manifestations.  :  
6.12 Are not  :  the weavers (Vates) isolating the enemy?  :  Emotion-power's (Awen's)  :  manifestations are lacking :  Su's Sirius.  :   Nourishments can be opened by offerings arousing the Form-Revealer (Asher).  :  Reveal those nourishing-powers.  
7.1 Is not  :  involvement similar to nourishing astrology-magic?  :  Free-up the drivers. :  Reveal  the emotion-powers (Awen).  :  Is not  :  nourishing the openings energizing the boundary?  |  Emotional-arousals are lacking nothing.
8.1 The form-revelations from Alu  :  can be changed :  by  opening involvement.   :  Emotion-Powers (Awen) can be nourished by opening the offerings of emotional-arousals.  : The drying is being set  :  but not by  :  the Constrainer (Su).
8.3 Involvement of emotion-powers (Awen) with astrology-magic :  can activate these-things :  Planning can open nourishments.  :  The Form-Revealer (Asher) is lacking the weaver's (Vates) nourishments. :  The weavers (Vates) can manifest :  the settings of activity from the emotion-powers (Awen).
8.4 Energy can open Thu's emotion-powers (Awen). :  Astrology-magic is involved.  :  The Mounded-One (Asher) can bound the eagle-vultures  :  Lack of gating actives astrology-magic.  :  The things-given can be set : by astronomy-magic's zodiac-houses.  : 
9.3 Thu nourishes these-things  :  due to lack.  :  Don't do astrology-magic.  :  Involve astrology-magic in the setting  :  of emotion-powers (Awen).  :  Thu can lack goodness.  :  Kate can authorize pain for weavers (Vates).
9.6 Energy :  can open  the sky-shell's lack  :  revealing scarcity.  :  Restrain the emotional-authorizations (at the settings)  :  Revealing the emotion-powers (Awen)  :  can open the sky-shell's lack.  :  Liberate Su's setting  :  from lack.
9.7 Eagle-Vultures are not from astrology-magic.  :  Emotion-powers (Awen)  :  can be manifested by using astrology-magic's activity.  :  The changes :  can activate the eyes-of-fate (planets and stars)
10.3 Su's astrology-magic  :  can lack activity for changes  :  Nourishments can be opened by offerings of emotional-arousals for the emotion-powers (Awen).  :  Open involvement.  :  Don't do astrology-magic.  :  Thu lacks nourishments (emotional arousals) for the form-revelation's  :  diversions.
10.4 No emotion-powers (Awen) :  are being baked-in by the setting (of the sun).  :  Form-manifestation's fertility-fluids  :  are lacking activity.  :  Thu is lacking nourishments (of emotional-arousal)  :  for the changes.  :  Restraints on the things-given (invisible forms)  :  cannot be revealed.  : 

Reference Articles on Awen in Modern Druidry

A historical treatment by the British Druid Order:

A spiritual treatment by the Order of Ovates and Druids: