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	The Blessed Head Of Bran Stone Riley Acrylic on canvas, 17 x 14 inches, framed as shown. King Bran of British Celtic myth is a character rather like the Greek Odysseus although they and their stories differ in some important ways. For one thing, in the British version the calamities which overtake the king are even more disastrous than in Homer's tale. And, more fundamentally, the two men differ in their distinctive virtues. We hear the Greek hailed constantly as the cleverest of men whereas the Celt is praised for loyalty to kin. Indeed, Bran is deprived eventually even of his body, with no estate left to him in this world except a severed head. Yet even so, his loyalty to his people is so compelling that he does not depart at death when all are free but stays inhabiting this noble pitiful relic, keeping it animate and uncorrupt if not alive, waiting for as long as need may be on the threshold of the realm beyond. So here we see him near the story's end. The maddening battle slaughter is all done and many loved ones lost, so now with quiet comforting songs and pleasant tales this true chief soothes the last surviving comrades of a failed quest, pacifying and preparing them as best he can for their arrival home. The whirligigs around the Blessed Head are a form of triskele, a Celtic emblem closely related to the Chinese yin-yang glyph. Here they represent a flock of little magic songbirds sent by his divine patroness, the goddess Rhiannon, to help the hero in this final task. The Celtic motif of the severed head refers as well to harvested grain. The character whom we see here is really the same one who is also found in the famous song “John Barleycorn“. In Christian lore such roles of extreme selfless divine sacrifice are generally reserved for Christ himself. Therefore this classic Pagan image certainly can be properly compared with a crucifixion scene. In politics this is a polar opposite of fascist ideology. If you're interested in Celtic lore, here's some things to read: http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/JanetAndTheBoyTamLin.html http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/KingOfMay.html http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/TouchingTheStag.html http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/MerlinAndVortigern.html http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/TheFisherKingJacksVersion.html http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/TheThreeInBritishLore.html Or here's a major Celtic art piece, a play about the death of King Arthur's father. Here's the play set up for easy reading: http://www.stoneriley.com/TOMW/ThePassingOfUtherPendragon.html Or a graphic novel: http://www.stoneriley.com/PUPSB_GO.html Or a downloadable playscript and audio recording: http://www.lulu.com/stoneriley Or a book of short pieces: www.stoneriley.com/TOMW.html Or the home website: www.stoneriley.com Thank you for your interest in the work. Peace through justice.
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