Mabon
/ˈmæb.ɒn/noun
A figure in Welsh mythology, identified as the son of Modron, and a name later adopted for a modern pagan autumn festival.
Did you know?In the medieval Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, Mabon is imprisoned as an infant and remains hidden for years, making his rescue a powerful myth of renewal and return.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic, 1st millennium BCE
Proto-Celtic
*maponos
“Son, or youthful son; a reconstructed divine-name formation”
1st–3rd Century CE
Gaulish
Maponos
“A Celtic deity worshipped in parts of Gaul and Roman Britain, probably understood as a divine son or youth”
Roman Britain
Brittonic
*Maponos
“The inherited Brittonic form of the deity’s name”
9th–12th Century
Middle Welsh
Mabon
“A mythological son of Modron in Welsh tradition”
14th Century
Middle Welsh
Mabon
“The imprisoned divine youth featured in the story Culhwch and Olwen”
20th Century–present
Modern English
Mabon
“A name used by modern Pagan and Wiccan communities for an autumnal equinox festival”
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