The Story of Mabon and Welcoming Autumn

Seasonal folk art by Tijana Lukovic from Seasons of the Witch Mabon Oracle

Oracle Deck written by Lorriane Anderson and Juliet Diaz

It’s almost Mabon, more commonly known as the Fall Equinox, Harvest Time and for many, Spooky Season 🧡 The Fall Equinox falls between September 21st-23rd with this year marking September 22nd at 5:43 am PST as the official start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the moment the Sun crosses the equator, moving into the southern Hemisphere, and from here until Spring, we will begin to experience nights longer than our days. But for a brief moment, this natural celestial occurrence will allow for one day where the length of daylight and darkness of night are nearly equal in measure. This is a day that brings with it not just a celebration of harvest, gratitude and abundance, but also one of balance. This is a time where we look back to Spring and what we have been tending to. It is a time to celebrate our progress, always remembering that progress does not need to look linear. We take time to examine our outerworld with gratitude, while preparing to turn inwards as longer nights naturally invite us to do. 

I was curious about the origin of the word Mabon. Pouring through my plethora of books I came across a beautiful summary in “Kitchen Witch” by Sarah Robinson. She is also the author of other fabulous informative works, such as “Yoga for Witches” and “Yin Magic”. 

The name, “Mabon”, was first assigned to this reflective day back in the early 1970s by a Pagan/Wiccan practitioner named Aidan Kelly. Apparently he thought this Sabbat celebration on the Wheel of the Year was worthy of a kick-ass name and so he assigned it one and we societally agreed. 

But why the name “Mabon”? Where does it come from and what is the significance to this time of the year?

According to 12th-13th century Welsh mythology, Mabon was a Celtic God. He was known as a great portrayer of youth and light and was the child of the Earth Goddess Madron. At the time of his birth, he was taken from his mother and brought to a place where no one could find him. He existed here for many years, despite his mother’s soul crushing search.

The name “Mabon” was chosen for this Sabbat as the story tied to that of Persephone, who was taken from her mother Demeter to live in the underworld for half a year. It is said that the time Persephone spends in the underworld marks Summers' end and the transition into autumn and eventually winter. A time when life over ground begins to slow and turn inward, when part of the earth exists more in darkness than in light. So then why not name this day “Persephone”. While I searched for a powerful explanation, the answer I found actually felt quite simple. It seems Aidan Kelly may have just had an affinity for Anglo, Celtic, Germanic and Welsh names, as seen based on the names for the other Sabbats (i.e. Lithia, Ostara) IMO I think Pershephone would have made a killer name for this point on the Wheel of the Year, but the story of Mabon has a place here too…

As our story goes, a King (always a King!) known as King Arthur came to the Earth Goddess Madron in her grieving hour and vowed to liberate and return Mabon from places unknown. While sounding noble and selfless in his offer of rescue, it seems the reality was not as altruistic as it appeared.The King had been on a journey to slay a boar, one who was spoken of as being so wild and ferocious that not even the strongest men could take the animal down. This was apparently part of a bigger quest so that his cousin, Culhwch, could marry the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden (the back story gets complicated and for simplicity's sake, we will leave it here).  

Rumors swirled that Mabon would be just the person for the job, yet how to slay a wild beast when the slayer was missing? And so the search for Mabon became King Arthur’s quest. It was no easy task to track Mabon down, and after many dead ends, the King was brought to the Salmon of Wisdom, who was said to know where Mabon was being held. He carried King Arthur on his back, down the waterways until they reached the “Castle of Light”, yet a “Castle of Light”, it was anything but. According to the story, the name was not fitting in the slightest, as the structure was dark and in disrepair. Upon approach, King Arthur and Salmon could hear the sounds of Mabon sobbing within. When the two found him, his face was covered with years of dirt and sadness, and his bright light was almost no longer visible. King Arthur grabbed Mabon and placed him on Salmon's back. Together they set off to travel the river’s current and back to the home Mabon was taken from so many years ago. As the trio traveled the river, the waters refreshed and cleansed Mabon’s spirit, clearing away years of grime and grief and his radiance was restored. When he was reunited with his mother he shone as brightly as ever! And guess who ended up killing that boar? ‘Survey says…’ maybe it was Mabon 😄 According to the tale, it might have actually been his mother, the powerful Goddess Madron, although perhaps Mabon was there too, cheering her on 😉 

This story contains the classic elements of an enthralling tale, one of loss and despair followed by brightness and joy. These distinct parts of the story create balance itself. Knowing that not all moments will glitter, and nor will they forever remain bleak. Rather there is balance in all things, just as in the tale of Persephone and Mabon, we also have our own stories of dark and light. 

So how can we honor this balance within ourselves? If things feel dark, how can we remember that light also exists? And how can we explore the darkness and travel to parts of ourselves that we don’t often visit?

To help us answer some questions, I’ve created a reflection tool in the Mabon Tarot Spread that you can access here. Ofcourse these questions can always be used with Oracle cards, journal prompts or any other method that suits you to explore your inner world.  I hope they can help you uncover the answers you seek.

Happy Mabon 🧡