And one day, towards the end of the year … three drops of the charmed liquor flew out of the cauldron and fell upon the finger of Gwion Bach. And by reason of their great heat he put his finger to his mouth … and he foresaw everything that was to come…

(from the myth of Taliesin, included in Lady Charlotte Guest’s translation of The Mabinogion)

Three Drops from a Cauldron is a an online journal (or until 12 June 2016, webzine) for poetry and flash fiction (or any hybrid of the two) involving myth, legend, folklore, fable and fairytale.

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(THE WEBZINE IS SHAPESHIFTING INTO A WEB JOURNAL FROM THE WEEK COMMENCING 13th JUNE 2016!

From Friday 17th June 2016, Three Drops from a Cauldron will be published as collected fortnightly issues of poetry and flash fiction (every other Friday) instead of our usual webzine format. Same themes of myths, folklore, fairytales, and so on – we’re just changing shape.)

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The roots of this journal sprouted from the editor’s long-term obsession with folklore and mythology – particularly of the Welsh variety – and poetry. And who better to represent this than Cerridwen and her cauldron?

Cerridwen was a sorceress in Welsh legend, who has since been elevated to deity status – she is the crone goddess of poetry, magic and inspiration.

Cerridwen was also the accidental mother of Taliesin, the greatest of Welsh bards. According to legend, this is due to a mishap involving three stray drops from her cauldron of inspiration. These tiny drops of powerful potion turned her servant-boy Gwion Bach into the celebrated poet-storyteller, but not before a series of shape-shifting incidents that resulted in his being eaten by the sorceress.

But that’s another story.

Please see the submissions page, and have a read of what we publish, for a better idea of what we’d like to see here. If the shoe (made by elves, or otherwise) fits, please do submit.

Poetry and flash are currently published four times each week, one piece per day on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We also release print anthologies twice a year (Lughnasadh and Imbolc*), and the occasional seasonal special e-issue (Samhain, Midwinter, and Beltane*).

*As a publication we are not affiliated with any religion, as we believe all stories are as valid as any other – whether we honour them, question them, re-imagine them, or otherwise. The editor simply loves Anglo-Celtic myths, lore and legends, and likes to refer to seasonal festivals by pagan names.