Perhaps inspired by the 2022 Europa series, which focused on legends and myths from participating European countries, the United Kingdom issued a stamp series on the same theme on March 27, 2025. Eight designs each tell a mythological story from the country. Since presenting each legend in detail would go beyond the scope of this article, I’d like to highlight one particularly fascinating tale: the story of Blodeuwedd, the “flower-face” from Welsh mythology. She appears on the second stamp in the series.
The hero, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, is bound by a curse from his mother: he may never marry a woman born of human flesh. To bypass this, the powerful magicians Math and Gwydion created a woman from the blossoms of oak, broom, and meadowsweet. They named her Blodeuwedd, meaning “flower-face.” She was beautiful, intelligent, and perfect – the ideal companion for Lleu.
Flower-face was created from oak blossom (France), broom (Russia 1997), and meadowsweet (Faroe Islands 2017).
But the story takes a dramatic turn: Blodeuwedd falls in love with another man, Gronw Pebr. Together, they plot to kill Lleu. What seems impossible becomes reality, for Lleu can only be killed under extremely specific conditions: he must stand with one foot on a goat and the other on a bath, at sunset, and be struck by a spear forged solely for that purpose. Blodeuwedd persuades Lleu to reveal this secret. Gronw wounds him fatally, and Lleu transforms into an eagle and escapes. But the wise Gwydion finds him, heals him, and helps him take revenge.
Gronw is killed, while Blodeuwedd suffers a different fate: Gwydion curses her and transforms her into an owl – a bird of the night, shunned by all other birds. Thus, the woman made from flowers becomes a symbol of betrayal – but also of the longing for freedom beyond outside control.
The new stamp series from the United Kingdom shows how rich and engaging stories can be told on small stamps – a fine example of how much culture and history philately can hold.
Stamp Details
- Date of issue: March 27, 2025
- Size: 35 x 35 mm
- Colors: Multicolor
- Design: Godfrey Design
- Printer: Cartor Security Printing
- Format: Commemorative
- Perforation: 14½
- Printing method: Offset lithography
- Face value: 1st Class º – no printed value
- Description: Stamp from a se-tenant strip of four. Face value £1.65 per stamp on the day of issue