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Annwn

 

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Annwn


 
 

Annwn or Annwfn was the OtherworldOtherworld

The term otherworld could refer to:...
 in Welsh mythologyWelsh mythology

Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in med...
. Ruled by ArawnArawn

In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the Lord of the Underworld, which was called Annwn....
, or much later by Gwynn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed this worldAfterlife

The afterlife is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyon...
.

Name and etymology

Middle Welsh sources suggest that the term was recognised as meaning "very deep" in medieval times (Sims-Williams 1990). The appearance of a form antumnos on an ancient Gaulish curse tabletCurse tablet

A binding spell is a type of curse found throughout the Graeco-Roman world, in which someone would ask the gods to do harm t...
, however, suggests that the original term may have been *ande-dubnos, a common Gallo-Brittonic word that literally meant "underworld" (Lambert 2003). The Modern Welsh spelling Annwn is AN-oon.

Sources

In the First BranchFour Branches of the Mabinogi

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the medieval Welsh Mabinogion....
 of the MabinogiMabinogion

The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts....
, entitled PwyllPwyll

In Welsh mythology, Pwyll was a lord of Dyfed....
, Prince of DyfedDyfed

Dyfed is the name of sub-Roman and Early Medieval kingdom and a late 20th/early 21st century county of Wales. ...
, the eponymous prince offends Arawn, ruler of Annwn, by baiting his hunting hounds on a stag that Arawn's dogs had brought down. In recompense he exchanges places with Arawn for a year and defeats Arawn's enemy HafganFacts About Hafgan

In Welsh mythology, Hafgan was a rival of Arawn's for the position of the god of the underworld....
. Meanwhile, Arawn rules Dyfed. During this year, Pwyll does not sleep with Arawn's wife, earning himself gratitude from Arawn. On his return, Pwyll becomes known by the title Penn Annwn, "Head (or Ruler) of Annwn."

In Culhwch and OlwenCulhwch and Olwen Overview

Culhwch and Olwen is a Welsh story that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest,...
, an early Welsh Arthurian tale, it is said GodGod

God is the deity believed by monotheists to be the supreme reality....
 gave Gwyn ap Nudd control over the demonDemon

In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that has generally been described as a malevolent spi...
s lest "this world be destroyed." He led the Wild HuntWild Hunt

The Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Germany and Britain....
. A Christian story tells of the Welsh Saint Collen entering Gwynn's palace to banish him with holy waterHoly Water Summary

----Holy Water is a studio album by the rock band Bad Company with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as Lead Vocals, ...
.

In the Book of TaliesinBook of Taliesin

The Book of Taliesin is one of the most famous Welsh manuscripts....
, an esoteric poem called 'Preiddeu AnnwfnPreiddeu Annwfn

Preiddeu Annwfn is a short, enigmatic poem found in the Welsh Book of Taliesin....
' (conventionally translated 'The Spoils of Annwn') on its face tells a tale of ArthurFacts About King Arthur

King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship both in war ...
 and his knights traveling through Annwn, searching for a magical cauldron possessed by nine women. Only seven come back from the journey. It may be a precursor of later Holy GrailHoly Grail

In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miracu...
 stories involving King Arthur and his knights. Scholars say the spelling in the text of the poem is 10th century10th century

As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000....
. But Welsh poetryWelsh poetry

Welsh poetry may refer to poetry in the Welsh language, Anglo-Welsh poetry, or other poetry written in Wales or by Welsh poe...
 was for centuries transmitted orallyOral history

Oral history is an account of something passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another....
 by the bardBard

A bard is a poet or singer, in religious or feudal contexts. ...
s and storytellers and it is possible that the tradition behind the poem dates back to the 6th century6th century

The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era....
, the period of TaliesinTaliesin

Taliesin or Taliessin is the earliest poet of the Welsh language whose work has survived....
, or earlier; however the poem itself is not regarded as the work of the historical Taliesin.

Neo-druidism

Some people have claimed that the door to Annwn was at the mouth of the Severn near LundyLundy

Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel of Great Britain, administered as part of Torridge district of the English county ...
 Island or on Glastonbury TorGlastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor is a teardrop-shaped hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, with its only standing architectural feature th...
. GlastonburyGlastonbury

Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry spot on the Somerset Levels, 30 miles south of Bristol....
 has been interpreted by some as a sacred "Isle of the DeadIsle of the Dead (mythology) Overview

The Isle of the Dead is associated with pre-Christian Celtic mythology and occurs as a theme in a number of European countri...
", and is also revered as a place where saints and kings are buried. Supposedly, on a certain day of the year, this door would open, and the inhabitants would welcome humans in for feasting and celebration, upon the condition that they took nothing back with them to the human realm. This went on until one reveller kept a flower in his pocket. From that day on, the door has remained closed.

See also

  • Cwn AnnwnCwn Annwn

    In Welsh mythology, Cwn Annwn were the white, red-eared ghostly hounds of Annwn, the land of the dead....
  • Other WorldOther World

    The Otherworld in Irish mythology is the spirit world which coexists with the real world....