This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Annwn or Annwfn (Middle Welsh Annwvn, sometimes inaccurately written Annwyn, Annwyfn or Annwfyn) was the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, 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. Annwn was said to lie so far to the west that not even Manawydan ap Llyr had found it^{[citation needed]}. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed this world, for you could only reach Annwn by dying yourself^{[citation needed]}. It was also said, though, that Annwn could be entered by those still living if they could find the door. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Middle Welsh (Cymraeg Canol) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. ... The term otherworld could refer to: the afterlife Other World, in Irish Mythology. ... Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. ... In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the Lord of the Underworld, which was called Annwn. ... In Welsh mythology, Gwyn ap Nudd was the god of the underworld. ... In Welsh mythology, Manawydan, son of Llyr, is the equivalent of the Irish Manannan mac Lir and a presumed sea god. ... In Celtic mythology, Lir (the sea) was the god of the sea, father of Manannan mac Lir, Bran, Branwen and Manawydan by Penarddun and a son of Danu and Beli. ... For other uses, see Afterlife (disambiguation). ... This article is about the architectural feature. ...

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 tablet, however, suggests that the original term may been *ande-dubnos, a common Gallo-Brittonic word that literally meant "underworld" (Lambert 2003). The Modern Welsh spelling Annwn is pronounced /ˈannʊn/ or an'oon. Gaulish is name given to the now-extinct Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Romans, the Franks and the British Celts invaded. ... A Curse tablet or binding spell (defixio in Latin, κατάδεσμος katadesmos in Greek) is a type of curse found throughout the Graeco-Roman world, in which someone would ask the gods to do harm to others. ...

The door

The door was said to be at the mouth of the Severn near Lundy Island or on Glastonbury Tor^{[citation needed]}. (The temple of Nudd archaeologically discovered near Lydney, and Welsh stories such as the tale of Seithenyn, suggest that the Severn Bore held symbolic importance in Druid esoteric spiritual teachings^{[citation needed]}. Glastonbury appears widely as a sacred Isle of the Dead and as the place where saints and kings are buried.) The Severn is the name of a river in the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. ... Glastonbury Tor is a teardrop-shaped hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, with its only standing architectural feature the roofless St Michaels Tower of the former church. ... In Irish mythology, Nuada or Nuadu Airgetlám (Silver Hand) was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Seithennin. ... This article is about the British river. ... For other uses, see Druid (disambiguation). ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... For other uses, see Glastonbury (disambiguation). ... The Isle of the Dead is associated with pre-Christian Celtic mythology and occurs as a theme in a number of European countries. ...

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.

Sources

In the First Branch of the Mabinogi, entitled Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, 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 Hafgan. 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." The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the medieval Welsh Mabinogion. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... This article is about the Welsh hero; for the impact crater on Europa, see Pwyll (crater). ... Dyfed was one of the ancient kingdoms (or principalities) of Wales prior to the Norman Conquest. ... In Welsh mythology, Hafgan was a rival of Arawns for the position of the god of the underworld. ...

In Culhwch and Olwen, an early Welsh Arthurian tale, it is said God gave Gwyn ap Nudd control over the demons lest "this world be destroyed." He led the Wild Hunt. A Christian story tells of the Welsh Saint Collen entering Gwynn's palace to banish him with holy water. Culhwch and Olwen (Welsh: Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... “Fiend” redirects here. ... The wild hunt: Åsgårdsreien (1872) by Peter Nicolai Arbo The Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Northern Scandinavia, Germany and Britain. ... This article is about water that has been blessed. ...

In the Book of Taliesin, an esoteric poem called Preiddeu Annwfn (conventionally translated The Spoils of Annwn) on its face tells a tale of Arthur 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 Grail stories involving King Arthur and his knights. The nine maidens related to actual groups of nine priestesses in ancient Celtic society^{[citation needed]}. Geoffrey of Monmouth relates tales of Morgan le Fay and eight other otherworldy women in his poem, Vita Merlini, who lived on the Isle of Apples or Avalon. Avalon, as an otherworld island, is often identified with Annwn. Book of Taliesin (Welsh: Llyfr Taliesin) is one of the most famous Welsh manuscripts. ... Preiddeu Annwfn (English: The Spoils of Annwfn) is a short, enigmatic poem found in the Welsh Book of Taliesin. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Holy Grail (disambiguation). ... This article is about the European people. ... Geoffrey of Monmouth (in Welsh: Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c. ... Morgan le Fay, by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1829 - 1904), 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery): A spell-brewing Morgaine distinctly of Tennysons generation Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgaine, Morgain, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress and sometime antagonist of King Arthur and Guinevere in the Arthurian legend. ... Vita Merlini, or The Life of Merlin, is a work by Geoffrey of Monmouth composed in Latin around AD 1150. ... For other uses, see Avalon (disambiguation). ...

Scholars say the spelling in the text of the poem is 10th century. But Welsh poetry was for centuries transmitted orally by the bards and storytellers and it is possible that the tradition behind the poem dates back to the 6th century, the period of Taliesin, or earlier; however the poem itself is not regarded as the work of the historical Taliesin. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Welsh poetry may refer to poetry in the Welsh language, Anglo-Welsh poetry, or other poetry written in Wales or by Welsh poets. ... Oral history is an account of something passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. ... The Bard (ca. ... The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Taliesin or Taliessin (c. ...

See also

• Cŵn Annwn
• Other World

In Welsh mythology, the Cŵn Annwn (hounds of Annwn) were the white, red-eared ghostly hounds of Annwn, the land of the dead. ... The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the Sídhe. ...

References

• Lambert, Pierre-Yves. 2003. La langue gauloise: description linguistique, commentaire d’inscriptions choisies. Paris: Errance. 2nd ed.
• Sims-Williams, Patrick. 1990. Some Celtic otherworld terms. Celtic Language, Celtic Culture: A Festschrift for Eric P. Hamp, ed. Ann T.E. Matonis and Daniel F. Mela, 57-84. Van Nuys, Ca.: Ford & Bailie.