Can Annwn

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In Welsh mythology , the Cŵn Annwn [ ku: n anʊn ] were the dogs of Annwn , the kingdom of the underworld .

Appearance

These dogs have red ears and white, ghostly bodies, similar to the supernatural cows from some Irish legends. They were members of the Wild Hunt , either led by Arawn or, in some later myths, Gwynn ap Nudd .

mythology

In Wales they have been compared to migrating geese, presumably because their screams at night are reminiscent of barking dogs. Arawn and the hounds are sometimes accompanied by a terrible old woman called Mallt-y-Nos ( Matilda of the Night ). One of these dogs named Drudwyn caught the wild boar Twrch Trwyth under Mabon ap Modron .

literature

  • Artur Cotterell: The Encyclopedia of Mythology . Edition XXL, Reichelsheim 1999, ISBN 3-89736-300-3
  • Sylvia and Paul F. Botheroyd: Lexicon of Celtic Mythology . Knaur, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-426-77413-5
  • Patrick Sims-Williams: The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: Phonology and Chronology, c.400-1200 . Blackwell, Oxford 2003, ISBN 1-4051-0903-3