In Welsh mythology and folklore, Cŵn Annwn (, "hounds of Annwn"), singular Ci Annwn (), were the spectral hounds of Annwn, the otherworld of Welsh myth. They were associated with a form of the Wild Hunt, presided over by either Arawn, king of Annwn in (Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed), the First Branch of the Mabinogi and alluded to in (Math, the son of Mathonwy) the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, or by Gwyn ap Nudd as the underworld king and king of the fair(y) folk is named in later medieval lore.
In Wales, they were associated with migrating geese, supposedly because their honking in the night is reminiscent of barking dogs.
Hunting grounds for the Cŵn Annwn are said to include the mountain of Cadair Idris, where it is believed "the howling of these huge dogs foretold death to anyone who heard them".
According to Welsh folklore, their growling is loudest when they are at a distance, and as they draw nearer, it grows softer and softer. Their coming is generally seen as a death portent.
Owner
Arawn, king of Annwn, is believed to set the Cŵn Annwn loose to hunt mundane creatures. When Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, saw the Cŵn Annwn take down a stag, he set his own pack of dogs to scare them away. However, the Annwn of medieval Welsh tradition is an otherworldly place of plenty and eternal youth and not a place of punishment like the Christian concept of Hell.
The hounds are sometimes accompanied by a fearsome hag called Mallt-y-Nos, "Matilda of the Night". An alternative name in Welsh folklore is Cŵn Mamau ("Hounds of the Mothers").
Da Derga is also known to have a pack of nine white hounds, perhaps Cŵn Annwn.
Culhwch rode to King Arthur's court with two "Otherworld" dogs accompanying him, possibly Cŵn Annwn.
Colouring and meaning
The Cŵn Annwn are associated with death, as they have red ears.
See also
- Barghest
- Black dog (folklore)
- Black Shuck
- Cu-sith
- Dip (Catalan myth)
- Gwyllgi
- Hound of the Baskervilles
- Huan
==Notes and references==<!-- Folklore113:71. -->