Arawn (deity)
Arawn is a significant figure in Welsh and Celtic mythology, known as the "Lord of the Otherworld." He features prominently in the Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales that provides insight into Celtic beliefs and traditions. Arawn's realm, called Annwn, is often seen as an Otherworld rather than a traditional underworld, presenting a place that can be both delightful and eternal for its inhabitants. He is associated with various domains, including war, revenge, blacksmithing, and hunting, and is famously connected to the red-eared white dogs known as Cwn Annwn, or the Hounds of Hell, which are often depicted as rounding up lost souls.
In the first branch of the Mabinogi, "Pwyll Prince of Dyfed," Arawn engages in a body-swap with the mortal king Pwyll, leading to a friendship that transcends mortal life. Arawn's character is complex; while he is a god of death and the afterlife, he also embodies themes of honor and loyalty. The mythology surrounding Arawn suggests a deep cultural connection to the cycles of nature and life, particularly in relation to significant dates like Beltane and Samhain, which are linked to his pursuits in the mortal realm. Despite his critical role in these stories, there is limited evidence of organized worship or cults dedicated to Arawn, indicating that his interactions with the living world were rare and often purposeful.
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Subject Terms
Arawn (deity)
Symbol: Cauldron
Country or Culture: Wales
Arawn is the "Lord of the Otherworld" in Welsh and Celtic mythology. His mythology is related to the Arthurian legend insofar as Welsh mysticism is one of the foundations of the stories of King Arthur.
More importantly, the source legends that tell scholars about Arawn are inescapably foundational in the Arthurian legend. Arawn appears in a cycle of Welsh stories called the Mabinogion that were written between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. These are Middle Welsh prose stories from two medieval manuscripts known as the "Red Book of Hergest" and the "White Book of Rhydderch."
The Mabinogion consists of eleven tales. The subgrouping within this body that concerns Arawn is called "The Four Branches of the Mabinogi." It is believed to have been written around year 1190 CE. Written in Middle Welsh, this is regarded as one of the oldest and most complete sources of Celtic mythology. Of the four branches, Arawn figures most prominently in the first of the tales, "Pwyll Prince of Dyfed."
In Mythology
As god of the otherworld, Arawn is also seen as the god of terror, war, and revenge. His realm is called Annwn, and though his dominion would be called the underworld in other traditions, it is called the Otherworld in Welsh myths. It is revealing that in the Celtic worldview the place people occupy after death is "other," as if it is simply another state of being. In some Celtic myths, Annwn is a delightful, pleasurable world where inhabitants do not age or become ill. In keeping with this idea, Arawn possesses a magical cauldron that can restore youth.
Arawn is also the god of blacksmithing and the hunt. His red-eared white dogs are called Cwn Annwn, or the Hounds of Hell. Arawn rides a white horse as the hounds course through the heavens in autumn, winter, and early spring. In one version, the Hounds of Hell chase the souls of the damned back into Annwn, but in other myths the Hounds simply round up lost souls.
Arawn is a central character in the first branch of the Mabinogi, which is the story of a mortal Welsh king named Pwyll. In the legend, Pwyll enters Annwn by mistake. He comes across a group of white hounds with red ears that are attacking a stag. Pwyll chases away the hounds, setting his on the beast instead. He later learns that the dogs he chased away were Cwn Annwn and belonged to Arawn, the ruler of Annwn.
Pwyll owns up to his mistake and offers to do anything Arawn requires in repayment. Arawn asks Pwyll to trade bodies with him for a year and a day. During or at the end of that time, Pwyll must defeat Hafgan, a rival who Arawn has been unable to defeat or destroy, for the rule of Annwn. Arawn will take Pwyll’s place as ruler of Dyfed.
Pwyll agrees. While he occupies Arawn’s body, Pwyll is approached amorously by Arawn’s beautiful but unnamed wife. However, Pwyll is too honorable to take advantage of the situation and rebuffs the goddess.
He defeats Hafgan by learning the secret of the deity’s invulnerability. Hafgan must be killed by a single blow. If his assailant strikes again, Hafgan will be healed by the second blow. Pwyll smites Hafgan just once with his sword or axe, and Hafgan perishes.
Arawn and Pwyll become fast friends, and their friendship endures beyond Pwyll’s mortal death. In the fourth branch of the Mabinogi, Arawn has given a gift of pigs to Pwyll’s son Pryderi. A magician named Gwydion Fab Don from Gwynedd cheats Pryderi out of the otherworldly pigs. According to his pact with Arawn, Pryderi cannot give away the pigs to anyone else, but the swine may be traded. Gwydion tricks Pryderi into making the trade. This leads Pryderi to invade Gwynedd, where during the war he is killed in single combat with Gwydion.
Other folklore concerning Arawn involves his dogs. The Cwn Annwn are associated with migrating geese. The baying of the Hounds of Hell rounding up lost souls is heard in the calls of the geese as they fly overhead. For this reason the hounds are never running through the summer sky.
Origins and Cults
The Celtic deities of Wales are similar to the earliest deities of Ireland, England, and Scotland. They lived in the land and ruled over it along with mortal kings and queens. All of the figures in Welsh mythology, including Arawn, come from the ancient Celtic religion that was imported to the British Isles when the Celts arrived during a long infiltration that began around the year 500 BCE.
The origins of the myths concerning Arawn and other Welsh deities are found in very early prose texts that were written centuries later, beginning around 1100 CE. These are principally the eleven stories in the Mabinogion. Arawn is introduced as the lord of the Otherworld in these stories.
Comparatively little is known about worship of Arawn. Arawn was believed to have little reason to mingle with the living as other Celtic deities and spirits did. His journeys into the living world may have been mainly to retrieve resurrected people he would rather keep in the Otherworld.
He rode with his hounds in pursuit of lost souls only in the autumn, winter, and early spring, and the feasts of Beltane, or Beltine, (May 1) and Samhain (November 1) were particularly meaningful dates in this activity. According to some believers, Samhain was the one night that souls could be brought back to life without incurring Arawn’s wrath.
Bibliography
Davies, Sioned. The Mabinogion. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
Ford, Patrick K., ed. The Mabinogion and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley: U of California P, 2008. Print.
Hughes, Kristoffer. From the Cauldron Born: Exploring the Magic of Welsh Legend & Lore. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2012. Print.
Miles-Watson, Jonathan. Welsh Mythology: A Neo-Structuralist Analysis. Amherst: Cambria, 2009. Electronic.
Rankine, David. The Isles of Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses Worshipped in Ancient Britain During the First Millennium CE Through to the Middle. Glastonbury: Avalonia, 2007. Print.
Rhys, John. Celtic Folklore: Welsh and Manx. 1901. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2014. Electronic.
Sikes, Wirt. British Goblins Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions. 1880. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2011. Electronic.