Annwn

In Insular Brythonic mythology, specifically Welsh, Annwn was the Otherworld, the land of souls that had departed this world. Annwn was ruled by Arawn, or (much later) Gwynn ap Nudd. It was conceived as 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, for you could only reach Annwn by dying yourself. It was also said, though, that Annwn could be entered by those still living if they could find the door.

The door was said to be at the mouth of the Severn near Lundy Island or on Glastonbury Tor. (The temple of Nudd archaeologically discovered near Lydney, and Brythonic stories such as the tale of Seithenyn, suggest that the Severn Bore held symbolic importance in Druid esoteric spiritual teachings. Glastonbury appears widely as a sacred isle of the dead and as the place where saints and kings are buried.)

In Culhwch and Olwen, God gave Gwynn control over the demons lest "this world be destroyed." He led the Wild Hunt.A Christian story tells of St. Collen, a Welsh saint, entering Gwynn's palace to banish him with holy water.

In the Book of Taleisin, an esoteric poem called Preiddeu Annwfyn (conventionally translated The Spoils of Annwn) on its face tells a tale of Arthur (often interpreted as King 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. Geoffrey of Monmouth told stories of Morgan le Fay and eight other priestesses in his poem, Vita Merlini, who lived on the Isle of Apples or Avalon. Avalon was often identified with Annwn.

Scholars say the spelling in the text of the poem is 10th century. But Welsh poetry was for centuries transmitted orally by bards and the most probable speculation is that the poem was composed by Taliesin in the 6th century and the 10th century appearance arises because that is when it was first written down.

See also Mag Mell, Cwn Annwn, Arawn

Alternatives: Annwfn, Annwyn, Annwyfn, Annwfyn.