Arawn
Arawn
Arawn – Lord of Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld
‘Hir yw’r dydd a hir yw’r nos, a hir yw aros Arawn’ – ‘Long is the day and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawn’ (Cardigan folk saying)
Arawn is not a Celtic god in the same sense as the other gods we will be covering but, he is prominent in Welsh mythology, one of the Celtic areas as a king who was sent to watch over the shadowy realm in the Otherworld known as Annwn. In Welsh folklore, Arawn is linked to fairness and justice, although he is known for being a tough ruler within Annwn if anyone is stupid enough to rebel against him.
Little is known about Arawn’s family and heritage as in the tradition of Celtic folklore most of the stories are passed on orally and little was put into writing. As such, putting together information about his background means using whatever information does exist in written form.
In most stories, Arawn is said to have a wife, and it is believed that she was deeply in love with her husband and supported him in Annwn. There are some very rare mentions of her being more of a villainess who want to usurp Arawn’s role in the Otherworld, but this is extremely uncommon.
In some stories, there is a mention that he may have had a sister named Gwyneth, who was married to another figure in Welsh mythology by the name of Gwydion.
However, there is scant information about any of this.
In Welsh mythology, Arawn is seen as a fairly positive figure, ruling over Annwn in a just manner. He is a skilled hunter, magician, and shapeshifter. There are connection between him and autumn, which is not an uncommon thing with people who preside over the worlds of the dead as Samhain, when the spirits of the dead walk the earth, is found in the autumn.
As with this heritage and background, when looking for symbolism or motifs that can be related to Arawn we have to look into the stories surround him and find recurring themes within them. From these stories we can see that the following things reoccur often –
Hounds – We have already mentioned that Arawn is seen as a great hunter and so it is not a stretch to see link the hounds of Annwn to him.
The arrival of Christianity began to demonise Welsh mythology and they came to dub the Cŵn Annwn as ‘Hounds of Hell’ what were owned by Satan. However, Arawn ruled over Annwn, which was a place of plenty and youth, opposed to the Christian concept of hell as a place of punishment.
Stags – an antlered stag could be seen as a symbol linked to Arawn due to his role as a protector of nature and the natural world and his ability to shapeshift.
Arawn in the Mabinogi
The Mabinogi are a collection of four stories withing Welsh mythology which are known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi or Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi. They were written in the Middle Welsh language.
The First Branch of the Mabinogi has the biggest reference to Arawn telling the story of Pwyll Pendefeg Dyfed (Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed). There is also a reference to Annwn, home of Arawn, in the Forth Branch but this is only in reference to the gifts sent to Pwyll’s son, Pryderi on a years basis and these are related to the conflict faced by Pryderi in the Fourth Branch.
So, we will focus here on the First Branch and the friendship which developed by Pwyll, prince of Dyfed and Arawn. This story can also be found in the Red Book of Hergest, written around 1382, and the White Book of Rhydderch, written in the middle of the 14th century.
Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed decided that he wished to go out and hunt on his land at Glyn Cuch, the location of which is thought to be either Narbeth in Southern Pembrokeshire or a location a few miles from modern day Cardigan. Pwyll left Arberth that evening and spent the night at Pen Llwyn Diarwya.
Early the following morning, he headed to Glyn Cuch to set his hounds loose, sounding his horn and riding after his dogs. After a time, Pwyll began separated from his companions, and in the distance, he heard the sound of a different pack of hounds, meeting with his own pack.
He rode into a clearing and before him were a pack of hounds, different to any he had ever seen before, having bright white fur and red ears. He watched as the other pack chased down a large stag and brought it down. Pwyll rode up to the hounds, driving them off so his own hounds could feed on the downed stag.
As his dogs were feeding, a horseman approached riding a massive dapple-grey horse. The man was wearing clothes of a brownish grey and wearing a hunting horn around his neck. As the horseman came nearer, he spoke to Pwyll. (taken from the translation of the Mabinogi)
'Chieftain,' he said 'I know who you are, but greet you I will not.'
'Aye,' said Pwyll 'perhaps you are so important you don't have to?'
'God knows' he replied 'it’s not the dignity of my rank that's restraining me'
'What is it then, Chieftain?'
'Between me and God, it’s your rudeness and discourtesy.'
'Chieftain, what discourtesy have I committed in your eyes?'
'I've never seen a greater discourtesy by a man than driving off a pack which has killed a stag and [then] feeding your own dogs on it. That' said he 'was the discourtesy, and though I won't be revenging myself on you, between me and God, I will be claiming dishonour from you to the value of a hundred stags.'
'Chieftain, if I've committed an offence, I will redeem your friendship.'
'In what form will you redeem it?'
'As appropriate to your rank - I don't know who you are...'
'A crowned king am I in the land I am from.'
'Lord,' said Pwyll 'good day to you. Which land is it that you are from?'
'From Annwvyn. Arawn king of Annwfn am I.'
'Lord, how might I obtain your friendship?'
Arawn told Pwyll that there was a way that he could repay him for his rudeness. He told Pwyll that there was a man whose kingdom bordered his own and who was constantly at war with him. The man was named Hafgan, King of Annwfn and Arawn told Pwyll that to obtain his friendship, he must defeat Hafgan and end the threat to Arawn. Pwyll said that he would be happy to take on this task, if Arawn would tell him how to do so. Arawn said (taken from the translation of the Mabinogi)
'I'll tell you. You can do it like this: I will make a strong bond of friendship with you. I'll do that by giving you my place in Annwfn, and I'll give you the most beautiful woman you have ever seen to sleep with every night, and my form and appearance will be upon you so that neither the chamber-boy nor the steward nor anybody else that has ever served me will know that you are not I. And,' he continued 'it will be that way until the end of a year from tomorrow, and we'll meet again at this very place.'
'Aye,' he responded 'although I'm going to be there until the end of the year, what advice do I have about finding this man that you speak of?'
'A year from tonight,' said [Arawn] 'there is a meeting between him and myself at the ford. You will be there in my guise, and a single blow you must give him: he will not survive it. And even if he asks you to give him another, you mustn't. For despite any more [blows] I [ever] gave him, he was always able to fight back just as well the next day.'
'Aye,' said Pwyll 'but what am I to do with my country?'
'I can bring it about that there will not be a man or a woman in your country who will not know that I am not you: I will go in your place.'
'Very well,' said Pwyll 'I will be on my way.
To ensure that Pwyll, disguised as Arawn, made it safely back to Annwn, Arawn guided him until Pwyll was able to see the court and buildings of Annwn. As Pwyll was disguised as Arawn, as soon as he sat down Arawn’s servants and retainers immediately helped him take of his boots and hunting clothes so he could settle and be comfortable. Then he saw Arwan’s wife and began to talk to her, noticing that she was a really lovely and unassuming woman. He passed his time in court eating the best food and drinking the best drink out of gold vessels.
Finally, it was time for the court to retire for the evening which could be a very awkward time as Pwyll looked like Arawn and was going to be sleeping in the same bed as Arawn’s wife. Once Pwyll and Arawn’s wife were in bed, Pwyll turned his back on her and did not speak to her again until morning. For the whole time that Pwyll was disguised as Arawn, he spent every night with his back towards her.
For a year, Pwyll spent his time hunting, singing, dancing, and spending time with companions waiting for the time to come where he would face Hafgan. Finally, the night arrived for him to go to the ford.
(taken from the translation of the Mabinogi)
‘Good men,’ said he ‘listen well. Between [these] two kings is this appointment, and that between their two persons [only]. Each one is a claimant against the other, over issues of land and territory. May all [the rest] of you stand back, and let [the fight] be between them [alone].’
At that the two kings closed in on one another to the middle of the ford for their encounter. At the first onslaught the king who was in the place of Arawn struck Hafgan in the middle of the boss of his shield, so it split in two halves and all his armour was broken and Hafgan was a spear-and-arms length over the back of his horse and onto the ground, with a mortal wound upon him.
‘Chieftain,’ said Hafgan ‘what right have you to my death? I was not bringing any claim against you, I do not know why you are killing me either; but by God’, he said ‘since you have begun my death, finish it [now]!’
‘Chieftain,’ he replied ‘it may be that I would regret doing what I did to you[17]. Find someone [else] to kill you; [but] I will not kill you.’
‘My faithful peers,’ said Hafgan ‘carry me away from here. The conclusion of my death is truly upon me. I am in no condition to uphold you any more.’
‘Peers of mine’ said the man who was in the place of Arawn ‘take a reckoning, and find out those [out there] who owe me allegiance.’
‘Lord, everybody owes you [allegiance], as there is [now] no other king in the whole of Annwfn but yourself.’
‘Aye’ said he ‘[for those] who come in peace, the reception will be just. Whoever does not come compliantly, let them be impelled by force of arms.’ Then he took homage from the men, and began to take possession of the land, and by noon the next day both the two kingdoms were in his power.
Following this, Pwyll returned to Glyn Cuch and greeted Arawn who was waiting for him. Arawn thanked Pwyll for what he had done and returned him to his own form and appearance. They then returned to their own lands.
