Post by lorna on Jul 9, 2014 8:34:25 GMT -1
Hi everybody, apologies that I haven’t visited for a while, like Heron, Potia and Red Raven most of my time has been devoted to The Druid Network; I’m Bardic Co-ordinator and have been editing the on-line Eisteddfod.
I was inspired to write this post after Heron made me aware of the link Lee posted to Will Parker’s article on the Andedion, which referred to possible relations between the Andedion, and the spirits of Annwn and Gwyn ap Nudd.
Gwyn’s been my patron deity for nearly two years. During this period a pair of sentences from ‘How Culhwch won Olwen,’ which provide significant clues to his nature and mythos, have always perplexed me;
‘God has put the spirit of the demons of Annwfn in him, lest the world be destroyed. He will not be spared from there.’ Transl. Sioned Davies
‘…Gwynn the son of Nudd, whom God has placed over the brood of devils in Annwn, lest they should destroy the present race. He will never be spared thence.’ Transl. Lady Charlotte Guest
These sentences provoke many questions, and the Andedion article sheds a little light on them. I’ve also discussed them with Heron, and am very grateful for his insights, which have helped me shape my thoughts here.
1) The notion that God has put the spirit of the demons of Annwn in Gwyn.
Taken literally this would mean that it was by the agency of God that Gwyn was put in charge of Annwn and / or contains its spirits in him.
This seems to me to be a Christianised explanation of why God allows the spirits of Annwn and their ruler, Gwyn to exist. Belief in Gwyn and these spirits seems to have remained in the 11th century when ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ was penned, and to have continued into the 14th century, evidenced by ‘The Invocation of Gwyn ap Nudd’ and ‘St Collen and Gwyn ap Nudd’ (where the spirits of Annwn are also referred to as fairies and devils).
In relation to this, Heron suggested the Christian and old pagan beliefs may still have sat alongside each other at this point.
2) That the spirit of the demons of Annwn has been put ‘in’ Gwyn
This has always confounded me. Taken literally it would mean the spirits of Annwn have been confined within Gwyn’s person. That would make him not only the ruler but the personification or embodiment of the spirits of Annwn. Taken one step further that may make him the embodiment of the spirit of Annwn itself?..
However, Heron tells me that the word ‘spirit’ here, in Welsh, is ‘aryal,’ which can mean ‘ferocity,’ ‘essence’ or ‘nature.’
‘Ferocity’ seems to fit with the identification of Gwyn and the spirits of Annwn with the Eumenides / Furies in the Latin words of ‘The Invocation of Gwyn ap Nudd.’
‘Ad regen Eumenidium et reginam eius: Gwynn ap Nwdd qui es ultra in silvis pro amore concubine tue permitte nos venire domum.’
‘To the king of Spirits, and to his queen- Gwyn ap Nudd, you who are yonder in the forest, for love of your mate, permit us to enter your dwelling.’
It also fits with the fierce and chaotic side of Gwyn’s nature; his abduction of Creiddylad, slaughter of Nwython and the act of feeding his heart to his son, Cyledr. Likenesses between the spirits of Annwn, the Furies and the Andedion are hinted at in the article, in the ‘ritual frenzy’ of the ‘scream over Annwn.’ Perhaps this ferocity is intrinsic to the nature or essence of Gwyn and the spirits of Annwn (whilst on the otherhand, like the Eumenides they are also viewed as ‘The Fair Folk’…)
To return to the notion of Gwyn embodying the spirit of Annwn (the not-world), within my UPG he is very much a god of ‘imagining otherwise.’ Whilst the land and its spirits keep me grounded in ‘reality,’ he is a god of ecstasis. He undoes fixed space and linear time, teaches me to leave known reality, to enter Annwn, the ‘not-world,’ to gain a new perspective. He’s also been a guide to the otherside of my local landscape, its spirits paths, ancestors and fay.
Returning to Heron’s article on the paradoxical nature of Annwn, where he asks at the end whether we could imagine otherwise, I smiled. For me duality and paradox are fundamental both to Annwn and to Gwyn, as is imagining otherwise. Which I think was the point of his question (!)
3) Lest the world be destroyed
This suggests that Gwyn plays a fundamental role in maintaining the relationships between the worlds. Whilst he embodies the spirits of Annwn, he also holds them in check (duality again). Later on in ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ he is put under a dihenydd by Arthur to fight Gwythyr until Judgement Day. So we find Gwyn bound up with both the end of the world and the end of time.
Nicholas R. Mann says ‘Gwyn is not only a guide into Annwn but also mysteriously connected with the end of a world… Gwyn may be seen as a guide into the next human world as well as into the Otherworld.’ – Glastonbury Tor
In my UPG, as a god of ‘imagining otherwise,’ I’ve found it possible to journey with Gwyn to perceive possible futures, as well as to journey into Britain’s past.
For me, as a ‘fairy’ King he is very much bound up with the ‘fate’ of the worlds, maintaining their mutual interrelations.
4) He will not be spared from there
A Christianised reading would suggest it is God who will not spare Gwyn from his role in Annwn.
Heron says: ‘But the following bit ‘lest this world be destroyed’ is Ysbadadden saying he’s too busy at that to come to your aid. The notes to the Welsh edition by Rachel Bromwich and Simon Evans suggest that this is an acknowledgement by the author that Gwyn belongs to “a forbidden mythology”.’
Gwyn’s preoccupation seems pretty understandable!
I also find the idea that Gwyn belongs to a ‘forbidden mythology’ fascinating. So to return to the article on the Andedion, I imagine that at this time, communing with the ancestors, chthonic spirits and with their ruler(s) was forbidden, yet still lived in stories, which eventually became folk and fairy lore.
Is it possible to trace a connection from Vindos and the Andedion (Iron Age) to Gwyn ap Nudd and the spirits of Annwn (medieval), to Gwyn ap Nudd as a Fairy King (14th, 18th – 20th C folklore) to the lived relationships modern pagans have with Gwyn and his people today? I’d like to think so.
Also, a couple of last questions, just wondering whether anybody else living outside of the places Gwyn is known to reside or frequent (Wales, Somerset, Devon; I live in Lancashire) has had experiences with him? Do you see him as a deity bound to these places, or as a god connected with Britain and Gaul in general, with special ties to these places?
I was inspired to write this post after Heron made me aware of the link Lee posted to Will Parker’s article on the Andedion, which referred to possible relations between the Andedion, and the spirits of Annwn and Gwyn ap Nudd.
Gwyn’s been my patron deity for nearly two years. During this period a pair of sentences from ‘How Culhwch won Olwen,’ which provide significant clues to his nature and mythos, have always perplexed me;
‘God has put the spirit of the demons of Annwfn in him, lest the world be destroyed. He will not be spared from there.’ Transl. Sioned Davies
‘…Gwynn the son of Nudd, whom God has placed over the brood of devils in Annwn, lest they should destroy the present race. He will never be spared thence.’ Transl. Lady Charlotte Guest
These sentences provoke many questions, and the Andedion article sheds a little light on them. I’ve also discussed them with Heron, and am very grateful for his insights, which have helped me shape my thoughts here.
1) The notion that God has put the spirit of the demons of Annwn in Gwyn.
Taken literally this would mean that it was by the agency of God that Gwyn was put in charge of Annwn and / or contains its spirits in him.
This seems to me to be a Christianised explanation of why God allows the spirits of Annwn and their ruler, Gwyn to exist. Belief in Gwyn and these spirits seems to have remained in the 11th century when ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ was penned, and to have continued into the 14th century, evidenced by ‘The Invocation of Gwyn ap Nudd’ and ‘St Collen and Gwyn ap Nudd’ (where the spirits of Annwn are also referred to as fairies and devils).
In relation to this, Heron suggested the Christian and old pagan beliefs may still have sat alongside each other at this point.
2) That the spirit of the demons of Annwn has been put ‘in’ Gwyn
This has always confounded me. Taken literally it would mean the spirits of Annwn have been confined within Gwyn’s person. That would make him not only the ruler but the personification or embodiment of the spirits of Annwn. Taken one step further that may make him the embodiment of the spirit of Annwn itself?..
However, Heron tells me that the word ‘spirit’ here, in Welsh, is ‘aryal,’ which can mean ‘ferocity,’ ‘essence’ or ‘nature.’
‘Ferocity’ seems to fit with the identification of Gwyn and the spirits of Annwn with the Eumenides / Furies in the Latin words of ‘The Invocation of Gwyn ap Nudd.’
‘Ad regen Eumenidium et reginam eius: Gwynn ap Nwdd qui es ultra in silvis pro amore concubine tue permitte nos venire domum.’
‘To the king of Spirits, and to his queen- Gwyn ap Nudd, you who are yonder in the forest, for love of your mate, permit us to enter your dwelling.’
It also fits with the fierce and chaotic side of Gwyn’s nature; his abduction of Creiddylad, slaughter of Nwython and the act of feeding his heart to his son, Cyledr. Likenesses between the spirits of Annwn, the Furies and the Andedion are hinted at in the article, in the ‘ritual frenzy’ of the ‘scream over Annwn.’ Perhaps this ferocity is intrinsic to the nature or essence of Gwyn and the spirits of Annwn (whilst on the otherhand, like the Eumenides they are also viewed as ‘The Fair Folk’…)
To return to the notion of Gwyn embodying the spirit of Annwn (the not-world), within my UPG he is very much a god of ‘imagining otherwise.’ Whilst the land and its spirits keep me grounded in ‘reality,’ he is a god of ecstasis. He undoes fixed space and linear time, teaches me to leave known reality, to enter Annwn, the ‘not-world,’ to gain a new perspective. He’s also been a guide to the otherside of my local landscape, its spirits paths, ancestors and fay.
Returning to Heron’s article on the paradoxical nature of Annwn, where he asks at the end whether we could imagine otherwise, I smiled. For me duality and paradox are fundamental both to Annwn and to Gwyn, as is imagining otherwise. Which I think was the point of his question (!)
3) Lest the world be destroyed
This suggests that Gwyn plays a fundamental role in maintaining the relationships between the worlds. Whilst he embodies the spirits of Annwn, he also holds them in check (duality again). Later on in ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ he is put under a dihenydd by Arthur to fight Gwythyr until Judgement Day. So we find Gwyn bound up with both the end of the world and the end of time.
Nicholas R. Mann says ‘Gwyn is not only a guide into Annwn but also mysteriously connected with the end of a world… Gwyn may be seen as a guide into the next human world as well as into the Otherworld.’ – Glastonbury Tor
In my UPG, as a god of ‘imagining otherwise,’ I’ve found it possible to journey with Gwyn to perceive possible futures, as well as to journey into Britain’s past.
For me, as a ‘fairy’ King he is very much bound up with the ‘fate’ of the worlds, maintaining their mutual interrelations.
4) He will not be spared from there
A Christianised reading would suggest it is God who will not spare Gwyn from his role in Annwn.
Heron says: ‘But the following bit ‘lest this world be destroyed’ is Ysbadadden saying he’s too busy at that to come to your aid. The notes to the Welsh edition by Rachel Bromwich and Simon Evans suggest that this is an acknowledgement by the author that Gwyn belongs to “a forbidden mythology”.’
Gwyn’s preoccupation seems pretty understandable!
I also find the idea that Gwyn belongs to a ‘forbidden mythology’ fascinating. So to return to the article on the Andedion, I imagine that at this time, communing with the ancestors, chthonic spirits and with their ruler(s) was forbidden, yet still lived in stories, which eventually became folk and fairy lore.
Is it possible to trace a connection from Vindos and the Andedion (Iron Age) to Gwyn ap Nudd and the spirits of Annwn (medieval), to Gwyn ap Nudd as a Fairy King (14th, 18th – 20th C folklore) to the lived relationships modern pagans have with Gwyn and his people today? I’d like to think so.
Also, a couple of last questions, just wondering whether anybody else living outside of the places Gwyn is known to reside or frequent (Wales, Somerset, Devon; I live in Lancashire) has had experiences with him? Do you see him as a deity bound to these places, or as a god connected with Britain and Gaul in general, with special ties to these places?
Also, there are altars to a god called 'Vinotonus' up there. Whether he and Vindos are connected I don't know. But this is Anne Ross says: