Gwyn ap Nudd

Mythological king of Welsh tradition whose stature diminishes over the centuries with the advance of Christianity. In the oldest literature he is a ruler of Annwfn or the Otherworld and has within him the ferocity of demons or fiends. Despite the meaning of his name, Gwyn bears a blackened face while leading the pack of fairy dogs known as cw^n annwfn. Culhwch must enlist his support in the hunt for the great boar Twrch Trwyth in Culhwch ac Olwen. In the same poem Arthur condemns Gwyn to a continual combat with Gwythyr fab Greidawl for the love of Creiddylad each Calan Mai [May Day] until the end of time. Gwyn has abducted Creiddylad, the daughter or Lludd Llaw Ereint, a double for Gwyn's father, Nudd, a point unheeded in the story. After the 16th century Gwyn becomes the king of the tylwyth teg [fair folk], i.e. fairies. As commonly noted, the name Gwyn ap Nudd is philologically related to that of Fionn mac Cumhaill, who is descended from Nuadu (Airgetlám or Necht). T. F. O'Rahilly speculated (1946) that both Gwyn and Fionn are identical with the divine hero Lug Lámfhota. Gwyn ap Nudd is the title of one of the most notable poems of the Welsh writer H. Elfed Lewis (1860–1953).

Bibliography

• Idris L. Foster, ‘Gwynn ap Nudd’, in Duanaire Finn, iii, ed. Gerard Murphy, Irish Texts Society, no. 43 (Dublin, 1953), 198–205
• Jenny Rowland, Early Welsh Saga Poetry (Cambridge, 1990)

In Welsh mythology, Gwyn ap Nudd (/ˈgwɨn ap ˈnɨːð/, sometimes found with the antiquated spelling Gwynn ap Nudd) was king of the Tylwyth Teg (the "Fair Folk") and also, in later tradition, identified as the ruler of Annwn (the Underworld). He escorted the souls of the dead there, and led a pack of supernatural hounds, Cŵn Annwn (see also Wild Hunt).

In the early Arthurian story Culhwch and Olwen, he abducted Creiddylad who was betrothed to Gwythr ap Greidawl. After the intervention of Arthur, Gwyn and Gwythr agreed to fight for Creiddylad every May Day until Doomsday, This fight probably represented the contest between summer and winter.

Gwyn helped Culhwch hunt the boar Twrch Trwyth.^[1] In later legends Gwyn is king of the Tylwyth Teg or "fair folk".

Etymology

Gwyn means "fair, bright, white", cognate with the Irish fionn.^[2] The name of his father Nudd appears to derive from the Celtic deity Nodens.^[3] The Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhail, whose grandfather was Nuada, is probably related to this figure.

Gwyn is in everyday use as a common noun and adjective: it also remains a popular personal name. The Brythonic form of this name would have been *Vindos, the name of a Celtic deity in ancient Gaul. Especially in Old and Middle Welsh, "gwyn" also has the connotations of "pure, sacred, holy". The feminine form, Gwen, is the root of Gwenhwyfar, the original Welsh form of Guinevere.

References

1. ^ Culhwch ac Olwen, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest and sub-edited by Mary Jones.
2. ^ Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, University of Wales. "Proto-Celtic—English lexicon." (See also this page for background and disclaimers.)
3. ^ J. R. R. Tolkien. 1932. "Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London" (quoted here).

External links

• Vindos : etymology and history of Vindos as related to Gwynn ap Nudd and Fionn mac Cumhaill

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