Tales from the Ancient World
Hounds of Annwyn The eerie Cwn Annwyn
In Celtic mythology, Arawn rides with his "white, red-eared hounds" (the Cwn Annwyn or Hounds of Annwyn) through the skies in autumn, winter, and early spring. The baying of the hounds is identified with the crying of wild geese as they migrate, and the quarry of the hounds are the souls of the damned, being chased back to Annwyn. Although visible to earthly dogs that howl with fright when encountering the Cwn Annwyn, "the Hounds of Annwyn can't be seen by ordinary human beings."
Squidoo, Dogs in Mythology - Tales from the Ancient World, Accessed Nov. 18, 2010. https://www.squidoo.com/dogs-in-mythology
Y Cwn Annwyn
Y Cwn Annwyn ("Hounds of Annwyn") were the white, red-eared ghostly hounds of Annwyn; the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwynn ap Nudd, they were associated with the Wild Hunt and would ride through the skies chasing wandering spirits or escorting the souls of the dead back to Annwyn. It should be noted that the Otherworld of Welsh mythology was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth and not the "Hell" of Christian tradition.
David Martin Roberts, C Cwn Annwyn, CGSOCIETY, SOCIETY OF DIGITAL ARTISTS, Accessed Dec. 17, 2011. https://bych.cgsociety.org/gallery/734442/
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