The Mabinogion

I finally brought the Mabinogion, and I have been reading through it and making notes of characters that might possibly show up as the girl is running. The idea that I had was the girl running, and the figures appearing in the sky behind her, which has the potential to look really pretty if done right! But first I needed to decide what figures would show up, so I skimmed the Mabinogion quickly for some characters that stood out.

The first was Rhiannon. She appears throughout the four branches of the Mabinogion, and first appears riding a horse that cannot be caught.

Blodeuwedd is another character I am looking at. She is a woman made from flowers, who was turned into an owl because she betrayed her husband.

I think that these are probably the only characters that I will take from the book itself. I might also include a generic hunter type person, and a blacksmith, because smelting iron was considered to be something great/ magical people did back in pre-Christian Wales.

More Pictures Of Cadair Idris

A few more images of Cadair Idris. The mountain itself looks like something out of a fairy tale, and I think it's a really good location for inspiration!

Pictures Of Cadair Idris

Unfortunately, at this time, visiting the mountain is going to be difficult, due to long lasting summer plans, but I have collected various images of the mountain to look at.

Decisions Based On My Research

After researching the cwn annwn, I made a few decisions about the nature of my film. I found out that one of the prime times for the dogs to hunt was during the winter, and I think that a wintery setting would really help to reflect the mood of my film. This is because snowy scenes have the potential to be depressing and sombre, but also magical. So I now know that I want to set my film in the winter, probably around christmas time, as it is a date that features throughout all the different beliefs.

I also discovered that the main hunting grounds for the dogs was the mountain of Cadair Idris, and this might be a good place to look into for the setting of my film. At the very least it will give me a place to look at for background inspirations.

The Cwn Annwn

The Cwn Annwn are a major part of my film, and so I need to do a lot of research into them to ensure I get everything right! Here is the research I have found:

The cwn annwn were the spectral hounds of Annwn. Annwn was the name of the underworld of welsh mythology. They were a branch of the wild hunt, which was presided over by Gwynn ap Nudd. Christians dubbed the creatures the 'hounds of hell', and theorised they were owned by satan, with the otherworld being hell. However, in welsh mythology, the otherworld was a paradise, not a hell or the home of dead souls.

The dogs were also associated with migrating geese, because their honking in the night sounds like barking dogs.

The cwn annwn are believed to hunt only on specific nights. More specifically, the eves of St. John, St.Martin, Saint Michael the archangel, All saints, Christmas, New Year, Sain Agnes, Saint David and Good Friday. Others believe that they hunt throughout Autumn and Winter,and others believe that they only hunt from christmas to twelfth night. I believe that it is far more likely that they ran through autumn and winter, however, because the other two beliefs feature christian holidays prominently, not all of which previously had a pagan holiday there. This suggests that these beliefs were introduced after pre-Christian Wales.

The hounds are sometimes accompanied by a fearsome hag called Mallt-y-Nos, Matilda of the night.

The hunting grounds for the dogs are said to be the mountain of Cadair Idris, where it is believed that the howling of the dogs foretold death to those who heard them. According to the folklore, their growling is loudest when they are at a distance. These dogs cannot be seen by ordinary humans, even though earthly dogs howl with fright upon seeing them.

Another source mentioned that the dogs ride through the skies in autumn, winter and early spring, which might be something to keep in consideration.

Pre-Christian Wales

Because the Mabinogion is based on pre-Christian Wales, I felt that it was important to research this time period and the beliefs. This is because my film is going to be set in this time period, so knowing as much as I can about it will be extremely useful.

Some of the earliest evidence of a pre-Christian religion in Wales are the stone circles. The most well known one is the Stone henge in England, but another can be found in Pembrokeshire, Wales, as well as many other Welsh locations. It was believed that these sites were used for religious rituals, but there is no evidence of this remaining.

The making of metal was believed to be an act of magic, and the early welsh people smelted various kinds of metals such as gold and copper for offerings to their gods. The religious leaders of the time were known as druids, and they existed even beyond the Roman invasion of Britain. The Celtic religion was tolerated under Roman rule for the most part, even if the rule of the druids was over. However, the worship of celtic gods was tolerated because it proved to be no threat to the roman rule. However, the religion did not survive after roman rule.

Various characters from the mabinogion are prominent in welsh beliefs and mythology, though there are some things that tend to be different. In the mabinogion, the cwn annwn belonged to Arawn, who resided over Annwn. However, in the actual mythology, they are associated with Gwynn Ap Nudd, the king of the fair folk.

One of the main things to note, however, is that the stories of the mabinogion were written long after Wales was dominated by the christian religion. The gods of pre-Christian Wales were changed to heroes and kings to satisfy any religions conflicts.

Possible deities of the time include:

Arawn, the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn. It is debated on whether or not he or Gwynn ap Nudd ruled over the otherworld, but Arawn appears prominently in the first branch of the mabinogion.

Afallach: The father of Modron, he was associated with the Island of Avalon.

Blodeuwedd: A woman made of flowers to be the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, in the fourth branch of the mabinogion. She betrays him and is turned into an owl.

Ceridwen: An enchantress, and the mother of Morfran and Creirwy. She possessed the cauldron of poetic inspiration, and she once swallowed her servant who is reborn through her as the poet Taliesin.

Cyhyraeth: A ghostly spirit that has a disembodied moaning voice that sounds before a persons death.

Gwenn Teir Bronn: A Breton holy woman who supposedly lived in the 6^th century.

Gwyn ap Nudd: The king of the Tylwyth Teg, or the fair folk. Described as a great warrior with a blackened face. He is associated with the wild hunt.

Llefelys: The king of France in mythology. His brother Ludd is the king of Britain.

Ludd Llaw Eraint: Known as Ludd of the silver hand, he is a legendary hero, and the father of Gwynn ap Nudd. In some tales he is known as the king of Britain, while his brother rules France.

Mabon ap Modron: The son of Modron. Both he and his mother were likely deities, descending from a divine mother-son pair.

Modron: May have been the origin of Morgan Le Fay. She is the mother of Mabon,who was stolen from her when he was three days old and rescued by King Arthur. She is a fertility and harvest deity, and she appears as a washerwoman.

Rhiannon: Rhiannon was a queen who appears in the Mabinogion. She is often compared to the horse goddess, Epona.