Into Annwn
Exploring the Very Deep Path of Welsh Polytheism,
Folklore, & Witchcraft
Gwyn ap Nudd
Who is Gwyn ap Nudd?
My background is in linguistics, so as usual, I'll start there.
Fairy King or God?
The short answer to this question is: Yes. They aren't mutually exclusive.
The long answer is: One of the big differences in foundational concepts between monotheism and polytheism is in how one sees divinity. In monotheism, divinity is absolute -- it is either present (in the singular deity) or absent (in everything else). Polytheisms, in many regions across the world as far afoot from the West as East Asia (China, Japan, etc), tend to see divinity as a spectrum. Beings (animate or inanimate, bodied or disembodied) are on a sliding scale of divinity and/or spiritual power, as well as a sliding scale of closeness to and interest in human activities and welfare. This is precisely what makes both apotheosis and the shuffling of divine power dynamics (as is often portrayed in the mythologies) possible in polytheisms -- a spirit or being's divinity or spiritual power is not fixed; it can and does change, and that divinity itself is not an on-off switch but a dimmer switch.
Taking on this foundational understanding can be of indispensable aid, especially to former monotheists, in making sense of polytheistic lore and myths. The question changes from "Is X a God?" with a binary "Yes/No" answer, to "How divine is X?" (which will intrinsically require you to define what makes a being divine to you) or "How spiritually powerful is X compared to Y?" or "Are X and Y equally spiritually powerful, just in different ways?"
Seeing beings on a spectrum of divinity and/or spiritual power makes sense of many features of polytheism all at once.
It explains...
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the rise and fall in perceived power and popularity of Gods over time, especially if one subscribes to the idea that receiving offerings and being worshipped feeds energy to spiritual beings (which would literally increase their power and facilitate their rise on the deific spectrum -- or their fall, if worship wanes; note I said facilitate -- I am not implying that human worship alone defines one's divine power),
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why many (all?) polytheistic cultures will leave offerings for, worship, and/or propitiate beings who aren't necessarily considered "gods" per se (in addition to the idea of hospitality and just being good neighbors),
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how humans or other beings become more divine and eventually take on the mantle of godhood (apotheosis),
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the insistence of many cultures on the veneration of ancestors, especially very important ones -- so they may reach some critical mass of spiritual power and become gods who may then have the power to intervene on behalf of humans (again, apotheosis),
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the overlap between the Tylwyth Teg/Fair Folk and the Gods (or Álfar, or Yōkai, or whatever your culture calls the not-quite-human but also not-quite-gods sometimes-very-powerful spirit beings who inhabit the Otherworld, not that these are all identical, they aren't, but making sweeping generalizations here) -- whether you see them as demi-gods, or as just other types of spirit beings who are more powerful than humans (in some ways) but not quite powerful enough to be rendered gods (except of course when they are also rendered gods!),
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and, of course, it also makes sense of the fact that qualifying to be a "god" in polytheism is a blurry, wishy-washy thing causing people to disagree on whether a specific being is actually a "god" or not!
The fact that Gwyn's name literally means holy or blessed in addition to white, and that His name is cognate with an attested Gallo-Roman deity Vindonos, and the fact He is the Son of another Welsh figure (Nudd) whose name is also cognate with an attested pre-Christian Brittonic deity (Nodens), mean that even just His name alone points to a high likelihood of divinity, or at minimum is based upon a figure who was formerly considered (and now is again considered) to be a deity. In addition, He clearly serves a supernatural role associated with death and battle in medieval poetry and is blatantly described as a fairy king in folklore, including the Life of a saint (St. Collen).
So, is Gwyn ap Nudd a deity? Royalty among the Tylwyth Teg? A leader of the Wild Hunt? ...Yes.
D. All of the Above.
Psychopomp, Death & Battle God
The
The Annual Seasonal Battle
The
King of the Tylwyth Teg
The
Owls, the Moon, & Lakes, Oh My!
The
The Wild Hunt
The
Recommended Sources & Further Learning
Books
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Articles
(Some JSTOR articles may be able to be accessed free via their "100 articles per month free" option, while others may not be available via this option.)
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Videos & Courses by Welsh Scholars & Practitioners
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Dr. Gwilym Morus-Baird's "Celtic Source" courses website: (Paid Course)
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The Welsh Fair Folk
https://celticsource.online/courses/the-welsh-fair-folk/
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Dr. Gwilym Morus-Baird's YouTube Channel "Celtic Source":
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Gwyn ap Nudd and St Collen with Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsVC3-bSk7Q
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Mhara Starling's Patreon:
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Welsh Deities course series:
https://www.patreon.com/mharastarling/posts
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Mhara Starling's YouTube Channel "Mhara Starling":
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Gwyn ap Nudd | Welsh Deities 101 | Welsh Paganism, Polytheism, Witchcraft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxiSS2gp3BM
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