Arawn

Chthonic underworld god. Celtic (Welsh). The leader of the phantom hunt seen chasing a white stag with a pack of red-eared hounds. He equates with GWYNN AP NUDD, a similar deity known in South Wales. His chief underworld opponent is Hafgan and he bribes PWYLL, prince of Dyfed, to challenge Hafgan in exchange for a gift of pigs.

 

 

 

Hellhounds, Werewolves and the Germanic Underworld

Alby Stone

 
There is a curious connection between dogs and travel to the realm of the dead. It can be found particularly in Indo-European mythologies, although it also occurs in Egypt, Siberia, and north America. According to the Vedic mythology of ancient India, for instance, the deceased must pass by the four-eyed dogs of Yama, king of the dead; and Greek mythology tells of the dog Kerberos, popularly endowed with three heads, who watches the entrance to Hades. Mention must also be made of the white, red-eared hounds of Celtic myth. But the idea of the underworld watchdog appears to have reached its fullest, and most complex expression among the Germanic peoples.