Dormarch or possibly Dormarth is a

hound A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey. Description Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...

, normally used to assist hunters by tracking or chasing the animal that is being hunted, however in Welsh mythology Dormarch's master is

Gwynn ap Nudd Gwyn ap Nudd (, sometimes found with the antiquated spelling Gwynn ap Nudd) is a Welsh mythological figure, the king of the ''Tylwyth Teg'' or " fair folk" and ruler of the Welsh Otherworld, Annwn, and whose name means “Gwyn, son of Nudd”. De ...

although formerly owned by

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd (; died c. 547)Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text). was King of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position among t ...

, a 6th-century king of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

.Evans, Page XI As king of the

Tylwyth Teg (Middle Welsh for "Fair Family"; ) is the most usual term in Wales for the mythological creatures corresponding to the fairy folk of Welsh and Irish folklore . Other names for them include ("Blessing of the Mothers"), and . Origins The ter ...

fairy folk A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

, Gwynn ap Nudd was the ruler of

Annwn Annwn, Annwfn, or Annwfyn (; ''Annwvn'', ''Annwyn'', ''Annwyfn'', ''Annwvyn'', or ''Annwfyn'') is the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn (or, in Arthurian literature, by Gwyn ap Nudd), it is a world of delights and eternal youth wh ...

, the Welsh equivalent of '

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

' and as such he is closely associated with the Wild Hunt where he is responsible for escorting newly deceased souls of British warriors from the battlefield to the afterlife.

In myth

Dormarch has a single head, two front legs, and a body that narrows rapidly from the chest and terminates in three fish-like tails. The Dormarch's natural habitat is described in Welsh as being 'ar wybir', that is 'riding on the clouds' which haunt the mountain peaks.

In literature

''The Dialogue of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir'' is found in the

Black Book of Carmarthen The Black Book of Carmarthen () is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written solely in Welsh. The book dates from the mid-13th century; its name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog ...

describing how Gwyn ap Nudd meets Gwyddno, king of

Cantre'r Gwaelod , also known as or , is a legendary ancient sunken kingdom said to have occupied a tract of fertile land lying between Ramsey Island and Bardsey Island in what is now Cardigan Bay to the west of Wales. It has been described as a "Welsh Atla ...

and converses with the king, boasting of his battlefield prowess and describing his role with the Wild Hunt, gathering the souls of fallen British warriors with the help of his hounds, thereby making Dormarch a member of the

Cŵn Annwn In Welsh mythology and folklore, Cŵn Annwn (, "hounds of Annwn"), singular Ci Annwn (), were the spectral hounds of Annwn, the otherworld of Welsh myth. They were associated with a form of the Wild Hunt, presided over by either Arawn, king of ...

, the 'Hounds of Annwn'. Similar Wild Hunt hounds are found in other traditions, such as the Gabriel Hounds, Ratchets, Yell Hounds (

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

Herne the Hunter In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. He is said to have antlers growing from his head, ride a horse, torment cattle, and rattle chains. The earliest ...

's hounds, etc. One translationGwyn ap Nudd
from the

gives :

In art

Dormarch is shown as a pictorial representation on page 97 of Evans'

in a Christianised form that reduces the canine attributes and instead draws from influences such as

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

s in Biblical legends, typically that of

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

Etymology

The meaning and exact form of the name "Dormarch" is uncertain because although written twice in this form by the scribe, the ''r'' has been erased at some stage, probably by another individual at a later stage. The form "Dormarth" has been interpreted as 'Death's door' although contradictory evidence exists and the word "mach" translates as 'a bail or surety'.Evans, Page XIV

References

;Notes ;Sources *Evans, John Gwenogvryn (1906). ''The Black Book of Carmarthen''. Pwllheli.

External links