Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   Today’s post is about the Tor of Glastonbury, how it relates to Avalon as the Underworld, Gwyn Ap Nudd, and walking the Labyrinth.   I find that walking the Labyrinth of the Tor and Gwyn Ap Nudd, as a God, are intimately linked to the deepening into the personal Shadows, the personal individual Underworld.   I wanted to do a Divine Masculine counterpart to the Queens of the Underworld posts which I have been focused on lately!

Gwyn Ap Nudd is the Lord of the Wild Hunt, King of the Faery Realm, and a God of Death in Welsh Celtic Lore.    He leads the Wild Hunt each Samhain by bursting forth from Glastonbury Tor, which is a portal to the Otherworld, with his Cwn Annwn, or the White Spectral Hounds of the Otherworld, in tow.   The Wild Hunt is the event that allows Gwyn Ap Nudd to fulfill his duties as a Psychopomp and God of Death.   He goes about collecting the souls of those who have died in the previous year to take them to the Otherworld!   In this way, he is acting as a protector and guide of the Dead, a sort of Wild Faery Advisor on the soul’s journey.

The journey aspect is directly related to the idea of walking the Labyrinth.   Surrounding Glastonbury Tor, is a Labyrinth, which is walked in a sacred initiatory practice to bring oneself into alignment with the Divine.    I have not personally had the pleasure of walking this Labyrinth in person, but I have heard tales about how profound the experience of doing so can be!   The Tor itself is a threshold place, much like many other places of liminality spoken of within Celtic lore.   These liminal threshold places are where the land of the living and the lands of Faery overlap.    Therefore, when one walks the Labyrinth up to the Tor, they are taking a journey to the threshold that will lead them to Annwn, the Welsh Celtic Otherworld, the true seat of Avalon!    That is how Gwyn Ap Nudd is so integrated into the lore and legends of Avalon, he is one of the Divine Masculine Faery Kings of the Dead, holding space for the spirits to journey into the next phase of life.

I hope that you have enjoyed this brief overview of Gwyn Ap Nudd, the Labyrinth, and the Tor.   What is your favorite aspect of Gwyn Ap Nudd?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is Gwyn Ap Nudd.   I found the image on https://the-demonic-paradise.fandom.com/wiki/Gwyn_ap_Nudd.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading

• Pagan Portals – Gwyn ap Nudd: Wild God of Faery, Guardian of Annwfn by Danu Forest