Mallt-y-Nos, is a female figure from Welsh mythology, often depicted as a crone who rides sometimes alone, sometimes alongside Arawn, the lord of the Otherworld, and his supernatural hounds, together being the Welsh version of the Wild Hunt, pursuing sorrowful and lost souls, driving them to Annwn, which is the name of that Otherworld.
The Mallt-y-Nos is said to propel the hounds forward with her piercing shrieks and wails, which are often described as malevolent, and wicked in nature.
Various interpretations have been proposed to elucidate the meaning of her name.
If the initial segment ‘Malllt’ is linked to the terms ‘mallter’ or ‘malltod’, the name could be understood as a curse, cursed, rotten, spoiled, or damned. That would indicate “Curse of the Night.”
Additionally, she is referred to as ‘Noss Mallt’, and if this designation is taken into account, it suggests connotations of nightmare, night specter, and nocturnal adversary.
Should these linguistic connections be pursued, it is plausible that the tradition surrounding Mallt-y-Nos has its roots in pre-Norman eras.
The name Mallt-y-Nos is first mentioned in a poem by Taliesin Williams in 1837, where she is depicted as pursuing the soul of an executed pirate alongside ‘Anwnn’s gaunt hounds’.
Subsequently, she emerged as a character, accompanied by the spectral hounds, within the Welsh literary canon, and by the century’s conclusion, she seemingly became integrated into the folklore of Williams’ Glamorgan, complete with a narrative to elucidate her significance.
However, the extent to which she was recognized prior to Williams’ era, and whether her origins can be traced back to an authentic popular tradition, remain challenging inquiries to resolve.
To this day, no compelling source-based responses have been offered. Yet, one recommendation, not really going beyond guessing, but worth noting, pertains to the life of Taliesin Williams, who was born in 1787 in Cardiff, adjacent to the Vale of Glamorgan, situated in the southeastern region of Wales. Several witch tales are associated with Glamorgan. It is possible that either Taliesin Williams or his father documented a reference to a local legend from their residence, which included the Mallt-y-Nos, under that name or a comparable Welsh designation. This could have served as an inspiration for part of Williams’ epic poem about the pirate Colyn Dolphin.
Another observation regarding the appearance of Mallt-y-Nos; from Williams’ poem, it can be inferred that she appeared horrifically deformed. This has since been largely accepted as fact. However, if one interprets her as a figure from the Otherworld of Annwn, where Arawn reigns, it seems likely that this negative portrayal is linked to the demonization of Welsh mythology, in which the ruler Arawn acquired many negative traits and titles that extended beyond the traditional designation of ‘Lord of the Underworld’ or ‘Lord of the Otherworld.’ With the rise of Christianity on the British Isles, Arawn’s association with death led to his demonization. Annwn, as the Welsh Otherworld, became a place for the souls of the damned, and Arawn, as their lord, was transformed into the Lord of the Damned. Similarly, Arawn’s hounds were associated with hellhounds that hunt the spirits of the damned. It is likely that Mallt-y-Nos experienced a similar fate. In earlier, pagan times, the people of Wales may have envisioned the figures of their Otherworld in a much more positive light, both in terms of appearance and character.
You can read about the Mallt-y-Nos on page 45 of my book “Wild Hunt and Furious Host” (ISBN: 9783732248384).
What now follows, is a part of Taliesin Williams poem. It is the part that deals with the demonized Mallt-y-Nos. With the help of AI it was set to music by me.
The whole poetic work “The Doom of Colyn Dolphin” is freely available online.
