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Gwyn ap Nudd
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===Other exploits=== Gwyn appears prominently in the medieval poem ''The Dialogue of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir'', found in the [[Black Book of Carmarthen]]. In this narrative—Gwyn, returning from battle, chances upon [[Gwyddno Garanhir]], king of [[Cantre'r Gwaelod]], and grants him his protection. Gwyn then relates his exploits on the battlefield and his role as a [[psychopomp]], a mysterious figure who gathers the souls of fallen British warriors, such as [[Bran the Blessed]], Meurig ap Carreian, [[Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio|Gwendoleu ap Ceidaw]] and [[King Arthur's family#Welsh literature|Llacheu ab Arthur]]. His skill in combat is extolled in this poem; he is described as "the hope of armies" and "hero of hosts" and, when asked from which region he comes, he simply replies: "I come from battle and conflict."<ref name="maryjones.us">[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/bbc33.html Dialogue of Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwyddno Garanhir]</ref> The poem ends with Gwyn's proclamation: {{quote|<poem>I have been where the soldiers of Britain were slain. From the east to the north I am the escort of the grave. I have been where the soldiers of Britain were slain. From the east to the south I am alive, they in death!<ref name="maryjones.us"/></poem>}} His role as a psychopomp is paralleled in his later tradition as leader of the Wild Hunt, in which he leads a pack of supernatural hounds known as the ''[[Cŵn Annwn]]'' to harvest human souls. In Welsh folklore, to hear the baying of Gwyn's hounds was a portent of imminent death in the family. In ''The Dialogue'', Gwyn is also accompanied by a hound, namely as Dormarth of the ruddy nose. Gwyn apparently witnessed a "conflict" before Caer Vandwy, an otherworldly fortress mentioned in [[Preiddeu Annwfn]].<ref name="maryjones.us"/>
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