The Celtic Otherworld

The Otherworld is a mirror of the living world where ones after life experiences are influenced by their actions in this life. The Otherworld exists on a physical level familiar to our own, often on islands or remote and distant lands. One such Otherworld island is the Isle of Black and White, where those things that are white turn to black and black turns to white. To some this perspective is an example of karma or the Law Of Accountability. "What you put out, you will get back" or "As above, so below", if not in life, then in the afterlife.

These islands most often lay to the west, toward the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. One such place was the Isle of Arran, an Irish paradise. Situated in the Firth of Forth, also called the Firth of Clyde. Arran is an island paradise which was later associated with Arthurian legends as Avalon, or the Isle of Apples. Arran is regarded as the most desirable place to be for your Otherworld afterlife.

The drowned land of Atlantis is an other Otherworld isle. Known as the Isle of the Blessed, where voyagers sailed but never returned. A land of beauty and divinity where the truly blessed are sent to live out their afterlife.

One of the most common views of the Celtic Otherworld is held in the land of Annwfn. A paradise island also associated with King Arthur through the Welsh poem Preiddeu Annwfn which gives the best description of the island. The poem is a tale told by Taliesin who was a member of an expedition into the land of the Otherworld, presumably to search for the Holy Grail.

Through Taliesin's poem, we're told Annwfn is divided into three regions that could be associated with Hades, the Greek Otherworld equivalent. The first region lies within a glass fort known as Caer Wydyr and also referred to as Nennius. Caer Wydyr is not a waste land, but it is a gloomy and dark land. The expedition party tried to engage the fortress guard into conversation, but he remained silent and almost oblivious of their presents. Many believe the hidden meaning suggests this is the land of the silent dead, or the lost ones. The most undesirable places to reside after death.

The next realm is that of Caer Feddwidd, the Fort of Carousal. Also known as Caer Rigor or Caer Siddi, this realm is ruled by Arianrhod, the Goddess of time, space and energy. In this land, a mystical fountain of wine flows through the region. Drinking from the fountain, one finds eternal health and youth to live out their after life days.

The third realm is associated through Arthurian legend as Avalon. The most divine of the three regions. Presumably only the most spiritual of people or those who have sacrificed a great deal for the benefit of others can enter this land. But one needs to remember this poem comes from a time where pagan and Christian beliefs were greatly intermingled.

An alternative view of the Arthurian Avalon, is the land of Arran which has more of a pagan tale to it's existence. The most significant icon in this land is the Cauldron of Plenty, which most scholars now agree was the inspiration for the Holy Grail.

The Cauldron of Plenty was also called the Undry. It provided an endless supply of food which was often given to the needy and it had the power to restore the dead to life. Either to the same existence or to a new one. The cauldron could also heal the wounds or illnesses of the dying, preventing them from dying at all.

The Otherworld is definitely the Celtic land of the dead, but there are many legends and stories that suggest the dead are not limited to this land. This suggests that the realm is a transitory land, where souls can become trapped in the land of the silent dead through their own karmic deeds, they can reside if they chose in the land of Caer Feddwidd, or they can transition back to the land of the living through the magikal powers of the Undry.