CWN ANNWN—HELL HOUNDS.
Cwn Annwn were supposed to have been supernatural hounds whose yelling or howling on dark nights foreboded a death. If the howling was faint, it meant that the pack was close at hand, if loud, the hounds were only hunting at a distance. These hounds were supposed to watch for the souls of notoriously wicked men about to die.
An old farmer, named Mr. Thomas Stephens, Llwyncelyn, Llanarth, Cardiganshire, informed me that his brother once heard the bark of these hounds on the road near Bronwen.
OTHER DEATH OMENS.
The Cock.—It was once thought in all parts of Wales that the crowing of a cock before or about midnight was a sign of death; but whether one of the family or one of a neighbour’s family was going to die, it depended on the direction of the cock’s head whilst crowing.
The Hen.—A hen crowing like a cock is also supposed to indicate a death in the family or some very near relation; or if not death, some very bad luck.
A hen laying two eggs in the same day was also a sign of death. A hen laying a small egg was also a bad sign.
An Owl persistently screeching near a house or a raven croaking hoarsely also indicated a death.
The Dog.—A dog howling, which is called in Welsh Ci-yn-udo, is a sign of a death.