The Oldest Animals

Born from pure concentration of Creative and Chaotic energies upon the creation of the Etherworld and Unworld respectively. They are called the Oldest Animals because of the animal shapes they morph into; they are also the Wisest, as they have been living the longest (born before the El and the Tylwythyn). Two are derived from the Unworld (The Blackbird & The Eagle) and three from the Etherworld (The Stag, The Wise Salmon, & The Owl), represented in the family lineage and crests of the noble families of Brython; they are anthropomorphic creatures, on par roughly with the Ellyll & Tylwythyn--not as involved in the worlds, but still very powerful.
Those who carry their blood are called Oldlings.

Alchen - directly descended from the Blackbird

Llyr - directly but distantly descended from the Wise Salmon/Morfolk

Rhedyn - the Stag gave them wisdom but did not mate or mingle with their blood

Wern - the Eagle led them to worship her as the Goddess of Death (before the Coraniad invasion & conversion to the Anchoric faith), choosing the Wern family as her chosen ones, but she did not mate with them

Cowlydd - The Owl supposedly took shape as a woman made of flowers, mating with the head of the Cowlydd family and starting its magical line; she was cast out when she cheated on her husband, and some say she was killed, cursing the family line

The Oldest Animals were worshipped as gods before the coming of the Anchoric religion because they would frequently and commonly appear in Abred, interacting with travellers and would-be heroes. They were especially vital for early derwydd who used shamanistic practises to commune with them. There are whispers they would even grant their favoured heroes/derwydd the ability to shape-change into a form that reflected theirs.

Genetic Descendants