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The Horned King was a mighty and much-feared war leader, and the champion of Arawn Death-Lord. The enchanter Dallben said he was "as powerful as Gwydion; some say more powerful." The Horned King was a man of evil, "for whom death [was] a black joy." No man knew his name, nor had seen his face. He rallied around himself many cantrev lords with the intent of defying the Sons of Don and marching on Caer Dathyl.
Physical Description
The Horned King rode a black horse and wore a crimson cape that flowed from his naked shoulders, and a mask in the shape of a human skull, with great stag's antlers that "rose in cruel curves". His gigantic arms, left bare, were stained crimson. He wielded a sword.
Skills and Powers
The Horned King was a mighty warrior reportedly on par with Prince Gwydion. He was a skilled rider and swordsman, and beyond his purely martial powers he seemed to produce a chilling effect on all those who beheld him. His mere presence caused the beasts of the forest to quiet, and Taran was awestruck by his visage. It remains unknown whether this power was one of enchantment or due to his ghoulish appearance.
Biography
The Book of Three
The Horned King was first seen by Taran while seeking the oracular pig Hen Wen, who had fled Caer Dallben when the Horned King drew near. The Horned King's forces attempted to move against Caer Dathyl, while Fflewddur, Eilonwy, Taran and Doli attempted to reach the city and warn it.
At the climax of the book, face-to-face with Taran and Eilonwy, the Horned King hesitated briefly when Taran partly drew the enchanted sword Dyrnwyn from its sheath. That in turn gave a returning Gwydion the opening he needed to destroy the Horned King with the only weapon that would work -- the power of the Horned King's true name (which he learned from Hen Wen). Upon the utterance of his name, the Horned King was struck by a flash of lightning and destroyed by flames.
The true name itself is never revealed in the Chronicles. When Eilonwy asked Gwydion for it, he only revealed that it was "not as pretty as yours."
Disney's The Black Cauldron
In this film, which combines scenes from the first two books, the Horned King takes the role of the main villain. He is a shambling, mumbling, gray-skinned, clawed and palsied, undead THING in a tattered red robe. Here Arawn is an evil spirit trapped inside the Cauldron.