Tag Archives: Fairy

The Changeling

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

Changeling. The widespread belief that fairies or other malevolent spiritual forces might secretly substitute one infant for another is amply represented in Celtic oral tradition. Irish corpán sídhe, síodhbhradh, síofra; Scottish Gaelic tàcharan, ùmaidh; Manx lhiannoo shee; Welsh plentyn a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bestiary, Ghosts | Tagged Celtic, Changeling, child, Devil, Fairies, Fairy, Folklore, infant, Ireland, Katherine Briggs, Lady Wilde, Legend, stolen, tradition | 1 Comment

Fear Dorcha: Shadow Creature from the Land of the Celts

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

The Fear Dorcha is a mysterious, malignant, fairy being, found in Celtic myth and legend. Despite modern associations with the word, the term “fairy” was once used to refer to spirits such as the Fear Dorcha. Unlike modern fairies, however, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ghosts | Tagged Black Druid, Black Sorcerer, Dark Man, Evil Spirit, Fairy, Fairy Abduction, Far Darrig, Far Doroche, Far Gorta, Far Liath, Fear Doirche, Fear Dorche, Fear Doroche, Fionn, Ghost, Samhain | 1 Comment

The Bat in Celtic Folklore

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

In the land of the Celts – from lonely moors to haunted castles –the bat has long been associated with witches, ghosts, and other tragic beings of the night… In the 1949 Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Edwin and Mona Radford … Continue reading →

Posted in Bestiary | Tagged Bat, bats, Celtic, Celts, Cyhiraeth, Death, enchantress, Fairy, Folklore, Halloween, Ireland, lore, Moon, night, Phooka, Possession, Samhain, Witch, Witches | 4 Comments

The Banshee: Ghost of the Celts

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

The Banshee’s arguably the most famous ghost of them all, and probably the least understood. “When the Banshee calls she sings the spirit home. In some houses still a soft low music is heard at death.” – George Henderson 1911 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ghosts | Tagged Apparition, Banshee, Banshee Howl, Banshee Meaning, Banshee Wail, Canada, Death, Eleanor Hull, Fairy, Fairytale, Folklore, Ghost, Ghost Servant, Haunting, Irish, James MacKillop, Katherine Briggs, Lady Wilde, Myth, Omen, Poltergeist, Scottish, spell, United States, W.Y. Evans-Wentz, Watcher at Ford | 16 Comments

The Spider in Celtic Myth

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

According to lore, the spider in Celtic myth was a beneficial being. It appeared in the old texts suddenly, emerging from some now-forgotten lost older oral tradition, creepy-crawling onto the pages of recorded folklore from out of nowhere. One of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bestiary | Tagged animal, belief, beneficial, Celtic, evil, Fairy, fate, Folklore, goddesses, insects, Irish, legends, loom, nature, sacred, Spider, spinning, traditional, wasp, weaving, webs, welsh | Leave a comment

The Raven and Crow of the Celts – Part II: Fairytales and Folklore

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

“The Raven is equally a bird of omen, Raven-knowledge, or wisdom being proverbial” – George Henderson. (Survival in Belief Amongst Celts. 1911) Many Celtic Fairytales contain remnants of the old stories of Gods and Goddesses [part I]. In Donald Mackenzie’s 1917 Wonder … Continue reading →