Tag Archives: Irish

Ireland’s Samhain

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland was published in 1887. In it, Lady Wilde lets us look into the minds of the Irish peasantry of the time. She did this by interviewing the elders of a dying faith … Continue reading →

Posted in Ghosts | Tagged Ancestors, Ancient Legends Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland, Animal Ritual, Cat Sacrifice, Divination, Fairy Religion, Ghosts, Halloween, Ireland, Irish, Lady Wilde, Samhain, Spirits, Undead, Witchcraft | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Bestiary | Tagged Banshee, brahan, carmina, Celts, charms, Crow, curse, Death, Devil, Fairy, fairytales, Fionn, Folklore, Highlands, Ireland, Irish, legends, leprechaun, Myth, Mythology, prophecies, Raven, Scotland, Sidhe, Snake, superstitions, Witchcraft | 13 Comments

The Raven and Crow of the Celts – Part I: Myth and Legend

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Shanon Sinn

“There are about 45 species of Crow in the world known by a variety of common names, including Ravens, jackdaws and rooks.” – Candace Savage (Crows) Both the Raven and Crow have made many iconic appearances throughout Celtic myth and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bestiary | Tagged bull, Celtic, Celts, Crow, cuchulain, Death, Erin, eriu, Folklore, gods, into, Ireland, Irish, Legend, Morrigan, Myth, Raven, Tain, welsh | 7 Comments

Ngetal (Reed Grass)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Shanon Sinn

“Ngetal is the month when the terrible roar of breakers and the snarling noise of pebbles on the Atlantic seaboard fill the heart with terror, and when the wind whistles dismally through the reed-beds of the rivers. In Ireland the … Continue reading →