The leader of supernatural creatures called the Fomorians, Balor of the Evil Eye, one of many Irish demons, was, unsurprisingly enough, a giant with a large eye. The Pooka is a different but equally terrifying mythological horse. While typically good, the Daoine Maithe can become vengeful if they are mistreated by people. If ever youll be walking or driving at night in Ireland, better wear something gold so the Dullahan wont throw blood at you or call your name. The womans husband was terrible to her, so she ended up committing suicide out of sorrow. [15] The monster described by Tammas has two heads;[18] the equine head has an enormous gaping mouth that exudes a pungent, toxic vapour, and a single giant eye like a burning red flame. These creatures, especially the Merrows are amazing swimmers, and this ability is said to come from their clothing, which varies depending on which part of Ireland youre in. In section two, we tackle the less harmful Celtic creatures. This term actually has offensive origins. She was buried near Strongbows Tree in Waterford, and one night, she rose from her grave to seek revenge on her father and husband, sucking their blood until they dropped dead. The character of Merlin originally came from pagan mythology. Curiously, Pookas are also shapeshifters and can sometimes appear as black eagles or as goblins. Photo by Shvaygert Ekaterina/shutterstock. Celtic mythology is so rich that even though we have access to just a fraction that has survived through the ages, that fraction still contains dozens of different unique and fantastic myths and mythological creatures. Another vampire myth in Celtic culture, the Dearg Due is a female demon. While he was spying on his fathers druids, the noisome vapours of a spell entered his eye. Have a question about Celtic folklore creatures that we havent answered? This beast appears not only in the legends of King Arthur but also in Edmund Spensers epic tale The Faerie Queene, which in part, tackles the troubled relationship between England and Ireland in the 16th century. The one sure-fire way to deal with a Far Darring is to say out loud You will not mock me! before they manage to trap you. Annnnd were back to creepy Celtic monsters again, next, with the Bnnach. These airborne shrieking demons may have had a goat-like appearance and were associated with violence and death. The Leanan Sidhe is another Irish folklore creature that resembles a vampire. Now, just to be clear the Fomorians arent exactly dangerous Celtic mythological creatures, theyre more terrifying in appearance. The God of Death would provide his Fomori with victims, but the evil race was left to their own devices when Balor was killed by his son Lug, who shot him with a slingshot. Rather than directly suck the blood of her victims, Leanan Sidhe got creative and collected their blood in a giant red cauldron, which was the source of her beauty and artistic inspiration. The Clurichaun is a strange one. He whipped out an instrument and played soothing music until C Chulainn fell asleep. Whats worse, when a Far Farrig kidnaps a baby, they often replace the child with a changeling another horrible mythological creature well mention below. If nobody comes out the pooka will destroy their property. Registered individuals enjoy all the possibilities of Core Spirit. Now the Fomori have returned to their waters and transformed into sea monsters who prey on humans. This beast appears not only in the legends of King Arhtur, but also in Edmund Spensers epic tale The Faerie Queene, which in part, tackles the troubled relationship between England and Ireland in the 16th century. You cant talk about Irish mythological creatures without mentioning the fairies. Right: Olga Vasileva. Elln Trechend Photo by Sofya Dushkina/shutterstock.com They have a terrifying laugh and they often cause nightmares. But he usually kept it closed to avoid tripping over dead . Ghosts, fairies, goblins - Irish old timers share Halloween memories, The most haunted spots in Ireland to visit this Halloween, How File Na Marbh or 'Feast of the Dead' became Halloween, The scariest Irish spirits and monsters for Halloween, International Irish Coffee Day: The history and recipe of Irish coffee. These frightening creatures would often fly from village to village, usually in packs, going from west to east. These spirits come from the west, flying in groups like flocks of birds, and try to enter a house where someone is dying to take away that persons soul. They are wicked, violent tricksters who are different forms depending on which part of Ireland youre hearing a Pooka story from. Balor is the demonic God of Death in Celtic mythology. Read more about the Banshee here. The Irish demon would sometimes transform into a handsome man to lure women to its trap, but a telltale sign that it was a kelpie was if that man had kelp in its hair. Dearg-due, an Irish name meaning "red blood sucker," is a female demon that seduces men and then drains them of their blood. Fomoire, also spelled Fomhoire, in Irish myth, a race of demonic beings who posed a threat to the inhabitants of Ireland until they were defeated by the god-race, the Tuatha D Danann. Now the Fomori have returned to their waters and transformed into sea monsters who prey on humans. However, all wasnt as it seemed. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! The word Merrow is from the Irish words Muir, meaning sea and Oigh, the maid. Orcadian folklore had a strong Scandinavian influence, and it may be that the nuckelavee is a composite of a water horse from Celtic mythology and a creature imported by the Norsemen. These spirits come from the west, flying in groups like flocks of birds, and try to enter a house where someone is dying to take away that persons soul. I think the one I'd be more afraid to see would have to be The Far Darrig,because of it seems that he like's to play his food be for he attacks his prey and finish him/her off and that why I feel afraid of The Far Darrig, also could you give facts about why it is a myth. Though theyre not so much demons, Sluagh are scary creatures that hunt down souls. General deities were known by the Celts throughout large regions, and are the gods and goddesses called upon for protection, healing, luck, and honour. A supernatural being with long snouts and skinny tails, the Far Darrig are actually closely related to leprechauns in Irish mythology. But despite living in several countries, my love for Ireland remains the same. The Pooka has the power of human speech and it loves to confuse and terrify people. Yes, Dracula himself is an Irish creation (Irishman Bram Stoker created the monster in his masterpiece novel), but theres also a vampire that resides right smack in the middle of Ireland. [18], Malevolent creatures possibly served to provide explanations for incidents that islanders were otherwise unable to account for; many ancient myths were based upon the natural elements of the turbulent and ever changing sea around Orkney. [5], The nuckelavee is the most malevolent of the demons in and around the Scottish islands, without any redeeming characteristics. But the strange thing about this pony is that its mane would always be dripping with water. According to legend, if you want to silence an Abhartach forever, one must find his crypt. The malevolent monster had only one eye and a single huge leg, yet it held the title of . These replacement babies are said to cry all day and all night, to grow into ugly and deformed people, and to cause bad luck to the adopted family. A tip to artists: perhaps you should look elsewhere for inspiration, rather than risk falling into the evil hands of the Leanan Sidhe! Instead, they are the children of fairies, such as the Far Darrig or often even adult fairies that look like babies. Their mythology survived, however, thanks largely to the efforts of later Irish and . The Morrigan is the term given to Goddess Morrigan, one of the triple Goddesses in Celtic mythology. Such people would then usually take their own lives. Copyright Symbol Sage 2022 All Rights Reserved. [14] The torso has a large head possibly as much as 3 feet (90 centimetres) in diameter that rolls back and forth. Patrick eventually made it to the Hawks Rock, where he waited for Caorthannach. Natural beauty, a long tumultuous history, castles, beer, whiskey, Halloween, and fascinating mythology. Leanan Sidhe the evil Irish fairy-muse. She would make the artist her lover, sharing with them her intelligence, creativity and magic, but when she left, the men would be so depressed, theyd die. The kelpie is a monster right out of Celtic myth. When he stops riding, a human dies. Caornach According to ancient Irish folklore, a Caornach is the mother of demons and deathly spirits. Guess this is one demon you can check off your list of scary creatures to worry about! Origin: Celtic Role: Goddess Symbol: Crow Husband: Dadga, possibly Children: Possibly Adair Other Names: Morrigu, Morgane, Morrighan Who Is The Morrigan? Make sure to see our guide to Celtic Gods and Goddesses, after! The Dullahan the Irish headless horseman, Another legendary Irish monster is the Dullahan, a name that can be translated to dark man.. Below is a list of demons and demoness names from theology, mythology, and demonology worldwide. As fallen angels, their sins were not great enough to warrant a lifetime in hell so they were sent to earth as fairies instead. However, its not Dracula that were referring to, here. The merrow is said to be half fish (from the waist down) and half beautiful woman (from the waist up) and, according to legend, is friendly and modest. However, eerily, the sonar encountered a large solid mass, which has fuelled speculation that the lake is inhabited by one of the last remaining Celtic mythological creatures. They were pastoral people of Greek or Eastern origin. There is another legend that says Carman cursed Irelands crops and terrorized the Irish. Dullahan the Irish headless horseman, 8. This culture was in its prime during the Iron age, but much of the mythology was lost due to the Roman Empires conquest over Europe and the various tribes of Celts that were spread across the continent. The ancient Celtic mythology included more than 400 Celtic gods and goddesses, and their roles ranged from presiding over rivers to leading armies into battle. The Questing Beast, known to be quick, was hunted down by many a knight, and in Celtic myth was chased by King Pellinore, an Arthurian character. If ever you see a soaking wet horse during a hike, best to avoid them and keep walking. If a woman hopped on, the monster would then run into the water, drowning its victim, and then would take her to its lair to eat her. No, it wont kill her, but at least youll hold her off until next year! Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a polytheistic religion, having many gods and goddesses.The mythologies of continental Celtic peoples, such as the Gauls and Celtiberians, did not survive their conquest by the Roman Empire, the loss of their Celtic languages and their subsequent conversion to Christianity. Celtic mythology is full of unique creatures, many of which have influenced modern day pop culture and are still mentioned in books, movies, video games and songs. After all, mythology is storytelling at its finest. While Unseelie fairies have dark agendas and are known to be troublesome, Seelie fairies are helpful and happy. Irelands most popular baby names of 2022 - by county! The ancient Celts had hundreds of Irish mythical deities, but as with most cultures, they had their demons as well. Below, Ive popped in the most FAQs that weve received. The creature can take on multiple shapes, but usually, it appears in the form of a horse. Not all fairy children are changelings. The Celtic variant of mermaids, merrows have human feet instead of tails but their feet are flat and have webbed fingers to help them swim better. In Irish folklore, these elf-like creatures are tricksters who cannot be trusted and will deceive you whenever possible. Ah, the Dearg Due. Unlike leprechauns, who just chill in the woods near their pots of gold, the Far Darrig roam around with giant burlap sacks, looking to kidnap people. Theres no mystery why, during a time when food was scarce, stories of this Irish mythical creature were a firm favourite. Today, she is remembered yearly in a festival that marks the start of harvest in Leinster in Irelands Great East. Abbadon, (Christian Origin) comes from Christian demonology. In hindsight, maybe the Man-Wolves of Ossory should have been put with the Celtic monsters at the beginning. Photo by Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/shutterstock.com. They spoke the Brythonic languages. The beasts constant cry was said to sound like the bark of 30 dogs. Not to worry, though there is one way to defeat Dearg-due. The Gancanagh was known to seduce both men and women with what were said to be addictive toxins that emitted a powerful, alluring scent. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Watch it at Netflix ). The Dullahan doesnt announce the impending death by screaming, like the banshee, but by riding into a town or village and holding his head up to observe the death as it happens. Demons from Celtic mythology. In this article, well be going over some of the most legendary Celtic mythological creatures. The Far Darrig are just as short and also sport some stylish beards. As alluded to by Traill Dennison, to whom the story was told, Tammas's account bears a certain resemblance to the events in, "Jo Benn's 1529 Description of North Ronaldsay", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nuckelavee&oldid=1141494086, Articles containing Scottish Gaelic-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 09:56. Both have a very strong desire to return to the sea when they are on land, so when someone traps them on land they usually try to hide their red-feathered hat or sealskin cape. http://www.classics.upenn.edu/myth/php/tools/dictionary.php?regexp=RHEA&method=standard, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Celtic_deities&oldid=1139194287, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Adsagsona - Gallic goddess of magic named on the, Cissonia - a Gallic goddess of trade, companion of, Matronae Dervonnae - Gallic mother goddesses in, Matronae Vediantiae (Deae Vediantiae) - Gallic mother goddesses in, Seixomniai Leuciticai - a Celtic goddess, equated with, Bergimus - a mountain god of Cisalpine Gaul, Brasennus - a god known from a lone inscription in Cisalpine Gaul, Cuslanus - a god in Cisalpine Gaul associated with, Deus Ducavavius - a god known from a lone inscription in Cisalpine Gaul, Deus Orevaius - a god known from a lone inscription at, Paronnus - a god known from a lone inscription at, Besencl (Besenclae) - a community and house protector, Erbina - a goddess of wild animals, hunting, and domestic security, Laneana (Laneanis) - a goddess of springs and floods, Reva (Reua) - personification of water flows, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 21:59. As with most evil forces, the Dullahan has a weakness gold. A guardian of the Dl gCais (an Irish clan), Aibell is the Fairy Queen of Thomond. According to the Celtic legend, an Irish woman who was known throughout the country for her beauty fell in love with a local peasant, which was unacceptable to her father. The Daoine Maithe are said to have originated either from fallen angels or they are the descendants of the Tuatha D Danann. British folklorist Katharine Briggs called it "the nastiest"[1] of all the demons of Scotland's Northern Isles. They say these mythical water horses are often spotted in Scotland, but they are part of Irish folklore as well. Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. It is uncertain why Jo Ben compiled the manuscript. If a human emerges, he will be dragged outside and killed. If a woman hopped on, the monster would then run into the water, drowning its victim, and then would take her to its lair to eat her. He collects gold and hides them in a pot at the end of the rainbow. @IrishCentral. Said to be the scariest type of fairy in Irish folklore, the Pooka are primarily creatures of the night. Celtic. The name Fomoire may mean demons from below (the sea), and their leader Balor had one huge deadly eye. Leanan Sidhe would then take her dead lovers back to her lair. Her name literally translates as "Red Bloodsucker" and she's said to lure men by seducing them in the night before biting them and sucking away their blood. Farewell Its been a while, but Beck and Kip are still in my heart and drifting in between short story drabbles in my free time. The list of most terrifying beasts and spirits from Celtic mythology, just in time for Halloween. The Kelpie myth is very common in Scotland but it also exists in Ireland. The Abhartach should then be bound and buried upside down when pierced with a sword of yew. The Kelpie is an evil water spirit, typically portrayed as a white horse that swims in rivers or lakes. One of the most common questions we get in relation to, 17 Easy St. Patricks Day Cocktails + Drinks, 73 Funny St. Patricks Day Jokes For Adults And Kids, Our Favourite St. Patrick Legends And Stories. Irish tales tell many tales of these creatures who were one of the earliest races to settle in Ireland, along with the mighty Tuatha D Danann. The origin of this creature is told in the Celtic legend about a woman who was known all over Ireland for her beauty. Descriptions of her appearance vary, from an ugly old hag to a beautiful young woman, but all agree that the creatures blood-curdling wail will be heard three times before someone dies. 12 Fascinating(and Scary) Irish Mythological Creatures, 12 Best Irish BeersThat You Must Try In Ireland, 6. There, she would drain their blood and use it to fuel her own immortality. The Fear Gorta is one of a number of Celtic folklore creatures that emerged during the time of the famine in Ireland. Dad forced her into an arranged marriage with a rich man who treated her terribly, and eventually she commit suicide. The ancient Celts had hundreds of deities, but as with most cultures, they had their demons as well. The Dullahan rides a black horse with flaming eyes, while he carries his severed head under one arm. Specific dates are not given for exactly when Traill Dennison gathered the tales but his various transcripts were published between 1880 and 1894.
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