Off With The Fairies

I have never believed in any sort of supernatural beings; people are different, after all. But I have always been mystified as to why the various gods seem only able to communicate their contradictory ideas and messages through ancient books and inside the heads of some people. And why are the gods silent when hideous violence is committed by mad people in their name. But perhaps that's just me.

Before Christianity, which is followed by 2.1 billion people and Islam (1.3 billion), there was Hinduism (900 million) and Buddhism (376 million). And before these religions, which are still practised, there was Paganism.

The Irish version of paganism was particularly imaginative and interesting with beliefs in fairies like the Leprechaun and the Banshee. The leprechaun makes an appearance in the medieval tale known as the Echtra Fergus mac Léti (Adventure of Fergus son of Léti); but their origin can probably be traced back to 8th-century tales of water spirits, which were known as ‘luchorpán’. A banshee, on the other hand, is a female spirit in Irish mythology, who predicts the death of a family member, usually by shrieking or keening. The origin of the banshee may be traced to the keening mourning women at funerals, who accepted alcohol as payment for their services and were later condemned by the church.

Banshee by Michael1010

There were lots of other fairies like the headless dullahan, a black-robed horseman, who carries his head on his saddle. He can see at great distances, even at night, but if you see him, you will be rewarded with a bowl of blood thrown in your eyes or even blindness.

The pooka is a fearsome fairy who can take many frightening forms. It roams about the county at night and the sight of it can stop the hens from laying and the cows from giving milk. If you happen to be in county Wexford and you look up and see a huge eagle, run, as it might just be a pooka. The pooka may derive from the horse cults of early Celtic times.

As an avid reader of fairy tales in my childhood, I can recall the frightening concept of the changeling, which may be a stunted and often deformed baby born to the fairy folk. These fairy folk, however, prefer a perfect human child, and so, perform a swap-see. It gets worse though, because changelings can also be demented old fairies disguised as children, or, objects such as pieces of wood which take on the appearance of a child through magic. The changeling idea may have provided an explanation for a child born who was mentally or physically impaired, in some way.

There are other fairies of course, but you may seek them out for yourself.


Books To Read


Beasts of the Frozen Sun (Frozen Sun Saga #1) by Jill Criswell - inspired in Celtic and Viking mythology.