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The
Fairy Compendium
Dullahan: Varients: dullaghan, far dorocha, Crom Dubh
 The
dullahan is one of the most spectacular creatures in the Irish
fairy realm and one which is particularly active in the more
remote parts of counties Sligo and Down.
Around midnight on certain Irish festivals or feast days, this
wild and black-robed horseman may be observed riding a dark
and snorting steed across the countryside. It is advisable to
stay home with the curtains drawn; particularly around the end
of August or early September when the feast of Crom Dubh reputedly
took place. The dullahan’s call is the summoning of the
soul o f a dying person rather than a death warning. There is
no real defense against a dullahan because he is death’s
herald. However, an artifact mad eof gold might frighten him
away, for dullahan’s appear to have an irrational fear
of this metal. Even a small amount of gold shall do.
Pooka: Variants: phouka, puca
No
fairy is more feared in Ireland than the pooka. This may be
because it is always out and about after nightfall, creating
harm and mischief, and because it can assume a variety of terrifying
forms.
The guise in which it most often appears, however, is that of
a sleek, dark horse with sulphurous yellow eyes and a long wild
mane. In this form, it roams large areas of countryside at night,
tearing down fences and gates, scattering livestock in terror,
trampling crops and generally doing damage around remote farms.
In remote areas of County Down, the pooka becomes a small, deformed
goblin who demands a share of the crop at the end of the harvest:
for this reason several strands, known as the 'pooka's share',
are left behind by the reapers. In parts of County Laois, the
pooka becomes a huge, hairy bogeyman who terrifies those abroad
at night; in Waterford and Wexford, it appears as an eagle with
a massive wingspan; and in Roscommon, as a black goat with curling
horns.
The mere sight of it may prevent hens laying their eggs or cows
giving milk, and it is the curse of all late night travellers
as it is known to swoop them up on to its back and then throw
them into muddy ditches or bogholes. The pooka has the power
of human speech, and it has been known to stop in front of certain
houses and call out the names of those it wants to take upon
its midnight dashes. If that person refuses, the pooka will
vandalise their property because it is a very vindictive fairy.
The origins of the pooka are to some extent speculative. The
name may come from the Scandinavian pook or puke, meaning 'nature
spirit'. Such beings were very capricious and had to be continually
placated or they would create havoc in the countryside, destroying
crops and causing illness among livestock. Alternatively, the
horse cults prevalent throughout the early Celtic world may
have provided the underlying motif for the nightmare steed.
Another account of the Phookas: Originated in Ireland, Wales,
and Scandinavia. It is possible that is was a Nordic faery who
was brought to Ireland. They are known as Kornbockes, Bookahs,
or Bwcas. Their element is air and they are active from Samhain
to Bealtaine, especially at night. Pronounced Pook-ahs, they
are the Hobgoblins of Ireland. They have heads resembling human
males, but the bodies of horses. They can fly for limited distances,
but have no wings. They are trooping faeries who run in destructive
packs. They are said to be very ugly and ill-tempered and to
quarrel amongst themselves often. Their favorites pastime is
wreaking havoc and will go out of their way to harm children
and crops. They lay claim to any crop not harvested by Samhain
night. They love human babies and are always on the lookout
for a newborn to steal, and are jealous of airplanes and will
do them harm whenever they can. Their favorite food is potatoes.
Changelings: Variants: stocks
It
appears that fairy women all over Ireland find birth a difficult
experience. Many fairy children die before birth and those that
do survive are often stunted or deformed creatures.
The adult fairies, who are aesthetic beings, are repelled by
these infants and have no wish to keep them. They will try to
swap them with healthy children who they steal from the mortal
world. The wizened, ill tempered creature left in place of the
human child is generally known as a changeling and possesses
the power to work evil in a household. Any child who is not
baptised or who is overly admired is especially at risk of being
exchanged.
It is their temperament, however, which most marks the changeling.
Babies are generally joyful and pleasant, but the fairy substitute
is never happy, except when some calamity befalls the household.
For the most part, it howls and screeches throughout the waking
hours and the sound and frequency of its yells often transcend
the bounds of mortal endurance.
A changeling can be one of three types: actual fairy children;
senile fairies who are disguised as children or, inanimate objects,
such as pieces of wood which take on the appearance of a child
through fairy magic. This latter type is known as a stock.
Puckered and wizened features coupled with yellow, parchment-like
skin are all generic changeling attributes. This fairy will
also exhibit very dark eyes, which betray a wisdom far older
than its apparent years. Changelings display other characteristics,
usually physical deformities, among which a crooked back or
lame hand are common. About two weeks after their arrival in
the human household, changelings will also exhibit a full set
of teeth, legs as thin as chicken bones, and hands which are
curved and crooked as birds' talons and covered with a light,
downy hair.
No luck will come to a family in which there is a changeling
because the creature drains away all the good fortune which
would normally attend the household. Thus, those who are cursed
with it tend to be very poor and struggle desperately to maintain
the ravenous monster in their midst.
One positive feature which this fairy may demonstrate is an
aptitude for music. As it begins to grow, the changeling may
take up an instrument, often the fiddle or the Irish pipes,
and plays with such skill that all who hear it will be entranced.
Grogoch:
Grogochs
were originally half human, half-fairy aborigines who came from
Kintyre in Scotland to settle in Ireland. The grogoch, well-known
throughout north Antrim, Rathlin Island and parts of Donegal,
may also to be found on the Isle of Man, where they are called
'phynnodderee'. Resembling a very small elderly man, though
covered in coarse, dense reddish hair or fur, he wears no clothes,
but sports a variety of twigs and dirt from his travels. Grogochs
are not noted for their personal hygiene: there are no records
of any female grogochs.
The grogoch is impervious to searing heat or freezing cold.
His home may be a cave, hollow or cleft in the landscape. In
numerous parts of the northern countryside are large leaning
stones which are known as 'grogochs' houses'.
He has the power of invisibility and will often only allow certain
trusted people to observe him. A very sociable being, the grogoch.
He may even attach himself to certain individuals and help them
with their planting and harvesting or with domestic chores -
for no payment other than a jug of cream.
Bean-Tighe:
Originated
in Ireland and is also called Our Housekeeper. Their element
is earth and they are found at hearthsides, especially between
Samhain to Bealtaine. Pronounced Ban-tee or Ban-Teeg; no one
has ever fully described them. They are thought to appear as
small elderly women in old-fashioned peasant clothing with kindly,
dimpled faces. They are very friendly to humans and wish to
have a friendly human house to watch over. They are faery housekeepers
who can be found watching over children, hearths, and pets.
It is also believed they would finish up chores left undone
by the tired mother of the house. They love fresh strawberries
and cream.
The Banshee:
The
bean-sidhe (woman of the fairy) may be an ancestral spirit appointed
to forewarn members of certain ancient Irish families of their
time of death. According to tradition, the banshee can only
cry for five major Irish families: the O'Neills, the O'Briens,
the O'Connors, the O'Gradys and the Kavanaghs. Intermarriage
has since extended this select list.
Whatever her origins, the banshee chiefly appears in one of
three guises: a young woman, a stately matron or a raddled old
hag. These represent the triple aspects of the Celtic goddess
of war and death, namely Badhbh, Macha and Mor-Rioghain. She
usually wears either a grey, hooded cloak or the winding sheet
or grave robe of the unshriven dead. She may also appear as
a washer-woman, and is seen apparently washing the blood stained
clothes of those who are about to die. In this guise she is
known as the bean-nighe (washing woman).
Although not always seen, her mourning call is heard, usually
at night when someone is about to die. In 1437, King James I
of Scotland was approached by an Irish seeress or banshee who
foretold his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl.
This is an example of the banshee in human form. There are records
of several human banshees or prophetesses attending the great
houses of Ireland and the courts of local Irish kings. In some
parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening
woman) whose wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass.
In Kerry, the keen is experienced as a "low, pleasant singing";
in Tyrone as "the sound of two boards being struck together";
and on Rathlin Island as "a thin, screeching sound somewhere
between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl"
The Beansidhe is also known as Washer of the Shrouds, Banshee
(the Anglicized spelling), Cointeach (literally "one who
keens"), Cyoerraeth, Gwrach y Rhibyn, and Cunnere Noe.
Her element is water and she appears at night before a death.
She is a well known and much feared faery, and sometimes classified
as a ghost. She is female and appears in a filmy, full-sized
human form with long stringy hair partially covered with a hood,
and a whit gown or shroud, and has a wet ghost like appearance.
Her keening (mourning wail) is heard at night prior to death.
Leprechauns: Variants include lurachmain, lurican, lurgadhan
The
name leprechaun may have derived from the Irish leath bhrogan
(shoemaker), although its origins may lie in luacharma'n (Irish
for pygmy). These apparently aged, diminutive men are frequently
to be found in an intoxicated state, caused by home-brew poteen.
However they never become so drunk that the hand which holds
the hammer becomes unsteady and their shoemaker's work affected.
Besides the fact they can use foul language, they also smoke
awful smelling pipes and manage to drink a lot of stout, even
straight from the jug.
Leprechauns have also become self-appointed guardians of ancient
treasure (left by the Danes when they marauded through Ireland),
burying it in crocks or pots. This may be one reason why leprechauns
tend to avoid contact with humans whom they regard as foolish,
flighty (and greedy?) creatures. If caught by a mortal, he will
promise great wealth if allowed to go free. He carries two leather
pouches. In one there is a silver shilling, a magical coin that
returns to the purse each time it is paid out. In the other
he carries a gold coin which he uses to try and bribe his way
out of difficult situations. This coin usually turns to leaves
or ashes once the leprechaun has parted with it.However, you
must never take your eye off him, for he can vanish in an instant.
The leprechaun 'family' appears split into two distinct groups
- leprechaun and cluricaun. Cluricauns may steal or borrow almost
anything, creating mayhem in houses during the hours of darkness,
raiding wine cellars and larders. They will also harness sheep,
goats, dogs and even domestic fowl and ride them throughout
the country at night.
Although the leprechaun has been described as Ireland's national
fairy, this name was originally only used in the north Leinster
area.
Leprechaun Family:
Originated in Ireland and are also called The Gentry. Their
element is earth and they can be found in wild areas with large
grassy hills. The Leprechaun is a solitary faery who loves to
play pranks on humans. He appears as male, and no female sightings
have ever been reported. They are almost always seen in green
clothing or costly material and green tri-coloured hats. They
are mischievous, but will be helpful to humans when approached
with respect. They are very quick-witted except with drunk.
He guards a pot of gold, if one can gain control of one they
can have the pot of gold and three wishes. They are shoemakers
by trade, however they only work on one shoe and only serve
other fae. They do not enjoy working with fellow faeries and
keeps to himself except for at parties. They have been known
to invite humans do these, which can be joined as long as they
do not ear, drink, or dance with them.
Clurichaun Family:
Originated in Ireland, but similar fairies are found in Italy
by the name of Monciello. It is also known as His Nibs in some
parts of Ireland. His element is earth and he is found in wine
cellars. He is a solitary faery who resembles the Leprechaun.
Pronounced Kloo-ree-kahn, no females have ever been sighted.
He guards wine cellars, which he chooses in his own time, then
he moves in and makes himself at home. He is impeccably well-groomed
and well-dressed, and is almost always drunk. He generally has
a cheery disposition, but is a bit aloof, even while intoxicated.
He wears a red hat that may be made of plants. If he is ignored
or mistreated it is said he well wreak havoc on you cellars
and on your home, and most defiantly will spoil your wine stock.
The Merrows: Varients: Silkie
The
word merrow or moruadh comes from the Irish muir (meaning sea)
and oigh (meaning maid) and refers specifically to the female
of the species. Mermen - the merrows male counterparts - have
been rarely seen. They have been described as exceptionally
ugly and scaled, with pig-like features and long, pointed teeth.
Merrows themselves are extremely beautiful and are promiscuous
in their relations with mortals.
The Irish merrow differs physically from humans in that her
feet are flatter than those of a mortal and her hands have a
thin webbing between the fingers. It should not be assumed that
merrows are kindly and well-disposed towards mortals. As members
of the sidhe, or Irish fairy world, the inhabitants of Tir fo
Thoinn (the Land beneath the Waves) have a natural antipathy
towards humans. In some parts of Ireland, they are regarded
as messengers of doom and death.
Merrows have special clothing to enable them to travel through
ocean currents. In Kerry, Cork and Wexford, they wear a small
red cap made from feathers, called a cohullen druith. However,
in more northerly waters they travel through the sea wrapped
in sealskin cloaks, taking on the appearance and attributes
of seals. In order to come ashore, the merrow abandons her cap
or cloak, so any mortal who finds these has power over her,
as she cannot return to the sea until they are retrieved. Hiding
the cloak in the thatches of his house, a fisherman may persuade
the merrow to marry them. Such brides are often extremely wealthy,
with fortunes of gold plundered from shipwrecks. Eventually
the merrow will recover the cloak, and find her urge to return
to the sea so strong that she leaves her human husband and children
behind.
Many coastal dwellers have taken merrows as lovers and a number
of famous Irish families claim their descent from such unions,
notably the O'Flaherty and O'Sullivan families of Kerry and
the MacNamaras of Clare. The Irish poet W B Yeats reported a
further case in his Irish Fairy and Folk Tales: "Near Bantry
in the last century, there is said to have been a woman, covered
in scales like a fish, who was descended from such a marriage".
Bean-Fionn:
They
originated in Ireland, Germany, and England; and is also known
as Water Woman, Weisse Frau, Jenny Greentooth, or the Greentooth
Woman. Her element is water and she is found in dark lakes where
drownings have repeatedly occurred. Pronounced Ban-Shoan, literally
"white woman", is a water, female faery in a white
gown who lives beneath lakes and steams and reaches up to drag
under and drown children who play or work near the water.
Will ‘O’ Wisp:
The
Will-O'-The-Wisps, or fairy lights, are quiet and helpful. They
appear in the misty Irish mountains to help searchers locate
someone lost in a ravine or drowned in a rocky pool. Those who
can see the lights have the gift of knowing; they know that
their closest of kin are in danger.
Ballybogs:
Originated
in Ireland, but similar faeiries are found in Welsh and Cornish
faery lore known as Bogles. Also know as Boggans, Peat Faeries,
Bog-a-Boos, and Boggies. Their element is earth and they are
found at peat bogs or mud holes. They are small mud covered
creatures. Their bodies are almost completely round and they
don't have necks. They seem harmless, if unpleasant.
Buachailleen:
Originated
in Ireland and Scotland and another name for them is The Herding
Boys. Their element is earth and they can be found in pastures
in the summer. Pronounced Boo-al-een, and literally means "little
boys". They look like young men and wear red hats, which
may really be inverted flower caps, and are fantastic shapeshifters.
Their mischievous nature borders on mean and they have been
known to torment animals for fun.
Dinnshenchas:
Originated
in Ireland. Their element is fire and they are found in pastures
or at shrines to Aine which are found in her home county Kilkenny.
Pronounced Din-sheen-k'has, they are dwarf fairies in the service
of the Irish Goddess Aine, who is a cattle goddess and a protector
of women. They can shapeshift and guard cattle and avenge women
harmed by men.
Fir Darrigs:
Originated
in Ireland, with Scotland being a possible first home and also
known as Rat Boys. Their element is water and they can be found
along polluted coastlines, swamps, marshes, and in costal ruins
and are most active in winter. Pronounced Fear Durgs, they are
fat, ugly faeries with dark, hairy skin and long snouts and
tails which give them a rat-like appearance. They wear shabby,
torn costumes which seem to date to the Middle Ages. They are
morbidly dangerous who feeds on carrion, and his shillelagh
(Irish walking stick) is topped with a skull of unknown origin.
They live near the sea, in damp raths or marshes, rather than
in the sea, and like the heat near human fireplaces.
Formorians:
They
originated in Ireland and are also called The Formors. Their
element is water and they are found at sea shores at night.
They are sea monsters, the survivors of a banished faery race
that was driven out of Ireland by the Tuatha De Danann. They
have bizarrely misshapen bodies. They do have arms and legs
and have been occasionally seen on land. They are very stupid
and ill-tempered.
Gancanagh:
Originated
in Ireland and is called the Gaconer is Scotland and Cornwall.
His element is air and he is a lonely male faery that materializes
in lonely places and attempts to seduce females who will eventually
die of love for him. Pronounces Gon-cawn-ah, and his trademark
is an Irish clay pipe which her is always either holding in
his hand or has clenched in his teeth.
Geancanach:
Originated
in Ireland and the Hebrides Islands of Scotland. Their element
is fire and they are most active at night, and can be found
around a blazing fire at your hearthside. Pronounced Gan-cahn-ock,
they are always depicted as being very small, and having playful,
mischievous smiles. They are pixie-like in appearance and have
huge eyes that curve upward on the ends and large pointed ears.
They have small wings, but they do not seem to be functional,
and appear to dematerlize and reappear quickly to move from
place to place. They are often mistaken for flickering lights
or lighting bugs. They are guardians of the home and hearth
and crave the warmth of the fireside and are harmless. They
do have a tendency to play pranks though. Any kindness from
them can be repaid with the warmth of your fire and fresh milk.
Lesidhe:
Originated
in Ireland and India. They are known as Leshes in Slavic lands
and Suibotschniks in Russia, and Leshiye in Germany. Their element
is air and they can be found in wild woods. Pronounced Lay-shee,
they are guardians of forests who is always disguised as foliages.
They are usually found in groups, and seems to be androgynous.
They are classified as solitaries rather than trooping faeries,
because they seem to have little to do with each other. They
are active in the spring and summer, especially at dawn and
dusk, but seem to prefer being nocturnal. It is believed they
have come to dislike human for their careless treatment of the
environment. Though they have never harmed anyone, their nasty
pranks usually involve trying to lose people in deep woods.
Lunantisidhe:
Originated in Ireland and possibly ancient Rome. Their element
is air and they are active at night and found in blackthorn
trees. Pronounced Loo-nan-tee-shee, they are thin and wizened
in appearance and look like small, bald, old men. They have
pointed ears and long teeth, and long arms and fingers. They
are found in groups, but are neither trooping and solitary.
They are believed to hate humans with a passion. Their purpose
seems to be to protect the blackthorn trees from human encroachment.
Murdhuachas:
Originated
in Ireland and also known as Walrus People and Sea Cows. Their
element is water and they can be found at seasides, especially
near rocky shores around dawn and dusk. Pronounced Mer-oo-khas,
they are a race of Irish sea faeries, often mistaken for Merpeople.
They have similar fish-like lower bodies, but have the upper
bodies and heads of other mammals. They have an ambivalent temperament.
The Tuatha de Danann:
Originated
in Ireland, they are one of the five myth cycles of the island
is then Invasion Cycle in which the Tuatha de Danann take a
leading role. They can be any element and are also known as
the Irish Faeries, the Royalty, and the Gentry; and can travel
anywhere, but make their homes in the burghs of Ireland. Pronouced
the Too-ah day Thay-nan, and in mythology were among the earliest
conquerors of the island, and their goddess Dana is one of the
earliest Great Mother Goddesses of western Europe. Dana was
later renamed Brigid. The Tuatha are trooping faeries, who are
warrior-like temperament, but fair and just. They are male,
female, and children and look just like humans only somewhat
smaller. It is said the Milesians drove the Tuatha underground
into the faery burghs which they still inhabit. Hurling is a
popular sport among them; and it is said much of the folk music
of Ireland was composed by them. The current royal family of
Britain is believed to be descended from the Melesain kings.
The Tuatha also posses the invincible sword of the Sun God Lugh
and the cauldron of the God Dagda.
Well Spirits:
Originated
in Ireland, England, and Norway and are also known as Well Guardians.
Their element is water and they are found at the side of scared
wells or wishing wells, or at hot springs. They are superb shapeshifters
who usually take the human beings whose bodies they envy, and
are dangerously beautiful. They are water sprites and well guardians
who are very sympathetic to human needs, but asking for their
help often carries a huge price.
-Barry
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