Category: Faeries
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Headless Dullahán—An Ancient Agent of Death
Like the banshee, the Dullahán is a harbinger of death. Unlike a banshee, though, the Dullahán does not warn. When he stops riding and calls out a name, death is swift and imminent. Commonly known as the Headless Horseman or Gan Ceann (pronounced gan chann, meaning “without a head”), Dullahán means “dark man.” Clad in…
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The Leprechaun—A Dangerous Trickster
Saint Patrick, who is revered for having single-handedly converted Ireland from Celtic paganism to Christianity, is nonetheless associated with a very pagan character—the leprechaun. With a reputation for chicanery and a predisposition toward foul play, the legendary trickster may be the embodiment of an ironic last laugh. Leprechauns In general, leprechauns are solitary, dangerous, and…
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Frightful Fantasies of Irish Faeries
From banshees to vampires, Irish mythology is dominated by frightful faeries who comprise the mythology of both ancient and contemporary Ireland. Understanding Irish mythology begins with understanding the Celts and pre-Celts who inhabited the isolated island. By the time the Celts (known as Milesians) arrived in Ireland between 500 and 300 BC from Central Europe,…
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Strong and Mysterious, the Alder Facilitates Transition
In the Celtic Tree Calendar, the Alder (or Fearn) Moon spans mid-March to mid-April. Coinciding with the spring equinox, the Alder Moon symbolizes balance and transition. The Alder month, called fairin by the Celts and fearnóg in Modern Irish, is represented by the third consonant in the ogham alphabet and comes from the Proto-Celtic **wernā.…
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Samhain—Enduring Night of the Living Dead
With its ghouls, jack-o-lanterns, and trick-or-treaters shouting BOO, Halloween is the unadulterated descendent of Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival of the dead. Pronounced SOW (rhymes with cow) –in, the word comes from the Proto-Indo-European root word *semo- (summer), and the Proto-Celtic *samoni- (reunion, assembly). It literally means “an assembly to celebrate the harvest.” The Celts…
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Fired Up—
Bealtaine Celebrates Fire, Fertility, Festivities, and Faeries Bealtaine, the Gaelic May Day festival, celebrates the powerful Sun, the fertile Earth, new life, and the official start of summer. Celebrated about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, it is one of the four cross-quarter days and one of the eight seasonal celebrations of…