The Dullahan
A headless
horseman who terrorizes the night with a whip made of a human spine.
This gruesome fairy has a supernatural power...the ability to 'see'
a dying person no matter where he lies.
Those who have
seen him have been struck blind in the eye or has had blood thrown in the
face. Beware this fairy he is truly on a rampage o'er the Irish landscape!!
Pooka
A 'Nature spirit'
that ravages the Irish countryside at night. This fairy tears down gates
and fences, terrorizes livestock, and destroys crops on rural farms.
Site of the
'Pooka' can cause hens to stop laying eggs and travelers to ride in fear
of attacks to their person.
The Pooka can
be placated or 'bargained with' a 'share of the crop'...(known as Pooka's
Share). Beware...this shape changer can be anything he desires to be
and is to be greatly feared.
Changelings
Fairies that
birth deformed or maimed children will steal a healthy mortal baby and
leave a 'changeling' in place of the human child. These changelings
are disagreeable babies and cause havoc and misfortune within the household.
They drain the family of all luck and eventually cause deterioration of
the family structure.
Grogochs
A fury, half
human/fairy, the grogoch is a sturdy little fairy with the desire to attach
himself to a family and help with planting and chores around the house.
He is almost always a nuisance and is underfoot constantly. After a while
most families seek to rid their homes of Grogochs by a minister or clergyman.
Banshee
A female ancestral
fairy that will forewarn certain Irish clans of the deaths of their loved
ones. She appears in a grave robe or winding sheet. She may also
appear as a washing woman...washing the blood stained clothes of those
that are about to die. Her warning wail is a keening that will shatter
glass.
Merrows
Comes from
an Irish word meaning "sea"...and it addresses the female of the species.
The male species' "Mermen' are rarely seen.
Her feet are
flat and her hands are webbed. They are messengers of doom and death.
She wear special clothing to enable her to swim in the sea. To come
ashore she will abandon these clothes and become a beautiful, desirable
creature...luring men to marry her...but beware...her urge to return to
the sea is strong and she will wrap herself once again in her sea garments
and return...leaving husband and children behind.
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