Art, obsession, and identity
The Irish have a long history of storytelling, with seanchaí ("storytellers") traveling from village to village spreading ancient tales of brave warriors, terrifying creatures, and awful misfortune. Partly thanks to this cultural practice, many stories from ancient Ireland have survived to this day, and are still told around campfires and in pubs on stormy nights. In fact, most Irish children who grew up hearing these stories from their less sympathetic relatives and teachers will remember them as a source of nightmares!
From shrieking banshees that herald the death of a loved one, to demons that lurk beneath the surface of Ireland's lakes, there are plenty of stories that would give even the hardiest readers nightmares for a week. Intrigued? Click through this gallery for a Celtic chill.
The Dearg Due was another monster with traits similar to that of a vampire. The tragic tale tells of a beautiful young woman who fell in love with a peasant. Her greedy father forced her to marry a wealthy but cruel chieftain instead.
The chieftain locked her up in his stronghold so she couldn’t escape and go to her true love. Eventually, she lost hope and took her own life. This was not the end of her story, however. Her restless spirit rose from the grave and sought revenge on her selfish father and cruel husband.
She visited each of them and sucked the blood from their bodies until they were dead. It’s said that the Dearg Due, which means red blood-sucker, rises from the grave once a year and uses her beauty to seduce male victims and drink their blood.
The Banshee is perhaps the most famous monster in Ireland’s dark catalog of ghosts and ghouls. While details vary depending on the source, the Banshee is usually described as a female entity who lets out blood-curdling shrieks and wails. She is said to be an omen of death, so if you hear the cry of the Banshee in the night, it is said a member of your family will die soon.
The Dullahan (meaning "dark man") is like the Irish version of the headless horseman. He roams across Ireland with his decapitated head under his arm, either on the back of a black horse with flaming eyes or driving a dark carriage pulled by six black horses. When he stops riding, someone dies.
When the wail of the Banshee is heard, the thundering hooves of the Dullahan’s horse are sure to follow. Some tales say that this headless collector of souls throws buckets of blood on those he passes, while others say he simply calls out the name of the person who must join him.
Some tales suggest that the Dullahan is afraid of gold, so any lonely traveler walking the roads on a dark night would be smart to keep some coins in their pocket.
The Puca is described as a small creature covered in fur like a dog or rabbit. Although the Puca doesn’t take human lives, its tale is no less disturbing. The mischievous creature is said to appear in rural, isolated parts of Ireland, and may bring good or bad luck to those who see it.
One story of the Puca in action is known as ‘The Drunken Journey Home.’ On this night, it turned itself into a horse and waited outside a pub to offer a drunken patron an easier journey home. However, once the drunk got on, the Puca took him for a wild ride through the hills and dumped him there, thoroughly confused and far from home.
Balor is the name of the demonic god of death in Celtic folklore. He is described as a giant who has one enormous eye, which he can use to kill you just by looking at you. Balor rules over the Fomorians, evil creatures that live in the depths of Ireland's lakes and seas.
Balor would capture innocent people to feed the Fomorians. However, Balor’s son Lug is said to have killed his father with a slingshot, so now the Fomorians are searching for their own prey. It’s a good thing the waters of Ireland are usually too cold for swimming…
The Sluagh are dead sinners whose souls come back in the form of malevolent spirits. Sluagh are said to come from the west and fly in packs, searching for houses where someone is dying so they can steal away their spirits.
Those who believe in the Sluagh always keep their west-facing windows locked so the evil spirits can’t enter their homes.
Carman is a Celtic goddess of evil magic, similar to a witch. She is a force of destruction, traveling the country with her three sons with the sole purpose of destroying everything in her path. Her sons are called Dub ("Darkness"), Dother ("Evil"), and Dain ("Violence").
She continued her reign of evil, spreading blight throughout the country, until the people of Ireland called out to a kind magical people called the Tuatha De Danann for help. They defeated Carman and banished her sons from the island of Ireland for as long as water surrounded the land.
In Irish folklore, the Kelpie is a sea monster that usually appears in the form of a ghostly horse. It would gallop around Ireland disguising itself like a pony, trying to trick vulnerable women and children into going for a ride. The only giveaway was that its mane was always dripping water.
Anyone who fell victim to the Kelpie’s trick would be dragged into the sea and drowned. The Kelpie would take them to its lair and consume their bodies.
Sometimes, the monster would instead appear in the form of a handsome man, with the same goal of luring women away with him. However, he would always have pieces of kelp in his hair.
One particular village called on a great chieftain to come and slay the tyrannical Abhartach. The chieftain killed the creature and buried him, to the relief of the villagers. However, the next day, the Abhartach reappeared in the village.
Many know the legend of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who banished all the snakes from the island. What some don’t know, however, is that he's also said to have banished all of the demons, although one managed to escape.
The Caorthannach, or “fire spitter,” was St. Patrick’s one remaining conquest. Some say that the Caorthannach was the mother of the devil. St. Patrick summoned the fastest horse in Ireland to chase down the Caorthannach. It was a long pursuit and she tried to sabotage him by spitting fire as she went and poisoning all the wells.
St. Patrick finally caught up with her at Hawk’s Rock on the west coast of Ireland. He ambushed her and banished her with a single word. She drowned in the sea at that spot, creating a swell that would come to be known as Hawk’s Well.
Leanan Sidhe was a beautiful fairy who was both a muse and a demon. She used her bewitching beauty and charm to seduce the greatest poets and musicians of Ireland. She would share her magic with them and inspire their greatest work, but when she left them they were so devastated that they died.
Leanan Sidhe would take the bodies of her dead lovers back to her lair and collect their blood in a giant red cauldron. This was the source of her otherworldly gifts.
The Questing Beast was a Celtic hybrid monster with the head of a snake, the body of a leopard, the hindquarters of a lion, and the feet of a deer. The beast’s cry was said to sound like the bark of 30 dogs.
The Questing Beast appears in mythological tales all over Europe, but the quests of brave warriors to slay the beast were always futile.
Sources: (The Irish Times) (IrishCentral) (The Irish Road Trip)
See also: Irish islands you need to visit
Disturbingly dark tales from Irish mythology
Dive into the murky depths of Irish folklore
LIFESTYLE Ireland
The Irish have a long history of storytelling, with seanchaí ("storytellers") traveling from village to village spreading ancient tales of brave warriors, terrifying creatures, and awful misfortune. Partly thanks to this cultural practice, many stories from ancient Ireland have survived to this day, and are still told around campfires and in pubs on stormy nights. In fact, most Irish children who grew up hearing these stories from their less sympathetic relatives and teachers will remember them as a source of nightmares!
From shrieking banshees that herald the death of a loved one, to demons that lurk beneath the surface of Ireland's lakes, there are plenty of stories that would give even the hardiest readers nightmares for a week. Intrigued? Click through this gallery for a Celtic chill.