As Baile Binnbhéarlach (“sweet-spoken Baile”), prince of #Ulster, traveled alone to a trysting place, a maleficent #fairy told the prince—falsely—that his lover was dead, whereupon he died of grief at Baile’s Strand, a seashore near today’s Dundalk. The spiteful sprite then carried the same story (sadly true this time) to Ailinn, a #Leinster princess, who also fell down dead of grief.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore https://twitter.com/hidden_grove/status/1580140668617641985
#Conchobar lured #Deirdre and Noísiu back to #Ireland by vowing that he had lost interest in his bride. Noísiu, homesick, agreed to return. Despite premonitions of doom, Deirdre reluctantly agreed. Under an ominous blood-red cloud she sailed for Ireland with the three sons of Uisneach.
„Immediately upon landing, Noísiu and his brothers were set upon by Conchobar’s warriors, who killed them.“
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore
When #Conaire arrived at Da Derga’s hostel on the magical feast of #Samhain after breaking a series of sacred vows, he faced his doom within it. A hag came to him demanding entrance. When the king of Tara denied it, she stood on one leg like a crane and cursed him. Immediately, Conaire developed an all-consuming thirst, which no water from any source in #Ireland could quench, and died of it.
Source: P. Monaghan Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore https://x.com/eDIL_Dictionary/status/866639498586845184
The ghosts of the old Noricans fled into the depths of the mountains when they longer wanted to witness the shame of their descendants losing to the forces of Napoleon.
One of the things that's most insightful about writing about the Devil in Shropshire Folklore (for my book) is how complex these beliefs are, and how they serve as a conduit for the attitudes of a community. I feel such a tangible connection to the past through these tales. Owd Scratch is more than a stock character. He is a powerful symbol, gaining new meaning with every retelling.
In the ballad of Thomas the Rhymer, Thomas encountered a woman so beautiful that he initially addressed her as the Queen of Heaven. However, she corrected him by identifying herself as the Queen of Elfland before taking Thomas away to her realm for seven years. #MythologyMonday
David Robb discusses James Hogg’s short stories “Mary Burnet”, “The Brownie of the Black Haggs”, & “Strange Letter of a Lunatic” at our 2017 Schools Conference