Celtic Myth & legend

Ankou

In the Celtic mythology of Brittany the figure of Ankou is associated with death. Tall and wearing a long dark coat, a wide brimmed hat and carrying a scythe over his shoulder, the skeletal Ankou is a collector of the souls of the dead. Ankou is sometimes said to have two skeleton helpers who assist in loading the souls of the dead into a rickety cart drawn by black horses. 

There are a number of tales about Ankou. One is recounted in the book of Breton myths, legends and music compiled and published in 1839 by Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, ‘Barzaz Breiz’.

It involves the story of three young drunken friends who when returning home one night met an elderly man dressed in black on an old cart. The man was Ankou. Two of the men started to taunt the old man and throwing stones broke the axel of his cart, they then ran away.

Culhwch and Olwen (Welsh: Culhwch ac Olwen)

The story of Culhwch and Olwen is a remarkable Welsh tale told in two manuscripts. Partially in The White Book of Rhydderch (Welsh: Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch) written in the mid-fourteenth century and in total in The Red Book of Hergest (Welsh: Llyfr Coch Hergest) written later in the same century. Both contain a collection of the earliest Welsh prose texts. The story is included in a group of tales that was later known under the title The Mabinogion. Culhwch is connected with King Arthur who features in the tale and having been formulated prior to the 11th century is perhaps the earliest Arthurian tale. The stories draw from earlier pre-Christian Celtic mythology.

The White Book of Rhydderch is now located in the National Library of Wales and has been split into two volumes. One containing Christian scripts in Welsh translated from Latin and the other a collection of pre-Christian mythology. The Red Book of Hergest gets its name from its association with Hergest Court, where the Vaughan family had it in their possession, and the colour of its binding in leather. Written on vellum it is noted as an extremely important medieval Welsh manuscript and contains a collection of welsh poetry and prose. It is now located in Jesus College Oxford. The book gives an account of the story of Culhwch and Olwen a synopsis of which follows. 

Mysterious Halloween in Ballantrae - A Scottish ghost story

Ardstinchar Castle

Ballantrae (Scottish Gaelic: Baile na Tràgha) is a village on the south-west coast of Scotland. It is in South Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas). Ballantrae is famous as the setting for the novel The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson published in 1889. In the distance can be seen the magnificent uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig. Formed from volcanic remains it is some ten miles from the Scottish coast and rises to a height of 1,110 feet (338m).

As Robbie walked from his home in the village he looked out across the sea towards the Ailsa Craig, but the mist had shrouded the small island. It felt strange not to see it looming in the distance so dominant is it on this part of the Scottish coastline. Robbie had finished work early today the 31st October. He had arranged to meet up with some friends in the evening to celebrate the night of Halloween. However, with time on his hands until then, he decided to use this opportunity to take some exercise and wander around the many paths that made this area such a ramblers paradise. Ballantrae is sometimes referred to as the gateway to Carrick. Carrick is a name derived from the Scottish Gaelic word Carraig meaning rock or rocky place. It is a district that was part of the old Kingdom of Galloway. This Kingdom is associated with the same Norse-Gael world of Isle of Man, Hebrides and Dublin. These old Norse colonies and the Vikings that had settled there had been subject to Gaelicisation. They had integrated into Gaelic society and adopted the language and customs of the Gaelic people who lived in these lands.

The Fairy Flag And The Chiefs Of Clan MacLeod

Fairy flag

The Fairy Flag (Am Bratach Sìth) is a flag which is said to have magical properties; it belongs to the chiefs of the Clan MacLeod. It is located in Dunvegan Castle, which is close to the town of Dunvegan (Dùn Bheagain) on the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The fragile silk flag is about 18 inches squared. The origins of the flag are not clear and there are a number of legends which say that the flag was a gift from the fairies.

One such story was that a young chief of the Clan MacLeod fell in love with a fairy princess and proposed marriage. The King of the Fairies initially forbade his daughter’s betrothal to a mortal, but relented on seeing her distress. However, he stipulated that the marriage should last no more than a year and one day, at which time she should return to the Fairy Kingdom with no human possessions. The couple were much in love and had a son. On the day that the marriage was ordered to end the sad couple were rendered apart. One version of the story is that she presented her husband with the fairy flag for protection at the nearby “Fairy Bridge” from where she re-entered the Fairy Kingdom. Another version is that the fairy princess told her husband to look after their son well and not to let him cry as she would hear and it would break her heart.

Legend of Sawney Bean the Scottish cannibal

Alexander Sawney Bean

Sawney Bean was said to have been the head of a criminal, cannibalistic family in 15th century Scotland. Legend has it that he, his wife and 46 children and grandchildren killed and ate over a thousand people before they were captured and executed. Alexander  Bean was born in East Lothian (Scottish Gaelic: Lodainn an Ear) during the 1500s. After he married the couple went to live in a coastal cave in Bennane Head at the northern end of Ballantrae Bay, 11 miles (17 km) southwest of Girvan in South Ayreshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas).

They and their family lived in the deep hidden cave, the entrance of which was blocked by water during high tides, for twenty-five years. During that time they were said to have been responsible for the murder and cannibalisation of over 1,000 people. At night time the family would go out hunting for individuals of groups of people. They would ambush, rob and murder them, then bring their bodies back to the cave, where they were dismembered and eaten. The leftovers were pickled to provide food another day. Although the discarded body parts would sometimes wash up on nearby beaches and the mysterious disappearance of people was of great concern to local people, the existence of the clandestine clan remained unknown.

Wulver: Shetland's kind and generous werewolf

Werewolf

Shetland, also known as the Shetland Islands lie some 104 miles (168 km) northeast of Scotland. They form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. Humans have lived in Shetland since the Mesolithic period and there are over 5,000 archaeological sites all told. One such at West Voe on the south coast of Mainland, which is the largest island, has been dated to 4320–4030 BC.  During a period of Viking expansion, Shetland was eventually colonised by the Norse during the late 8th and 9th centuries. Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre annexed the Northern Isles (comprising Orkney and Shetland) in 875. Shetland remained under Norwegian influences until Shetland become part of Scotland in the 15th century.

Ben Varrey the Manx Mermaid and the story of The Mermaid and the Apple Tree

Manx coast

Isle of Man (Mannin) is located in the north Irish Sea. The Point of Ayre (Manx: Kione ny h-Ayrey) is the northernmost point of the Isle of Man and is just 26 kilometres (16 mi) south of Burrow Head in south-west Scotland. The island comprises 227 square miles (588 square kilometres) and it measures approx. 33 miles long by 13 miles wide. Sometimes described as the Celtic heart of the Irish Sea, the island is not part of the United Kingdom and has its own Government (Tynwald) and language Manx Gaelic. The cultural influences for the island originate from the indigenous Celtic peoples. The Vikings arrived in the Island around 800 AD and a fusion of cultures took place which is still evident in the archaeology, language, place-names and Parliamentary traditions of the island.

The Manx nation has a rich cultural heritage and folklore. The Celtic myths, legends, traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of the Isle of Man (Mannin) have been passed from generation to generation, much of it through oral tradition. The importance of folklore to a nation should not be underestimated. It encompasses the traditions common to that culture and shared by its people. Many entities exist in Manx mythology. Creatures that can rise from the rivers and the sea, emerge from cavernous depths and spring out of rocks. Variations of stories featuring each of these mysterious beings have been told on the Isle of Man for many centuries. Not least of which feature the Ben Varrey, the Manx name for a Mermaid and there is also a male equivalent the Dooinney Marrey.

One such tale of the Ben Varrey and her love of apples is told by Kathleen Killip (1911 - 1991). Amongst her work is ‘St Bridget’s Night: Stories from the Isle of Man.’ Here she tells the story of The Mermaid and the Apple Tree.

Finfolk, the sinister creatures of the deep and the hidden islands of Orkney

Across the Celtic world there are myths and legends about strange creatures that emerge from the sea. Some are benign, many are malevolent and there are others who live a parallel existence with humankind, but whose paths rarely cross. Many of these entities live in hidden kingdoms and palaces under the seas. At times they are associated with islands that humans cannot see and the sunken cities that are said to exist beneath the waves off our Celtic coasts. One such island is the magical vanishing island of Hildaland in the seas around Orkney, the group of islands situated off the north coast of Scotland.

Nuckelavee - the malevolent creature that terrorised Scotland's Northern Isles

In the Celtic nations there are a number of mythological creatures that share the land and waters with humankind. Some are benign, others avoid their human neighbours at all costs. Probably they are the most sensible of all, because of the creatures of the world humans appear to cause the most harm and trouble. Other entities in folklore can be only be seen or heard at times of impending tragedy. There are some that will not cause you harm if you show respect and on occasion placate them. But there are those creatures which feature strongly in traditional beliefs, that are extremely frightening and whose name strikes fear into the heart of all who hear it.

Once such  entity exists around the seas of Orkney, the group of islands situated of the north coast of Scotland. Known by the name Nuckelavee, which is thought to derive from the Orcadian word  knoggelvi, meaning "Devil of the Sea". Accounts vary in regard to the appearance of the Nuckelavee, and what it might look like in the sea, its normal habitat, is not known. However, its description when on land was horrifying. A hybrid of a man and horse like creature with added horrific elements.  Given the strong Viking influence in Orkney it appears to be a fusion of the water horse or Kelpie from Celtic mythology and something from a dark Norse legend.

Magic and mystery of Ireland’s rivers

Ireland is a land rich in mythology and folklore. Reflected in the names of its lakes, rivers, valleys, glens and mountains. In Celtic lands it is not unusual to use the landscape as a mnemonic map. Geographical features hold a particular importance in Celtic peoples history, beliefs and culture.  There is an understanding that we are part of and not separate from the land we inhabit. Consequently Celtic legends place the natural world at centre stage. In such stories things in nature can possess a spirit and presence of their own, including mountains, rocks, trees, rivers and all things of the land and the sea. Locations can be associated with a particular warrior, hero or deity. Each feature is linked to a story that stretches back beyond known history, passed on through oral tradition, some of which have subsequently been written down.

Amongst these geographical features, whether man-made, such as ancient mounds and standing stones, or naturally created features it is not unusual for some to be associated with the worship of pre-Christian deities. The aos sí or aes sídhe is an Irish term for a supernatural race that exist in Irish, Scottish and Manx mythology. Inhabiting an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans. They belong to the Otherworld (Aos Si) community whose world was reached through mists, hills, lakes, ponds, springs, loughs, wetland areas, caves, ancient burial sites, cairns and mounds.

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