Explore the legend of Féar Gorta, the man of hunger, a haunting figure in Irish folklore tied to the Great Famine.
Féar Gorta is an Irish folkloric spirit embodying famine and hunger. Appearing as a gaunt, starving figure or linked to cursed “hungry grass,” it tests human generosity by begging for food or inducing sudden weakness. The legend reflects Ireland’s historical experience of scarcity, moral obligation, and collective memory of the Great Hunger.
I picked this book up a few years ago in a bookstore in Kinsale but am only getting to it now.
Something I've noticed about a lot of Irish folklore and fairytale books is that they don't contain many of the stories I grew up with, so I can only assume the ones I heard were specific to the region.
Creature Feature: A Look into the Creatures I'm Using in My Irish Myths Inspired Fantasy
Working on an Irish Myth/Folklore fantasy has been a bit of a learning experience. Be it pronunciation or learning about different creatures, deities, and so on, I've done some investigating/research into what kinds of characters would be in the story.
Note, some of them are more tied to Celtic mythology, and while that does encapsulate Irish folklore and myths, not all Celtic myths are Irish. I also included pronunciations as needed. One thing I've learned while researching things is that Irish, and by extent Gaelic, can be tricky to pronounce. Learned that fast when I saw the name Cian. Looking at it, I thought it was pronounced like the color Cyan, but it's actually pronounced Kee-an.
The Deities
So far, I only have two deities at play: Cernunous and Morrigan.
Morrigan is one of the more well known Irish deities and is the goddess of battle/war, fate, and sovereignty. And in some cases, death. Her name can be translated as "Phantom Queen".
Depending on the source, she is either depicted as one goddess or a trio of sisters (along with Badb and Namin, among others). For my story, I am going with the "Morrigan as a singular goddess" route.
Without giving too much away, right now, she is guiding/advising Cian, the protagonist, on a fate she foresaw that he wishes to prevent. She is also familiar with Cian and his history.
Cernunnos (Ker-noo-nos), a.k.a. the Horned One, is a rather mysterious Celtic deity. He is the god of hunting, wilderness, animals, fertility, and nature (wealth too). While he is associated with Celtic mythology, he has ties to Gaulish belief, which include countries like France, Belgium, and Germany. By my understanding was the original people that predated the Celtic people.
Since there isn't a lot about Cernunnos in terms of lore and history, I am taking a few liberties as far as how I am adapting him. Especially since, technically, Cernunnos is a Celtic deity, not an Irish deity. So I'm integrating him in a way that feels suitable. Presently, he is the patron of Cian with Cian being his heir presumptive.
I may include one other deity towards the climax. While I haven't gotten that far yet, I had one last quest for Cian after he finishes the three quests Morrigan gives him.
The Beings
I implemented a couple of beings/creatures in the story, each symbolizing Cian's journey. As well as Cian himself.
Aos Si/Aes Sidhe (ee shee) a.k.a. People of the Mounds: The Irish version of fairies. There are a few categories like Solitary and Trooping (Leprachauns fall into the former) and will have different abilities, personalities, and the like. As for characters, only a handful of characters are considered Aos Si in name. Those being Cian's late mother, Róisín (roh-sheen), and a couple others that knew her. All of them are some form of nature fairy with Róisín being proficient in botany/plant life. Cian's late mother would pass on her chlorokinesis/botanokenisis from (i.e. the ability to produce and control plant life).
Púca (poo-ka): A subspecies of the Aos Si, these are shape shifters. They can bring either good or bad fortune depending on their mood and are known for being mischievous. Some animals they can turn into include foxes, horses, wolves, and goats. Cian's father was a Púca, more specifically one that could, and preferred to, turn into a deer. That is where Cian gets his shapeshifting abilities from.
Cervitaur: This is basically the deer equivalent of a Centaur (Human top half, deer bottom half). I mainly incorporated this into Cian and his father to make their Púca genes a bit unique for the story.
I may change this to where their just Púca, but with more deer features. Admittedly, I have been going back and forth on keeping this since I feel it over complicates what Cian is. Plus, if we're being technical, Cervitaurs aren't exactly Celtic or Irish creatures. The main reason I wanted to use it was because Cian could change into a deer. So leaning into the whole centaur/cervitaur look made sense. However, it probably isn't necessary since him being half Púca would work with that just fine.
Gancanagh (Gawn-canack) a.k.a. "Love Talker": I found out about these guys early on doing my research. This is also the secondary protagonist/Cian's reluctant partner in crime, Oisín (uh-sheen). They're part of the Leprechaun family and are similar to incubi in the sense that their whole thing is being able to make people (usually women) fall in love with them. Once they're so enamored by the Gancanagh, the Gancanagh can and will leave their target, making them basically fall into withdrawals and dying (be it by fighting for their affection or otherwise).
Dullahan: Even if you don't know it by name, you'll recognize it by what it inspired (i.e. it's the origin of the Headless Horsman). A harbinger of death, the Dullahan is known for bringing souls to the afterlife. While I am still looking for a concise origin as to how the Dullahan came to be, a few things I've found in this regard were: the Dullahan being a solider who lost his head in battle, someone convicted who was beheaded, and the Dullahan possibly being a personification or extension of Crom Dubh/Crom Cruach who's associated with sacrifice and/or fertility (depending on the tale).
My plans, as of right now, is to use the Dullahan as a trial/person of interest in Cian's quest.
Bánánach (BAW-nuh-nakh): I came across this being while looking for possible characters, concepts, and creatures to add. While I'm not sure how much information and stories there are about Bánánach, I was able to find enough to get a general idea for them. They are, in essence, spirits/demons associated with battles, death, and destruction. They have goat-like features and wings, and are tied to battlefields. They also seem to be women more often.
Similar to the Dullahan, the Bánánach will be one of three clues that Cian will have to investigate. I have already brought her into my story and her name is Caoilfhionn (kee-lin).
I hope you found this little infodump interesting, and feel free to leave feedback or suggestions. Just know that, as I was finishing this, that I'm 90% certain I'll be removing Cian as a Cervitaur. I'm still leaving it in though, if only for a look into my initial thought process.
The Morrigan (Film Review) — Genuinely Unnerving Irish Folk Horror
Irish mythology has felt like a fertile subject matter for horror movies in recent years, with everything from the success of Hokum this year to Unwelcome in 2022, creatures from Celtic folk stories have been used to terrify audiences around the world. It’s within that context that The Morrigan exists, bringing horror to a remote Irish coastline.
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summary: Inspired by the prompt, "A patriarch recounts the werewolf origin story of the family to his grandchildren," along with the legend of the Werewolves of Ossory.
Word count: 1,417
Happy first day of Julycanthropy! I'm gonna try to do a few more little stories before the month is out.
Explore the eerie world of the Far Darrig, the trickster from Irish folklore known for his macabre pranks and red attire.
The Far Darrig, a small, red-clad figure in Irish folklore, embodies both mischief and menace. As a trickster associated with nightmares, he teaches the moral necessity of hospitality while instilling fear. His complex nature connects him to ancient deities, blending psychological themes and cultural significance in Irish tradition.
