This story is listed in the Ulster cycle, although it does not directly tie into any of the other stories there. I wanted to translate it here because I find it an intriguing piece and really enjoy the amount of description it includes. I have kept to more literal translations here to give the reader a feel for what older Irish language idioms are like and more generally what the flow of the…
Category Archives: By Land Sea and Sky
Looking forward at 2017
“Ata la i ndegaid aloile” [A day follows another] – Etain, Tochmarc Etaine2016 was in many ways a pivotal year for me, and I think at least some of that was reflected in the content of my blog. I can honestly say that nothing went exactly as I expected it to, and some things happened that I very much didn’t expect, but overall I am glad for the place I am in now both with my writing and my…
Imbolc – Divination practices
Hawthorn berries under snow, Imbolc 2016
Divination
practices are found during all of the significant Irish celebrations and Imbolc
is no exception. Particularly the period immediately after the feasting portion
of the celebration was often used for divination (Estyn Evans, 1957). In some
specific cases relating to the casting of lots for fisherman or the reading of
the marks in the ashes…
Fairies and the Dead – An Excerpt from my W.I.P
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book ‘Fairies: A Guidebook to the Good People’Fairies and the DeadThe relationship and connection between the fairies and the dead is a complex one, and likely always has been. The human dead aren’t fairies, except when they are. Fairies aren’t the human dead, except when they might be. The places of the dead belong to the dead, except when those…
Spirituality – Why I Don't Believe in Easy
 The other day I was talking to a friend and I happened to mention that when it comes to spirituality I no longer believe in the concept of easy. Simple, yes, because there are aspects of spirituality and spiritual practice that can be simple. But easy, oh no, easy is one of those things that will trap you into laziness and inattention. More often than not the simplest things are actually the…
Everyone's Favorite Topic – Fairies, Humans, and Sex
One of the most consistent threads among the folklore, and one that I’ve touched on previously in my articles on the Leannán Sí and Changelings, is also one that seems to endlessly fascinate modern people: fairies and humans as lovers. While some today like to scoff at the concept as the fodder of lascivious imaginations and trashy novels it is actually an idea that is found and reiterated in…
Ireland: Seeing the Stories
The idea behind today’s blog is pretty straightforward – its a collection of pictures of from my recent trip along with some related lore, history, myth, or personal stories. I had been sharing these in snippets on social media and decided to collect them all into one place here and share them with a wider audience. Display at the Bru na Bionne Visitor Centre, "Stone Balls"
"He was eating a…
7 Snarky But Serious Tips for Dealing with Fairies
Inspired by the always awesome Seo Helrune blog and today’s ‘Eight Sarcastic But Serious Tips for Necromancy’. I give you 7 snarky but Serious Tips for Dealing with Fairies
Since fairies are pretty trendy right now and people are paying mad money to become a certified Fairyologist – or Fairy Doctor, or Fairyist, or whatever today’s popular term is – I thought I’d save everyone some money and…
My Shifting Spirituality and Fairytale Wolves
I’ve been thinking a lot about wolves lately. I’m in a place spiritually right now that is a bit contradictory – several events in Ireland were very empowering and intense for me and moved me into a deeper connection with the Other Crowd, but at the same time other things have become chaotic as a result. Not all of this chaos was predictable and the wolves are a good example of that. I have a…
Quick Thoughts on Apotropaic Iron
there seems to be a lot of confusion about the apotropaic qualities of iron.So, let’s clear some points up.Iron is said in folklore to protect against a wide range of spirits and negative magics including [most of] the Good Neighbors and Alfar, Ghosts, Demons, and witches. Iron objects deter the majority of the Other Crowd who are averse to its presence and things like knives, scissors, nails,…