I first read about Telkhines in one of Rick Riordan’s books — I think it was one where Percy Jackson was the lead. Anyhow, here’s the folklore about these creatures from Greek mythology. Folklore The Magus by Francis Barrett [London, 1801] Moreover, the ancient theologians of the Greeks reckon up six demons, which they call Telchines, others Alastores; which…
I’m enjoying looking at various water fae and finding a lot of monsters lurking in the water… Folklore Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, by George Douglas, [1901] NUCKELAVEE. NUCKELAVEE, was a monster of unmixed malignity, never willingly resting from doing evil to mankind. He was a spirit in flesh. His home was the sea; and…
I first encountered this water fae in fiction. But folklore is much stranger… Though, to be fair, I couldn’t get my hands on really old sources and had to rely on new folklore books to research this British water faery. I did, however get some information on the Näkki from older sources. Folklore The Fairy…
Where there is water, there is a story about an otherworldly creature living in it… Folklore Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine by Lewis Spence [1915] The Lorelei Many are the legends which cluster round the name of the Lorelei. In some of the earlier traditions she is represented as an undine, combing her…
The idea that creatures live in water is prevalent in folklore. One such creature is the nixie. Folklore The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley [1870] Kennt ihr der Nixen, munt’re Schaar?Von Auge schwarz und grün von HaarSie lauscht am Schilfgestade.MATTHISSON. Know you the Nixes, gay and fair?Their eyes are black, and green their hair–They lurk…
Mermaids are alive and well in every corner of the world. Today we are specifically looking at mermaid-like creatures that fit the stereotype of “mermaid”. Folklore The Folk-Lore of the Isle of Man A. W. Moore [1891] The Mermaid, too, was well-known. She had no special name in Manx, being called simply Ben-varry, or “Woman of the…
Just as with other African fae, there’s not a lot of folklore texts available about this queen of the water fae. Folklore Drums and Shadows, by Georgia Writer’s Project, [1940], APPENDIX Cardinall says of the Gold Coast: “Spirits of rivers and waterholes are greatly respected. They are most powerful spirits, too. They can slay men…
X is for X-Factor Living alongside the fae, we know that we need a way to protect ourselves. After all, they can go where they please. Folklore The Magic of the Horse-Shoe With Other Folk-Lore Notes by Robert Means Lawrence, [1898] IRON AS A PROTECTIVE CHARM Some writers have maintained that the luck associated with…
U is for Unnatural People controlling or bringing back the dead has long been the subject of horror. Folklore BYGONE BELIEFS:BEING A SERIES OF EXCURSIONS IN THE BYWAYS OF THOUGHT BY HERBERT STANLEY REDGROVE, [1920] Mediaeval ceremonial magic was subdivided into three chief branches–White Magic, Black Magic, and Necromancy. White magic was concerned with the…
R is for Rabbit I love watching hares run and graze. Though I might accidentally call them rabbits, it’s not that big a deal: at least I’m not calling them something outside of their family. Besides, I write fiction and that place where reality and fantasy meets isn’t really keen on technicalities (until revision time)….