R is for Red Cap. You think you know fear? Have you met the Red Cap? Folklore Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders by William Henderson [1879] Redcap, Redcomb, or Bloody Cap, is a sprite of another sort from the friendly Brownie. He is cruel and malignant of …
L is for Laird. laird n Scottish landowner (Collins English Dictionary) Though I usually use creatures found in folklore as-is with minor adjustments, I had this wonderful idea for a specific Faery race that incorporated a variety of Celtic races, customs and histories. Where possible, I’ll give you the original text that inspired me. Influence …
K is for Kelpie. Of all the shape-shifting Fae, this one embodies the capricious nature of the Fae the most. At least in my opinion. Caprice [kap-reess] n sudden change in attitude capricious adj tending to have sudden changes in attitude (Collins English Dictionary). For clarification… Which, of course, makes this creature a lot of fun to write about. But let …
J is for Jailer. Leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the race thought to be the Fae), Dagda is seen as a master of magic, a great warrior and a man of great appetite. Folklore Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Gregory [1904] AND it was at Brugh na Boinne the Dagda, the Red Man …
I is for Invisible. I was skimming through a book I bought a while back, looking for monsters to use in a story when I came across the Domovoi. It is much like the Brownie from Celtic folklore, but with a couple of unique twists. Folklore The Russians: An Interpretation by Richardson Little Wright [1917] …
H is for Herald. herald n person who announces important news; forerunner v signal the approach of (Collins English Dictionary) I love using black dogs in my writing. Today we’re looking at the Grim. Folklore The Magic of the Horse-Shoe With Other Folk-Lore Notes by Robert Means Lawrence [1898] SPIRITS ASSUME THE FORMS OF BLACK …
G is for Gancanagh. The capricious Fae have to be my favourite to write about – you never know what they’re going to do! Let’s look at the faery heartthrob that no woman can resist. First, the perfect song! You can check out the lyrics for “I Wanna” by The All-American Rejects here. It’s the …
F is for Furies. Vengeful goddesses who destroy the wicked… Sounds awesome! Folklore The Hymns of Orpheus, Translated by Thomas Taylor [1792] TO THE FURIES The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. VOCIFEROUS Bacchanalian Furies, hear!Ye, I invoke, dread pow’rs, whom all revere;Nightly, profound, in secret who retire,Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megara dire:Deep in a cavern merg’d, involv’d in …
E is for Entice. entice v attract by exciting hope or desire, tempt enticement n (Collins English Dictionary) Vilas have a strong connection to the Otherworld and are feared and revered in folklore. They are seriously misunderstood faeries. Folklore The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley [1870] VILAS CHERRY! dearest Cherry!Higher lift thy branches,Under which the …
D is for Duergar. From Middle-Earth across all fantasy to the newest Rick Riordan Magnus Chase novel, dwarfs are all the rage. Folklore The Fairy Mythology by Thomas Keightley [1870] THE DUERGAR By ek fur jőrth nethan, A ek, undir stein, stath. Alvis–Mal. (I dwell the earth beneath, I possess, under the stone, my seat.) …
