Episode 21: Power Players of Faerie: Cù Sìth

The folklore of Cù Sìth in a nutshell, how I reimagined it for my writing, and this faery translated into Afrikaans.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2021 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about the cù sìth here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

We’re continuing our exploration of the power players of Faerie.

Today’s faery: Cù Sìth

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

The Cù Sìth is a spectral dog found in the Highlands of Scotland. It is similar to the Irish Cù Sìdhe and the Welsh Cŵn Annwn. These fairy dogs are the size of a large calf with the appearance of a wolf and have dark green, shaggy coats (unlike most other spectral dogs that are black, white or red). Their long tails are either curled or braided, and their paws are the size of a man’s hand.

Cù Sìth means “faery dog” and thus the green of their coats is just another connection to the fae (green is traditionally the colour of faeries).

The Cù Sìth is thought to live in the clefts of rocks in the Highlands and to roam the moors and mountains. It is dangerous to meet this silent hunter and even worse to hear its bark: The Cù Sìth lets out three loud barks that can be heard for kilometres around and if you are still around when the third bark sounds, you will die of terror. In that regard this faery dog acts much like the Banshee heralding death, or even as Death itself collecting souls for the Other Side.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an Origin of the Fae: Cù Sìth

“Cù Sìth” is sometimes interchangeable with “Faery Dog”.

The Cù Sìth is a Faery dog in Scottish Mythology that is usually in the form of a big black-and-tan dog (Rottweiler).

They have amber coloured eyes that burn brightly as they do magic.

They protect those of the Mist – humans with magical ability who are important to the Fae Monarchs and children of both worlds (half Fae and half mortal).

They use mindspeak (a form of telepathy) to communicate and all of them speak without contractions – except modern-day Saphira (and those who have gone rogue).

The Cù Sìth are the most powerful of all Fae. They control the very fabric of time and space. They create the Faery circles that are the most powerful and accurate of all magical teleportation. They can go anywhere in Time to correct or interfere in someone’s life.

Whenever the Cù Sìth protect someone, all who know about them know that the person who is protected is something special.

As a little bonus, let’s look at the translation of Cù Sìth/Faery Dog into Afrikaans: Feetjie Hond

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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