Irish Faeries

Faeries of Ireland

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Music courtesy of: Laura's Midi Heaven

Ballybogs: Element: earth
Other names: Bogles, Peat Faeries, Mudbogs, Bog-a-boos and Boggies.
They speak no known language, they grunt and slobber instead of speaking. Ballybogs are very small mud covered creatures. They have long spindly arms, legs and an almost completely round body. They can be helpful or baneful, but usually are said to be stupid. you will find them in peat bogs or mud holes.

Bean-Fionn: Element: water
Other names: Water Woman, Weisse Frau, Jenny Greentooth and the Greentooth Woman.
Her name means "white woman". She is a watery female faery, dressed in a white gown. She lives beneath lakes and streams. She is known for reaching up and dragging children that are playing or working near or in water, down under the water and drowning them. She was created by parents to keep children away from the danger of lakes and rivers.

Beansidhe: Element: water
Other names: Washer of the Shrouds, Washer at the Banks, Washer at the Ford, Banshee, Cointeath, Hag of the Dribble, Eur Cunnere Noe and Bean-nighe.
She was female and appeared in full human form as a ghost-like appearance. She looks like she just fished out of a moss-covered lake, with long stringy hair and eyes that are fiery red with continual weeping. She wears a gray cloak over a green dress. She washes the grave clothes of those about to die. To see her meant a major life change and her mourning wail can be heard at night prior to death. When several are seen together, it foretells the death of someone very great or holy.

Clurichauns: Element: earth
Other names: His Nibs
Clurichauns resembles his cousin the Leprechaun, with a leather apron, pale-blue long stockings, silver buckled high-heeled shoes and a red hat which may be made of plants. He is the self appointed guardian of the wine cellar. He is almost always intoxicated but very cheerful. He protects your wine from going bad, casks from leaking and from uninvited guest by chasing them away. If you ignore or mistreat him, he will wreak havoc on your home, cellars and will spoil your wine stock. Once you have chased him away, no other will ever come to take his place.

Dinnshenchas: Element: fire
They are dwarf faeries in the service of the Irish Goddess Aine. They have been said to shapeshift into any form to help avenge women harmed by men, and also guard cattle. You will find them in pastures or at the shrines to Aine, which are found in Killenny.

Drayads: Element: Air
Other names: Tree Spirits, Tree Ladies, Druidesses, Hamadryads and Sidhe Draoi.
They are playful tree-dwelling spirits. they have been referred to as female, but this is just a guess since they are seen as a wisps of pure light, sometimes gently colored in the tree heights. They make beautiful music and prefer willow trees. Although they live in all 13 Celtic sacred trees. you will find them in tree groves, preferable willows but also look for them in oak, ash, rowan, birch and elder trees.

Fir Darigs: Element: water
Other names: Rat Boys
They are fat ugly faeries with dark, hairy shin, long snouts and tails which give them a rat-like appearance. They wear shabby costumes that look like they date back to the middle ages. They are dangerous and have a shillelagh that is topped with a skull. You can find them along polluted coastlines, swamps, marshes, and in coastal ruins.

Firbolgs: First inhabitants of Ireland, giant-like, grotesque creatures. They were driven onto the western islands by the Tuatha De Danann.

Formorians: Element: water
Other names: The Formors
These faeries are sea monsters, they are the survivors of a banished faey race driven out of Ireland by the Tuatha De Danann. They have misshapen bodies, which look like they were thrown together with the leftover parts of assorted animals. They are ill-tempered and very stupid. you will find them at seashores. It seems that the only time they can leave the sea is at night.

Gancanagh: Element: air
Other names: Ganconer
They are male faery who shows up in lonely places, in a attempt to seduce human females. They females eventually die of love for him. He always is either holding a clay pipe in his hand or clenched in his teeth, but not actually smoking it. Faeries hate smoke and cannot inhale the stuff at all.

Geancanch: Element: fire
They are pixie like in appearance, with huge eyes that curve upward on the ends and large pointed ears. They have small wings that don't seem functional for they appear to disappear and reappear quite rapidly. They have been mistaken for flickering lights or lighting bugs. They are harmless to have around and have a tendency to play pranks. They are the guardians of home and hearths. you can find them around a blazing fire and at the hearths.

Leprechauns: Element: earth
Other names: the Gentry, Sheedem Or Shedim.
They appear to be male and love to play pranks on the humans they meet. They wear green clothing of costly material with green tri-cornered hats. They will be helpful to humans if approached with respect. They love music, dancing, fox hunting and drinking Irish whiskey. If you gain control over on of them you can have their cauldron of gold and three wishes. But if he can trick you into making a forth wish before sundown you loose all your wishes and the cauldron of gold too. They love to match wits with people, and are found of riddles and word games, which they use to gain the upper hand with humans. you will find them in large grassy hills and wild areas. Best chance of finding them is in Faeryland.

Lesidhe: Element: air
Other names: Leshes, Zuibotschniks, Leshiye or Vdyaniye.
They are the guardian of the forest who is always disguised as foliage. They are usually found in groups but seem to have little to do with each other. Unless one gets up and walks about it's hard to tell them from the green plants and trees they hide among. They like to mimic mockingbirds to confuse hikers and travelers and try to lose people in the deep woods.

Lunantside: Element: air
They are thin and look like small, bald, old men. They have pointed ears, long arms, fingers and long teeth. they live in blackthorn trees and are found in groups. They are said to hate humans. There sole purpose as guardians of the blackthorn trees, is to protect them from human and leprechauns that use the trees to make shillelaghs. They can be found in blackthorn trees which are their home.

Murdhuchas: Element: water
Other names: Water People, Sea Cows or Merrows.
They are sea faeries with fish-like lower bodies with upper bodies and heads of other mammals. They have little webs between their fingers and the females are very lovely, with flowing hair, white gleaming arms and dark eyes. The males are nothing to look at with green faces. They are helpful in locating fish or in finding one's home port on a fog-shrouded night. They also are well known for turning nasty and luring sailors to their death on the coastal rocks. Some believe them to be cousins of the Formourians. They can be found at seasides, especially near rocky shores. they wear red feather caps, if stolen they cannot return to the sea again. They sometimes come ashore as little hornless cattle.

Phookas: Element; air
Other names: Kornbockers, Bookhas or Bweas.
They have heads resembling human males, but the bodies of horses. They can fly for short distances but have no wings. they run in packs, are extremely ugly and ill-tempered. They will harm children, crops, animals and love human babies, always looking out for newborns to steal.

Selkies: Element: water
Other names: Roanes
They are seaside faeries that appear as seals with some human characteristics. Legend says that they can shed their sealskins and appear as perfect male or female forms. It was once believed that they could control the coastal storms. you can find them in the ocean.

Tuatha De Danann: Element: any
Other names: Wee Folks, Irish Faeries, the Royalty, The Gentry or Daoine Sidhe.
They are male, female, children and look exactly like humans only somewhat smaller. They are warrior like in temperament, but fair and just. They are the typical Heroic Fairies, enjoying the pleasures and occupations of the medieval chivalry. Their habitations are generally underground or underwater, in green raths or under the boughs or in the sea.

Well Spirits: Element: water
Other names: Well Guardians
They are water spirits and well guardians, who are sympathetic to humans needs, but asking their help often carries a huge price. They usually take the form of humans beings and are dangerously beautiful. If a well spirit embraces you, you risk being dragged into the well with him or her to live forever as their consort in their watery world. Luring humans to their underwater world as mates is often the price for their aid. They can be found at the side of sacred wells, wish wells or at hot springs. It is to this guardian spirit to whom you make a wish when you drop a coin in a wishing well.

Rescereached by: Tororo
Sources: Witch's Guide to Faery Folk
by: Edain Mc Coy
An Encyclopedia of Fairies
by: Katharine Briggs
Faeries
by Brian Froud and Alan Lee

Irish Faery by: Enchanted Hollow
AniIrish Faery by: Angle's Faerie Adoptions
Ani Leprechaun and rainbow by: Vikimouse

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