Fairies

Baobhan Sith
A very dangerous female vampire who haunted the highland regions.

Bean Nighe
The Scottish version of the washer woman at the ford. She always wore green and had webbed feet. She was not always a death portent, and would grant three wishes in certain circumstances.

Baisd Bheulach  Read More »

These are the water horses of Ireland and are similar to the Each Uisge and Cabyll-Ushtey. They gallop out of the crashing waves up onto the shore, venturing inland. They are supposed to make excellent mounts for whoever can catch one but riding a Aughisky is not without risk.  Read More »

The Banshee is most commonly visualised as a female spirit who wails in the night to foretell disaster, either to an individual family or more generally. The tradition is the strongest in Ireland but many places with Celtic survivals have a variant of the Banshee.  Read More »

The Bean Nighe is an example of the ominous 'Washerwoman at the Ford' rendered in the Highland tradition. The tradition of 'The Washerwomen at the Ford' seems to have its roots in Celtic legend and myth. She appears in the Irish stories and can be identified as the crone aspect of the triple goddess.  Read More »

The fairy steps, West of the church are steps cut into the limestone rock. If you can climb them without touching either side you will be granted a wish by the fairies.

Directions: Reached from a footpath through woodland to the South West of Beetham and South East of Storth.

Bendith Y Mamau means 'the mothers blessing' and is a generic name for the fairies, especially in Southern Wales.

In appearance the fairies are described as small and ugly, and are most readily identified with the Brownies, or the West Country Pixies, although they have the characterisations of most fairies.  Read More »

Bronze Age barrows on the down are known as the music barrows, and are traditionally thought to be home of the fairy folk. According to folklore it was possible to hear the fairy revelry if you placed your ear to the barrows at midday.

Directions:
A public footpath runs near the down reached from the South West Coast Path.  Read More »

The area around the Dane Hills in Leicestershire, (now built upon) was said to be haunted by a creature known as Black Annis, possibly the remnants of some pagan goddess in darker times.  Read More »

The Black Downs have a long tradition as a haunt of the fairies, and stories tell of many sightings as recently as a few hundred years ago, when many country folk believed we shared this land with supernatural denizens.  Read More »

The Baobhan Sith is a particularly evil and dangerous female vampire from the highlands of Scotland. They were supposed to prey on unwary travellers in the glens and mountains. The name suggests a form of Banshee.

A common tale is told of 4 young friends who set off on a hunting trip in the glens, benighted the men take refuge in an abandoned Shieldig (small cottage).  Read More »

The Boggart is most commonly found in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, its name appears in places such as Boggart's Clough and Boggart's Hole in Lancashire. Boggarts were mischievous spirits responsible for mishaps and poltergeist activity within the home and in the countryside.  Read More »

The clough was in former times, said to be haunted by a boggart, and there are a number of stories attached to it. Some of these tales probably became attached to the area after they had been written about other similar boggart infested places.  Read More »

A widespread name for a fairy or supernatural creature, they were small in appearance and wore brown coloured clothing.

Like many mischievous spirits they were thought to be attached to houses or families and could be helpful in menial household tasks. If offended they became malignant and mischievous, creating poltergeist activity and generally making a nuisance of themselves.  Read More »

Two Norse giants lived on the Isle of Unst, which is the most northerly of the Shetland Islands. One giant was called Herman and his rival was Saxi (Saxa).  Read More »

These are the water horses of the Isle of Man and they are said to be just as dangerous as their Scottish counterparts, the Each Uisge or the Aughisky of Ireland.  Read More »

The Cailleach Bheur was a blue hag, said to frequent parts of the Scottish Highlands. Associated with winter, she was reborn on every All Hallows Eve and returned to bring the winter and the winter snows. She carried a magical staff, which froze the ground with every tap.  Read More »

Cait Sith - Literally translates to fairy cat, the creature was said to haunt the Highland region. The cat was said to be as big as a dog and completely black, apart from one white spot on its breast. Like a real cat it could be ferocious if stumbled upon.  Read More »

The site of a fairy home on the banks of Bassenthwaite Lake.

In legend a curse was put upon the town and its entire people by a mermaid hundreds of years ago. She was found stranded on the rocks at low tide by local fishermen, who would not return her to the water no matter how much she begged. She cursed the town saying that the people would always be poor. The curse is now said to have run its course.  Read More »

The Creech Hill Bullbegger is said to haunt the area, as a tall apparition who laughs manically from the hillside. A Bullbeggar is the local name for a boggart or mischievous spirit.  Read More »

Doon Hill and the Old Kirk in Aberfoyle, will forever be associated with the Reverend Robert Kirk, who wrote the Secret Commonwealth in 1691. The book is an essay on the nature and social structure of supernatural beings or fairies. Robert was a seventh son, said to have been gifted with second sight.  Read More »

This ruined dun is said to have been the home of a giant called Cuithach, who in the tradition of most giants, laid waste to the surrounding area by stealing cattle and killing local people.  Read More »

The Each Uisge, is a name for the Highland supernatural water horse, supposedly the most dangerous of the Scottish water dwelling creatures. The monster inhabited the sea, sea lochs and fresh water lochs and is sometimes mistaken in writing as the Kelpie, which is supposed to inhabit rivers and streams.  Read More »

A Welsh spirit similar to the English Will o' the Wisp, it appears as a light and misleads travellers from their path.

Along with black dogs, tales of fairy lights are common throughout Britain, with a different name given to a similar phenomena. In general they are seen as malevolent, guiding lone travellers into treacherous bogs.  Read More »

Elva Hill is known as a fairy hill and the name may be derived from an old Viking name meaning place of the elves. A stone circle on its slope suggests ancient ritual use of the area, only 15 stones of the original 30 remain. The circle is on private land belonging to Elva Farm, but there is a nearby footpath. The site is thought to date from Neolithic times.  Read More »