Celtic Legends
Blodeuwedd: the Welsh Woman Made of Flowers, Turned to an Owl
Blodeuwedd, conjured from oak, broom and meadowsweet in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, betrays Lleu and is turned into an owl.
Section
Category: <span>Myth & Folklore</span>
Celtic legend, gods, heroes and spirit beings — each story traced to the tradition it belongs to, the text it was first written down in, and its date.
Spirit Beings
Merrow: The Irish Mermaid and Mermen of Irish Folklore
The merrow is the Irish mermaid and merman of folklore - defined by the red cochaillin druith, and distinct from the selkie.
Spirit Beings
Cu Sith: The Fairy Dog of Scottish Folklore
The cu sith is the huge dark-green fairy hound of the Highlands, whose three bays were heard as a death omen -…
Celtic Legends
Danu, the Mother Goddess: What We Actually Know
The Danu goddess is famous as Ireland's mother deity, yet the name itself is almost entirely reconstructed.
Celtic Legends
Nuada of the Silver Arm: The Blemished King of the Tuatha De Danann
Nuada of the silver arm, honestly sourced: the first king of the Tuatha De Danann, the blemished-king rule, and the two Battles…
Myth & Folklore
Seelie and Unseelie Court: The Two Fairy Courts, Honestly Examined
The seelie and unseelie court split is genuine Lowland Scots folklore, but the tidy two-kingdoms picture is largely modern.
Celtic Legends
Rhiannon in Welsh Mythology: the Lady on the White Horse
Rhiannon in Welsh mythology: her role in the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogi, the uncatchable horse, and the false murder…
Spirit Beings
The Wulver: Shetland’s Gentle Wolf-Man, Honestly Dated
The wulver is a benign wolf-headed man of Shetland lore - but the earliest record dates only to 1932, and its history…
Spirit Beings
Cat Sith: The Fairy Cat of the Highlands
The cat sith is a Highland fairy cat said to steal the soul of the unburied dead - the honest folklore, dated…
Celtic Legends
Cernunnos, the Horned God, Honestly Dated
The Cernunnos horned god is named just once in antiquity; the familiar "Horned God" is largely a modern build.