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FREE IRELANDS ANIMALS: MYTHS, LEGENDS & FOLKLORE PDF Niall Mac Coitir | 380 pages | 28 Dec 2015 | The Collins Press | 9781848892507 | English | Cork, Ireland Top 10 Irish Myths and Legends - The long history of Ireland is replete with ancient folklore and mythology. Stories Legends & Folklore fairies playing pranks, warriors with ultimate knowledge and a Legends & Folklore other Irish myths and legends are strange, fascinating, and very popular, and we are presenting here about 10 such interesting myths and legends right now. Pookas are a kind of fairy who just is interested in creating chaos in the mortal world. The Pookas was seen at night across the seaboard and rural Ireland. On any good day, the Pooka would come and destroy a farm, causing harm to animals and tearing down fences. On bad days Pookas would stand outside a farmhouse and then call people by their name. If the person came out the Pooka would take them away. The Banshee is believed to Irelands Animals: Myths a woman carrying with her the omen of death. At times, the Banshee appeared like an old woman clad in rags, sometimes like a beautiful and young girl, and at times like a wash woman ringing out clothes full of blood. Irelands Animals: Myths one would see her she would cry in a strange way and that cry caused death Legends & Folklore any family who heard it. The Dagda, as per Irish mythology, was a priest who had a beautiful and big harp. In a war, the harp was stolen by a rival tribe and was taken to some abandoned castle. Dagda went there and called to his harp. The harp itself came to Dagda and he struck its chords. Music of Tears started playing and everyone present in the castle also started crying. Again Dagda struck its chords and this time Music of Mirth was played and everyone began laughing. The chords were struck for a final time and this time it played the Music of Sleep. Other than Dagda Legends & Folklore fell asleep and this gave Dagda a chance to run away with his harp. If legends are to be believed female fairies many a time gave birth to deformed babies. However, fairies love visually pleasing children and thus they Legends & Folklore enter the mortal world and swap their babies with a human baby that was healthy and beautiful. Though the changeling looked just like human babies their emotional characteristics were Irelands Animals: Myths different. They were happy only if some grief or misfortune occurred in the house. Most people believe that St. Patrick is the one because of who green beer was brought to pubs and he is the man Irelands Animals: Myths brought good days. The fact is St. Patrick turned into Irelands Animals: Myths only centuries after he died and he was not even Irish. He was born to a rich family in Britain but was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Ireland. During his slavery days he converted to Christianity, and when he got free, he spent his life teaching about Christianity to the Irish. After his death, he was forgotten, but years later monks started telling tales of St. Patrick and said he had forced the snakes out of Ireland. However, he could never have done this as Ireland never had snakes. This story rises from the Mythological Cycle of Ireland. Lir was the Sea Lord and had a wife and four kids. One day she took the kids to a lake, and when they were swimming she cast a spell on them which made them turn into swans. As per the spell, the children would have to remain that way until they heard a Christian bell. The swans kept swimming for years from a river to lake to Irelands Animals: Myths waiting to hear a bell, but it was after years that St. Patrick Legends & Folklore Ireland and freed these children of the curse. Finn MacCool can be seen in many Irish legends and was a mythological warrior. As per one story, there was a salmon that had full knowledge of the world and Finn planned to eat this salmon to gain its knowledge. Legends & Folklore Finn put his thumb in his mouth to relieve the pain and right then he gained the knowledge that the salmon had. Right from that time whenever Finn wanted to gain knowledge of something he just had to suck his thumb. The Druids considered Shamrock to be a sacred plant with the help of which evil could be warded off. According to the Celtics, the heart-shaped leaves of this plant bestowed it with mystical properties. There are three heart leaves and for the Celtic three is a sacred number. For some Christians too the three leaves of Shamrock had a special meaning — it represented the Holy Trinity. See also; 10 Most Haunted Castles in Ireland. A Leprechaun is perhaps the most popular type of fairy of Ireland. Traditionally, they are fairies and usually come in front of humans in the form of an old man, quite different from the modern view, where they appear as childlike small fairy wearing a green suit. Leprechauns, as the Legends & Folklore say, love collecting gold, store it in a pot, and keep them at the end of a rainbow. If a person is able to catch a leprechaun then Irelands Animals: Myths have to grant them three wishes before being released. See also; 10 Hybridized Humanoids Types in Mythology. Though faeries appear almost in all mythologies in some form, they are very important to the Irish. They are believed to be powerful, beautiful, and irresistible. This can be unfortunate as fairies in Ireland usually are known to bring bad luck to any Irelands Animals: Myths they get close to. True or not these Irish myths and legends certainly are very interesting. The more you learn about them higher will be your interest to learn further, and further. Top 10 Lesser known creatures from Hindu mythology. The Animals within Irish Myth - Bard Mythologies These tales are passed on from generation to generation but are sometimes still referenced in every-day life. The creatures that Legends & Folklore in these tales are weird, wonderful and terrifying. Before becoming a mascot for St. Often seen as a symbol of luck, the Leprechaun collects gold and hides it at the end of a rainbow. If Legends & Folklore see him, he must grant you three wishes before he can be released. However, use these wisely! He may try Legends & Folklore trick you. One story tells of a man who captured a leprechaun and wished to be taken to the gold. The leprechaun showed the man the tree under which the gold was hidden, but the man did not have a shovel to uncover the treasure. He set the leprechaun free and marked the tree with his garter so he could go and get a shovel. However, when he Legends & Folklore he found that every tree in the area had an identical garter tied to it. The moral of the story is, get rich quick schemes never work! King James I of Scotland was said to have been confronted by a banshee shortly before he passed away. Her appearance comes in a number of guises, a young woman, a stately matron or withered hag, Irelands Animals: Myths always dressed in a white cloak. Some stories say the banshee can appear as a crow, weasel or stoat: all animals of witchcraft. However, the story behind the Banshee is not a callous one and traces back to the 8th century. The best keeners attended the funerals of the affluent and well-known people and were well paid by wealthy families. The Pooka is the most feared type of Irish fairy. They are violent tricksters who emerge solely at night. Pookas often take the form of a black horse who stampede at night trampling fences, properties, and crops. If chickens or cows see a Pooka they will be too traumatised to produce eggs or milk for weeks. In County Wexford Pookas are said to take the form of large, dark eagles while in Laois, Pookas take the Legends & Folklore of a terrifying boogeyman character. Pookas are shapeshifters. While they take the form of a horse to wreak night-time destruction, they will take the form of a goblin to claim a share of the harvest. Pookas are said to have mastered human speech. If the person emerges they are dragged away by the Pooka, but if no one comes outside the Irelands Animals: Myths will vandalise the property. They are not Legends & Folklore be confused with mermaids as they have human-like legs instead of a tail. However, unlike humans, Merrows have large, flat feet and webbed fingers to improve swimming. Some say her abilities come from a red- feathered cap while others claim it comes from a sealskin cape. Either way, for her to walk on land Irelands Animals: Myths must abandon her cap or cape. If a man finds and hides these garments, the Merrow is forced to become his wife and she cannot return to the ocean. Merrows are desirable brides with their extreme beauty and riches collected from the ocean floor. However, as soon as she finds her garments again, she is overwhelmed by the urge to return to the sea and will Legends & Folklore her husband and children. Many families claim to be descended from Merrows entrapped by fishermen. Kelpies are evil water spirits who haunt rivers and lakes. They often appear as a foal or horse with a perpetually soaking wet mane.

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