I remember the first time hearing about Lothlorien … it was by a member of the Omneopoia band in Eugene, Oregon in the early 1990’s as a place I must go for the folk there were like me. I made it there in the late 1990’s as I attended Wild Magic and Elf Fest. I was in awe and completely impressed by how this Elvin community cooperatively live together and manage the Lothlorien Nature Sanctuary. The estate is a center for spiritual retreat as well as a land sanctuary green haven all centered around community and the Earth. It is owned and operated by Elvin H.O.M.E., Inc. – The Holy Order of Mother Earth. In its origins it was known as E.L.F. but changed names when confused with a radical eco-group under the same acronym. They possess federal 501(c)3 status as a non-profit spiritual and ecological entity (since 2008). Lothlorien consists of 109 acres of forest, hills, and valleys along the southern edge of Indiana’s limestone belt. Operated by volunteer labor by means of community, love, ecology, and faith – the center is open to anyone for visitation and attendance to festivals. It is also a nature based campground where sponsors and members can come camp and share in its growth, perpetuation, and regeneration. It was founded by the Elf Lore Family (ELF) in 1983 as a woodland meeting ground, survival education center, and a retreat for Elves. It has since evolved to a sanctuary for all earth-respecting faiths, religions, paths, and beliefs. Members, volunteers, ELF, and HOME all consider themselves Earth Stewards – coming to the land working it, shaping it, and transforming it. They hold several festivals every year, have community gardening, landscaping, lawn-care, path clearing, building of structures and shrines, and repairing those existing as their sacred duties. In addition to the garden, there are several self-composting permanent toilet teepees, a Long hall where meetings, gatherings, and feasts held, a loaning library, a kitchen, campgrounds, communal showers, stages, sacred circles, a thunder dome for drumming, altars, shrines, and temples. Camping season runs from March 21st until October 31st. Definitely a magical model I’d love to follow, create, or be a part of … if only it existed on the west coast! Rating: 5 stars out of 5.
Rhein maidens warn Siegfried. By Arthur Rackham. Published 1912. Copyright expired
Rhine Maidens
Common Names: Rhine Maidens, Rhine Maidens, naiads, river spirits, nymphs, sirens, nixies, nixen
Habitat: – Found in Germanic fairy lore. Attributed to the Rhine River of Germany.
Description: Rhine Maidens are water spirits known along rivers, especially the Rhine River in Germany, that protect children. The most popular myths depicts them as three sisters – water nymphs known as the “Rheintöchter” or “Rhine Daughters” most classically famous from the Richard Wagner’s opera cycle called “Der Ring des Nibelungen”. These sisters are named Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Floßhilde (Flosshilde) which were inspired by Wagner from myths and legends of the Nibelungenlied involving water nymphs, sprites, nixies, and mermaids. The tale tells that these river guardians along the Rhine were in charge of the golden treasures and through the renunciation of love had their gold stolen from them leading to world domination. Much of the myth today is influenced by Wagner’s works. They appear in the beginning and towards the end of his four opera cycle beginning in Das Rheingold and then in Götterdämmerung.
These German Nixen (Nixies) or Water Sprites were known to appear very innocent but with a range of sophisticated emotions. They are seductive, elusive, flirty, and enchanting. No one seems to know of their origin. Unlike much of the mythos they appear in, they do not originate from the Prose Edda (Iceland’s source for Norse Mythology), but rather from much older European based folklore. Sometimes they are described with siren and selchie traits, similarities to mermaids and naiads, but otherwise as shape-shifting seductive wise women found bathing and basking along the Rhine River or the Danube River nude. Much drama and trickery is mixed in the tales surrounding their stories which led to the creation of the modern day opera. Some say their existence was influenced by the German legend of Loreli – the lovelorn maiden who drowns herself in a river and becomes a siren luring fishermen to their deaths. Other similarities to Greek myths of the nymphs and naiads. Parallels of the Rhinemaidens of Das Rheingold to the Hesperides myth are extraordinary relating to three females guarding a golden treasure that ends up stolen. Most attribute them as daughters of the Rhine River. In the story telling they are however not destroyed by the fires at the end of Götterdämmerung but rather just swim away joyously in the river with their found treasure. They are said to have the good nature of the Oceanids (being helpful) and the austerity of the daughters of Ægir (willing to drown people). A mystical ring that belongs to the treasure was supposedly imbued with the powers to allow its wearer the ability to rule the world – but was cursed until the stolen gold was returned to the Rhine’s Maidens. In 1933 they were depicted on a postage stamp designed by Alois Kolb for use in the Third Reich. From the 19th-20th century they have been a highlight in Opera, theater, and the arts.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia undated “The Rhine Maidens”. Website referenced 1/20/14 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinemaidens.
“Though gaily ye may laugh, In grief ye shall be left, For, mocking maids, this ring Ye ask shall never be yours.” (Art by Arthur Rackham – from ‘Siegfried & The Twilight Of The Gods’ by Richard Wagner, London, 1911).
Not much is known of this glade except that fairies are rumored to flitter around the foliage. Of course this is more-less the Victorian image of small insect-like fairies that resemble tiny human-shaped beings with wings (better known as “pixies”) rather than a habitat for the human-form shaped Fae or Faeries like Elves, dryads, naiads, nymphs, faun, trolls, orcs, and various other hundreds of beings known as Faeries. Its a beautiful little garden section with a ring walk around. A new addition I noticed in 2013 was a wood carved stump chair with the Druid’s rays on it. Little altars and offerings abound throughout the glade. Since Faeries or fairies cannot be proven to exist, neither does any sound history or archaeology on this place being that it most likely was dreamt up by the Castle grounds owners in the early 1800’s when they landscaped and created the “Rock Close” around the prehistoric dwellings that were believed to be utilized by Druids and early Celtic peoples.
Rock Close * Blarney Castle, Blarney, Ireland * www.blarneycastle.ie *
A mystical portal in the heart of the castle grounds of Blarney Castle is Rock Close, a place where faeries dance, Witches’ bless and answer wishes, Druids weave magic, stone monuments made, and magic is alive. The Rock Close garden is not only a site of myths and legends, but of romance and art. A dolmen greets you as you walk along the river after walking through a weaved willow tunnel, with misty meadows, moss covered rocks, and waterfalls. As you walk up the Witches Wishing steps to the Witches Kitchen and where the Witch is trapped in the stone, overlooked by the Druid Cave and by the Druid Ceremonial circle where you can walk around where the faeries play. This is one of the most fun and condensed folklore heavy sites I’ve encountered in Ireland – of course its history is a mystery in of itself. It is also a great romantic getaway from the tourist heavy section of Blarney Castle. Prehistoric dwellings adapted by 10th, 13th, and 19th century adaptations lead a lot to the imagination in this garden. In 1824, Croften Croker wrote in his “Researches in the South of Ireland” about the mysteries of this spot.
In this romantic spot nature and art (a combination rather uncommon in pleasure grounds) have gone hand in hand. Advantage has been taken of accidental circumstances to form tasteful and characteristic combinations; and it is really a matter of difficulty at first to determine what is primitive, and what the produce of design. The delusion is even heightened by the present total neglect. You come most unexpectedly into this little shaded nook, and stand upon a natural terrace above the river, which glides as calmly as possible beneath. Here, if you feel inclined for contemplation, a rustic couch of rock, all festooned with moss and ivy, is at your service; but if adventurous feelings urge you to explore farther, a discovery is made of an almost concealed, irregularly excavated passage through the solid rock, which is descended by a rude flight of stone steps, called the “Wishing Steps,” and you emerge sul margine d’un rio, over which depend some light and graceful trees. It is indeed a fairy scene, and I know of no place where I could sooner imagine these little elves holding their moon-light revelry. ~ Croften Croker, 1824
It was a highly popular in the early 19th century with antiquarians. The mysteries of the Blarney Witch, the Fairies, the Druids, and the Dolmen are sure to enchant you. Blarney Castle does document that this was a place for Druidic worship. The sacrificial altar of course is hearsay, the Druid’s circle is probably, the hermit’s cave or Druid’s cave is a mystery as is the Witches’ kitchen and wishing steps. It has been documented that in the late 1700’s C.E. (Common Era) that the Rock Close was made into the garden area upon which foundations are walked upon today. Apparently the castle owners landscaped around already existing prehistoric dwellings, stone monuments, and Druid circles to make the magical faerie glen it is today.
Every now and then you’ll discover these mysterious rings in the woods and think immediately they were the mark of faeries / fairies. They are a naturally occurring ring of mushrooms that can be found in the woods, on a lawn, or in a meadow.
Folklore: ~ Ah the many mysteries of these fairy rings. Nothing radiates more folk or fairy lore than does the magical ring of mushrooms that opens a natural gate between the worlds. This is the reason they are called “Fairy Rings”. They are also known as “sorcerer’s rings” (France: ronds de sorciers), “witches’ rings” (German: “Hexenringe“), “dragon circles”, etc. The Germans believe they mark the site where witches had done their dances during Walpurgis Night, while the Dutch claim the circles show where the Devil placed his milk churn. In Tyrol, it is believed they were created by a dragon’s tail had laid there and nothing but toadstools could grow there for seven years.
Much of folklore warns humans from ever entering them, for they were guarded by harsh magic, faerie magic, or giant bug-eyed toads that would curse those who entered them. Some say, those who enter a fairy ring would lose their eye. In English, Scandinavian, and Celtic lore – fairy rings are the result of fairies or elves dancing and in such regard they were called “elf rings” or “elferingewort” (translates to “a ring of daisies caused by elves dancing”) as early as the 12th century C.E. in written record.
Olaus Magnus in the “History of the Goths” published in 1628 claimed that fairy rings are burnt into the ground by the dancing of elves and in his “Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus” says the brightness of the ring is Puck who refreshes the grass after a fairy dance. Thomas Keightley, a British folklorist, claimed that even in 20th century C.E. Scandinavia the beliefs were still strong that these were created by dancing elves. He warned that those humans entering the ring would allow the trespasser to see the elves, but might also trap the intruder in thrall of their illusions.
Rings are known as cylch y Tylwyth Teg in Wales as late as the 19th century and once again represented a place where faeries are dancing in a group. Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, England, and Ireland still have stories being told of them. Some tell tales of joining a fairy dance within the ring, this act sometimes opening a portal between the worlds, and trapping some humans eternally – especially if they have fairy food and drink after the dance. The parties are known to be done during moonlit nights as the rings only become visible to humans the following morning.
In the Philippines, these fairy rings are also associated with diminutive spirits. Theree are 20th century tales of fairies dancing around a hawthorn thereby creating a fairy ring around them with a tree in the center. Ethnographic tales of a Balquhidder Scotland resident who claims the faeries sit atop these mushrooms and use them as dinner tables, while a Welsh woman says they use the umbrellas as parasols and umbrellas, and in Devon that a black hen with chickens will appear sometimes at dusk in a large ring on the edge of Dartmoor, while Manx and Welsh legends from the 1960’s claim fairy rings appear where there is an underground fairy village underneath.
The Dartmoor’s “Pixies’ Church” is a rock formation that is supposedly surrounded by a fairy ring, and the Northern Wales Cader Idris site consists of a stone circle where fairies like to dance. Some believe that those trespassing into the fairy ring will meet the wraith of Psyche and Eros as it is forbidden for Psyche to view her love and when she does, her palace disappears and she is left alone. Some say fairy circles are sacred spaces and if interfered with will lead to a curse. There is an Irish telling of a tale that once a farmer built a barn atop a fairy ring despite his neighbors warning him not to – he was struck senseless one night and a local ‘fairy doctor’ had to come over to break the curse, he dream t he had to destroy the barn to make amends. Some believe even collecting dew from the grass or flowers of a fairy ring would bring bad luck. Legends claim one who enters the ring will die at a young age, others claim they are a ‘galley-trap’ so that if a thief or murderer enters the ring they will be hung. Those who enter the ring become invisible to mortals outside of the ring, and visible to the fairies within the ring and unable to escape it. Sometimes the fae will force the intruder to dance to the point of exhaustion, injury, death, or madness.
Many Welsh legends talk of this, luring mortals within and then dace them to deatIt is supposedly even more dangerous for a human to enter the ring during Samhain (Halloween) Eve or May Day / May Eve as this is the most sacred dancing nights of the fae and they would be horribly angered if disturbed on such momentous times. There is a tale of a shepherd who accidently disturbed a ring of rushes where fairies were getting ready to dance – in such reaction they held him hostage until he married one of them. One can only gain escape from the ring by outside help. A Welsh method was to cast wild marjoram and thyme into the circle to befuddle the fairies so they can help their friend or family out of the ring. Others claim one needs to touch the victim with iron and that would let them exit. Rescue though could be as simple as someone reaching in and pulling their friend out of the ring. One Langollen farmer claimed he had to have four men tie him to a rope so that when he entered the ring to save his daughter they could pull him out.
Christian theory is to rely on the faith to break the enchantment, alternatively using a stick from a rowan tree (wood the cross that Jesus was on was made from) would break the curse or the stating of the phrase “what, in Heaven’s name” would break it. The longevity of the rescue could be as long as a year and a day to wait and the victim would appear in the same spot s/he vanished before being able to pull them out. Time also moves faster in the realm of fae, so what seems like an hour could be days, weeks, or years later. Those rescued could also lose memory of their encounters. It was told of a man who escaped the fairy ring, once he stepped outside of it he crumbled to dust. Another moulders away after his first bite of food after he escaped the ring. In the Aberystwyth region, a woman who was saved from the fairy ring once touched by metal disappears.
Most claim that the only way one can safely explore a fairy ring is to run around it 9 times which will allow the runner to hear the fairies dancing underground, while others claims this sprint must be done during a full moon and the runner travelling in the direction of the sun others a widdershins direction will allow the fairies to take control of the sprinter. If the runner miscounts, to do it a 10th round would be a fateful error. If one wears a hat backwards this will confuse the fae and make them inable to pull the wearer into the ring.
Science: They start to grow when a spawn (mycelium) of a mushroom falls in a selected spot and sends out a underground network of fine tubular threads called hyphae which grow out of the spore evenly in every direction, forming a circular mat of underground hyphal threads. These produce mushrooms that grow upwards in similar patterns as below ground and eventually the underground mycelium at the center of the circle dies out, but its living edges keep growing year to year and the diameter of the ring keeps increasing and as the ring’s underground network dies out until the surface ring can no longer be detected.
These are very common with the Agaricus campestris that measures normally around six feet in diameter. But also the Marasmius oreades, nicknamed the fairy ring mushroom, will form a large irregular ring that have been recorded upwards of 1,200 feet in diameter.
Science has two prevalent theories as to how fairy rings are formed – one idea is that a sporocarpus delivers a spore underground and the presence of that fungus there can cause withering or color changes in the grasses above it. These spores give blossom to fungi and mushrooms through the soil after rainstorms, but also grows a huge network of thread-like mycelia in the soil and while the mushrooms look like individual fungi, they are all a part of the mycelia just beneath the soil’s surface.
The other theory is that the rings are formed by connecting oval genets of the mushrooms with other neighboring mushrooms. In this way if they grow in a ring or an arc, they are continuously grown from the center of this object. Fairy rings also create a necrotic zone during their composition and decomposition – this is an area in the grass or local surface plant-life that has withered or died away. Fairy rings can cause arcs, circles, rings, double arcs, sickle-shaped arcs, and other geometric formations during this process.
The Fungi will deplete the soil of other usual readily available nutrients like nitrogen which makes the plant life in the circle to become discolored while others will cause luxuriant growth as they release chemicals which act like hormones. Some theories believe they are dependent on wildlife such as rabbits – as in the case example of the fairy rings on Shillingstone Hill in England, where chalky soils on higher elevation slopes and meadows produce numerous rings – and its believed the rabbits mow the grass short and add to it nitrogen-rich droppings that feed the soil the nitrogen the mushrooms need, feeding the mycelium. Later generations of fungi grow outwards as the parent generations have depleted the nitrogen levels, and as the rabbits keep dropping n’ cropping the grass, they ignore the fungi, take away competition by the consumption of the grasses, allowing the mushrooms to prosper.
Once a circle of mushrooms reaches a 6 meter diameter, the rabbit droppings will replenish the nitrogen levels in the center and a secondary ring can grow within the first. There are two recognized forms of fairy ring fungus – (1) tethered – found in woods and are formed by mycorrhizal fungi living in commensalism with the trees. (2) free – mushroom fungi that are not connected with other organisms and are often found in meadows as they contain saprotrophic mushrooms. Within this type the Calvatia cyathiformis will affect the local grass to grow more abundantly while the Leucopaxillus giganteus causes the grasses to wither.
The are 60 species of fungi that can grow in fairy ring patterns – the most popular is the edible Scotch bonnet (Marasmius oreades) that is also known as the fairy ring champignon. The largest ring recorded was near Belfort, France at nearly 600 meters in diameter (2,000 feet), over 700 years old, and was the Infundibulicybe geotropa fungus. Southern England’s South Downs rings formed by Calocybe gambosa also seem to be several hundred years old.
Bunworth Banshee, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker, 1825 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
The Banshee
An Irish malevolent female Faerie that is often connected to a family even though she lives in the woods, bog, or forest. They are known to scream like a howling wind or a screeching of an owl plummeting to its prey when a family member’s death is imminent and will continue onwards long after the death in mourning. This is where the common phrase “scream like a banshee” comes from. Some blame the Keener women who wail in mourning at funerals gave birth to the legend of the banshee. They seem to be attached to families that have the Ó or Mac prefix. They harber omens of death and messages from the underworld. Their main purpose is to warn of death by beginning to wail if someone is about to die. Some say they only warn if someone is about to die in a violent means such as a tragic accident, murder, or catastrophe. They are not always seen, mostly heard, especially at night. Some claim the island winds that Ireland, Scotland, and England experiences howling through the windows, shutters, or glass panes sound like a banshee and is the root of the noise. I can attest every windy night I’ve spent in Ireland, I’ve heard what I imagine to be the wail of the banshee. In fact as I write this, the wind is making such noises coming through the windows and wood work. Another logical explanation is that of the owl – Screech Owls have a similar sound to that of banshees and during their nocturnal hunts are known for their chilling screech.
However there are those that claim to have seen them, and when they do, they often appear as an ugly scary looking hag or old woman. Others claim they shape-shift and while can appear as an old hag, can also appear as a young beautiful woman. In addition to appearing as an old hag, they have been described as wearing grey or white gowns with long pale hair that they brush with a silver comb, though this could come from mixing them up with mermaids says scholar Patricia Lysaght. Some Celtic lore suggests that banshees originated from the death of a wash woman who died in childbirth and is why banshees are often seen washing or preening next to pools or fjords in the forest or along the banks of a spring or river. Though this could be a confusion of them with naiads. They are sometimes described as having winds and being in flight, while other legends confine them to walking the land in the dark of night. Some say they’ve been blended by monks descriptions of them with Lilith. Lilith is often depicted as a voluptuous female with feather like hair, wings, owl-like feet, perched atop two male lions binding them together by their waists. Some legends claim the manifestation of a banshee at first would transform into the Irish battle Goddess known as the Morrigan. She has also appeared in anamorphic forms such as a stoat, hare, hooded crow, or weasel. There are counterparts of the Banshee throughout the Western world, such as in Scotland as the “bean sith” or “bean-nighe” that is often seen washing blood stained armor or clothes of those about to die. Reports of sightings of bean sith and banshees were abundant even as of recent times. They are also found in Welsh mythology, Norse mythology, and American folklore.
A report from Kings James I of Scotland in 1437 claimed he was approached by an Irish seer who was later identified as a banshee. She foretold of his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. Irish history and mythology tell tales of many prophets who were believed to be banshees that advise the local courts of Irish Kings, and the great houses of Ireland. On Rathlin island, legend describes the banshee’s cry as a “thin screeching sound somewhere between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl.” In Leinster, there are tales of the “bean chaointe” whose wail is so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry, tales report of the scream as a low pleasant singing of a song. In Tyrone, reports as the sound resembling two boards being struck together. They have been said to have cried during the death of Brian Boru. 18th century C.E. American folklore talk about banshee tales in Tar River, North Carolina, though could be the report of a ghoul that was mislabeled a banshee. In South Dakota, a banshee is said to wail upon a hill near Watch Dog Butte. None of the American legends associate the wail with a oracle of death. Bibliography / Recommended Reading:
Bunworth Banshee, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker, 1825 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
The Banshee
An Irish malevolent female Faerie that is often connected to a family even though she lives in the woods, bog, or forest. They are known to scream like a howling wind or a screeching of an owl plummeting to its prey when a family member’s death is imminent and will continue onwards long after the death in mourning. This is where the common phrase “scream like a banshee” comes from. Some blame the Keener women who wail in mourning at funerals gave birth to the legend of the banshee. They seem to be attached to families that have the Ó or Mac prefix. They harber omens of death and messages from the underworld. Their main purpose is to warn of death by beginning to wail if someone is about to die. Some say they only warn if someone is about to die in a violent means such as a tragic accident, murder, or catastrophe. They are not always seen, mostly heard, especially at night. Some claim the island winds that Ireland, Scotland, and England experiences howling through the windows, shutters, or glass panes sound like a banshee and is the root of the noise. I can attest every windy night I’ve spent in Ireland, I’ve heard what I imagine to be the wail of the banshee. In fact as I write this, the wind is making such noises coming through the windows and wood work. Another logical explanation is that of the owl – Screech Owls have a similar sound to that of banshees and during their nocturnal hunts are known for their chilling screech.
However there are those that claim to have seen them, and when they do, they often appear as an ugly scary looking hag or old woman. Others claim they shape-shift and while can appear as an old hag, can also appear as a young beautiful woman. In addition to appearing as an old hag, they have been described as wearing grey or white gowns with long pale hair that they brush with a silver comb, though this could come from mixing them up with mermaids says scholar Patricia Lysaght. Some Celtic lore suggests that banshees originated from the death of a wash woman who died in childbirth and is why banshees are often seen washing or preening next to pools or fjords in the forest or along the banks of a spring or river. Though this could be a confusion of them with naiads. They are sometimes described as having winds and being in flight, while other legends confine them to walking the land in the dark of night. Some say they’ve been blended by monks descriptions of them with Lilith. Lilith is often depicted as a voluptuous female with feather like hair, wings, owl-like feet, perched atop two male lions binding them together by their waists. Some legends claim the manifestation of a banshee at first would transform into the Irish battle Goddess known as the Morrigan. She has also appeared in anamorphic forms such as a stoat, hare, hooded crow, or weasel. There are counterparts of the Banshee throughout the Western world, such as in Scotland as the “bean sith” or “bean-nighe” that is often seen washing blood stained armor or clothes of those about to die. Reports of sightings of bean sith and banshees were abundant even as of recent times. They are also found in Welsh mythology, Norse mythology, and American folklore.
A report from Kings James I of Scotland in 1437 claimed he was approached by an Irish seer who was later identified as a banshee. She foretold of his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. Irish history and mythology tell tales of many prophets who were believed to be banshees that advise the local courts of Irish Kings, and the great houses of Ireland. On Rathlin island, legend describes the banshee’s cry as a “thin screeching sound somewhere between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl.” In Leinster, there are tales of the “bean chaointe” whose wail is so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry, tales report of the scream as a low pleasant singing of a song. In Tyrone, reports as the sound resembling two boards being struck together. They have been said to have cried during the death of Brian Boru. 18th century C.E. American folklore talk about banshee tales in Tar River, North Carolina, though could be the report of a ghoul that was mislabeled a banshee. In South Dakota, a banshee is said to wail upon a hill near Watch Dog Butte. None of the American legends associate the wail with a oracle of death. Bibliography / Recommended Reading:
While in urban racial slurring, the term ‘pooka’ can mean a fat or slothful person lacking basic hygiene or modesty, traditionally, it is an Irish shape-shifting dark faerie spirit that would appear in a variety of forms, like horses, old hags, dogs, goats, bulls, goblins, hares, or eagles.
In County Down, the Pooka is often described as a short, disfigured goblin demanding his/her share of the harvest. In County Laois, it is depicted as a gigantic boogeyman. In Waterford and Wexford, it is a large eagle with a giant wingspan, and in Roscommon, often as a goat. Regional differences and descriptions vary. Regardless of the form, they were usually very black with blazing red eyes. “They appear here and there, now and then, to this one and that one.” According to the Urban Lore dictionary … A mountain or hill creature that preys on the weak, the lost, the confused, a weary traveler, or appears to foretell prophecy on November 1ast to those consulting it. They always appear around dusk, luring an individual to a treacherous fate, often involving a cliff or a ditch. They usually offer rides to weary travelers, sending them off at a high speed just before dumping them in a ditch and running away laughing.
They were in many terms a trickster and prankster. When chickens see a Pooka they won’t lay eggs, cows won’t make milk. It will appear in front of certain homes and call out the names it wants to take on a wild ride, and if those people don’t come out of their houses, they will vandalize their yards. Pookas have a grasp of human languages and can talk to any human in the tongue they speak, luring them into their entrapment, confusing them, and then terrifying them. Another creature that entices humans onto their backs for a ride are the kelpies.
Kelpies will take them on a wild ride and then dive into the nearest body of water to drown and eat them. The Pooka takes them on a wild ride and dumps them in a ditch, off a cliff, in a bog, or plays a trick. Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, was rumored to have ridden the Pooka … and did so by using a unique bridle and incorporating three hairs of a Pooka’s tail. He rode the Pooka in its horse form, staying on its back until it was exhausted and surrendered to his will. From this, the Boru extracted two promises from it that it would no longer torment Christian people and ruin their property and that it would never attack an Irish unless they were drunk or abroad with intent to harm. The Pooka agreed. Since the death of Boru, it has forgotten its promises and continues with its original activity.
Some believe the term “Pooka” came from the Vikings as they came to Ireland, referring to the Old Norse term “pook” or “puki” meaning “nature spirit”. These inter-related to the Germanic languages and terms for “pucel”, “pook”, or “puck” meaning benevolent or malevolent nature. Around Europe there are similarly correspondent creatures such as the Welsh “pwca” or “pwwka” or the Cornish “Bucca”, the Channel Islands “pouque” or the poulpique in Brittany. The Welch word “Gwyll,” which is their correspondence to the Irish “Pooka,” is used to describe gloom, darkness, shade, a goblin, and the nightmare, which is quite similar to the Irish creature. Some believe Pooka or Puca comes from the Irish word “poc” meaning “male goat” or “Blow from a cudgel”.
W.B. Yeats wrote about the Pooka as the Poc, meaning “he-goat,” as a wicked devilish creature. Croker said a boy near Killarney had told him, “Old people used to say that the Pookas were very numerous long ago … were wicked-minded, black-looking, bad things … that would come in the form of wild colts, with chains hanging about them.” Halloween, according to some Irish, is called “Pooka night.” In France, the Pooka are blamed for blighting crops that remain in fields or blackberries left unfit to eat. It was always suggested that children do not eat over-ripe blackberries in the fields as it was a sign that a pooka had cursed them. Sometimes, they would puke, spit, or defecate on the fruits, making them foul to eat. Sometimes farmers would leave a small share of a crop as the “puca’s share” to appease them. Pookas, however, must be civil on November 1st, their day of reign. In some regions, the entire month of November is known as the “month of the Pooka,” during Halloween in some parts of Ireland, children go out “with the Pooka,” while others stay indoors for fear of what the Pooka will do to them. During Easter, some see the Easter Bunny as the bunny form of a Pooka bringing chocolate eggs and sweets to kids at Easter, which inspired the 1950 film “Harvey” directed by Henry Koster.
One of the classic Irish tales of the Pooka is that of Morty Sullivan and the Black Steed who at 14 ran off from home to America leaving his parents behind alone and sad for their loss of him until their death. When he returned, he learned of their fate, felt responsible, and sought release from his sins. While hunting for absolution one night he came upon a Pooka who lured him onto her black steed that dumped him off a cliff. Pookas can also be friendly spirits if they are well-treated and help farmers and millers with their harvest.
Another tale is about Phadrig, who fell asleep in a mill and awoke to the clatter of 6 little faeries buzzing around milling corn while a Pooka in the form of an old man wearing tattered clothes directed them with their duties. Phadrig felt sorry for the Pooka, so they bought him a fine silk suit and laid it on the floor. The Pooka was delighted and then said he was a fine gentleman and would no longer grind the corn any more. Lady Wilde wrote about Pooka that were helpful to farmers and told the tale of Phadraig differently … where the pooka appeared as a bull and told young Phadraig to come to the old mill that night … and after their meeting, the pookas would come secretly at night and do all his work for him milling the sacks of corn into flour, running the farm, and doing his chores. This made the farmer’s boy very happy and, in reward, gave the Pooka a fine suit – but then all the Pookas went off to see the world ending their work. This didn’t bother Phadraig as the farm was wealthy and allowed the farmer to retire and send Phadraig to school.
At Phadraig’s wedding, the Pooka gave him a golden cup filled with drink that ensured happiness. Others have described the Pooka as being goblin-like, vampiric, and bloodthirsty. Tales of them chasing down humans, killing them barbarically, and eating their flesh.
There is a place named in the Wicklow Mountains called the “Poula Phouk,” meaning “Pooka’s Hole,” a waterfall believed to form the River Liffey. The “Binlaughlin Mountain” in Fermanagh County is also known as the “Peak of the Speaking Horse.” This is one area where some gather in high places to meet with a speaking horse for its prophecy on Bilberry Sunday. The Poula phouk was named after an animal spirit that encountered a pooka there. Currently, there is a hydro-electric power station at this point where the river drops through a 150 fee plummet into a narrow gorge in three phases – the second drop is the pool known as the “Hole of the Pooka” and is the scene from where Padraig O’Farrell tells of a Kildare man named Grennan on a hunt chasing a fox, chased it into Tipperkevin north of Ballymore Eustace in County Kildare. The fox appeared here and led the hunter to the river Liffey. During the same point of the chase, a black steed appeared and thought to be a Pooka began to chase it too. As they raced along the Liffey, the Pooka and Grennan reached the gorge. Grennan tried to recall the hounds, though the Pooka tempted them to their fates. The fox headed for the narrow part of the gorge, spied the Pooka’s red eyes, and jumped, missing the ledge and falling into the turbulent falls below. The Pooka lept across the gorge and vanished into the woodlands. Grennan followed the hounds and the fox, all swimming desperately to get out of the pool, leading to their death. As they died, he could hear the Pooka laughing. This Pooka’s hole was also blamed on various floods caused by the power station built at its pool. Again, the Pooka’s laugh was heard.
The tale took place between Gougane Barra and Tobar Ghobnatan. This was the story of a 14 year old named Morty who ran away from home leaving his parents to die heartbroken when he left Ireland on a ship to America. 30 years after they died, Morty returned to find of their deaths. So he went on a pilgrimage to atone for his sins, and was recommended to do so at Ballyvourney at St. Gobnait’s well. He ran off on that advice traveling many miles on into the dark, a new moon nonetheless, with stars obscured by a thick fog. He ascended into the valleys and got lost, but pushed on to reach his destination. The fog grew thicker and thicker lost he became and in doubt he was going to find the chapel. He saw a light not far off in the distance and as it went towards it the light became distant and distant twinkling dimly through the fog. He continued onwards with his journey nonetheless for he thought it was Saint Gobnait guiding his feet through the mountains to her chapel. He realized the light came from a fire of an old woman which came to a surprise to him that a alone woman would travel as far as he on such uneven roads in the dark. He said to her “In the holy names of the pious Gobnait, and of her preceptor Saint Abban .. how that burning fire move on so fast before me, who can that old woman be sitting beside the moving fire?” and upon those words found himself close to the warm fire beside the old woman who was eating her supper. She appeared to him angry at having her meal disturbed, and her eyes would roll at him at every bite. Her eyes were not normal like human eyes, but a wild red color similar to that of an eye of a ferret. He sat in silence watching her. She asked him “What’s your name?” with a sulfurous puff of a breath coming out when she spoke, nostrils distending, eyes growing a bright red. He replied “Morty Sullivan at your service.” She replied “Ubbubbo! we’ll soon see that! and her eyes turned pale green. She said “Take hold of my hand Morty and I’ll give you a horse ride to your journey’s end” and as they did, the fire going before them, shooting out bright tongues of flame flickering fiercely. They approached a cave in the side of the mountain where the hag called for her horse – out of which came a jet-black steed with clanging hoofs. “Mount Morty Mount!” she cried seizing him with supernatural strength and forcing him on the back of the horse. He cried “O that I had spurs!” grasping frantically to the horse’s mane, catching a shadow that bore him up and bounded forward with him, springing him down a cliff onto the rugged bed of a torrent. Pilgrims coming back from Gougane Barra found him flat on his back under a steep cliff down which he had been flung by the phooka. He wads bruised by the fall and said to have sworn on the spot by the hand of O’Sullivan – “Nulla manus, Tam liberalis, Atque generalis, Atque universalis, Quam Suilivanis” never again to take a full quart bottle of whiskey with him on his pilgrimage. The lesson from this fable is to young men to stay at home, live decently, and stay sober if they can, and not to travel around the world. A tale of delusion and whiskey and a long night’s quest through the woods with hallucinations of a phooka-like hag and steed.
Description: Chupacabra comes from the Spanish “t?upa?ka??a” from “chupar” meaning “to suck” and “cabra” as “goat”, translating to “goat sucker”. This crypt-id belongs primarily to modern Latin American folklore, even though there have been reports in China, Russia, and other parts of the world. It is found primarily in Latin American or Spanish communities and their associated folklore. It is rumored to attack its victims and drinkings its blood, especially goats, sheep, chickens, or other livestock. Often described to be a bi-pedal creature standing at three feet to a meter tall and covered with short gray hair spiking out of its back. (1995 Puerto Rico report) Descriptions changed by the late 1990’s to a Chupacabra being a four footed creature representing a dog or coyote with mange stalking livestock in rural communities. A modern day rancher’s boogeyman. It has also been described as a very heavy creatures sometimes upwards in size of that of a small bear with a row of spines reaching from the back of the neck to the base of its tail. The reports in Puerto Rico and Mexico show where goats or sheep were found with puncture wounds completely drained of blood. These Chupacabra were described as being bear-like, dog-like, rodent-like, or reptile-like with long snouts, large fangs, leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and consumed with a nasty odor. Another depiction that is common is description as a reptile-like creature with leathery or scaly greenish gray skin, sharp spines, or quills running down its back, standing from 3-4 feet high, standing or hopping in like fashion of a kangaroo. Reports of it being able to hop upwards of 20 feet have been noted. Many of these characteristics seem to have dog, rat, or panther-like noses and faces, often with a forked tongue and large fangs. They apparently screech and hiss when scared and can be noted to have a sulfuric decaying flesh stench to them. When they screech, it has been reported that their eyes glow an unusual red that causes nausea to the onlooker. Other depictions are that of a manged coyote or strange breed of dog, hairless with a pronounced spinal ridge, eye sockets, fangs, and claws. When Chupacabras bite their prey, they apparently leave three holes in the shape of upside down triangles or through one to two holes, draining their victims of all their blood, not unlike that of the attacked prey of a vampire.
Illustration by Michael Lee 2007
History: In 1975 there were animal attacks found with puncture wounds in the town of Moca, Puerto Rico and was originally blamed on the El vampiro de Moca (The Vampire of Moca). Experts originally believed these horrid deaths were done by a local Satanic cult. However, after the 1995 reports of chupacabra, these incidents were backdated as potential Chupacabra attacks. The first documented report in Puerto Rico was in March 1995 stating eight sheep were found dead each with three puncture wounds in the chest area and completely drained of blood. A few months later, the eyewitness Madelyn Tolentino reported seeing the creatures in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico. It was in this area that over 150 farm and domesticated animals were reportedly killed in the same manner. Reports of the beast originate to approximately being reported since the mid 1990’s and were first reported in Puerto Rico. To date (2012), there have been over 200 original chupacabra reports filed in Puerto Rico alone. Early 2004 and 2005 there were numerous reports of Chupacabra from South America, as well as Puerto Rico, and most recently in Mexico. August of 2006, in Turner, Maine came up with a roadkill carcass that looked like an evil-looking rodent-like animal with fangs. This was photographed and witness reports documented. However, reporters claimed that the carcass was picked clean by vultures before experts could examine it. The 2006 report in Russia spoke of a beast that killed animals and sucked their blood. This was the case with 32 turkeys in a Russian village. Nearby in another village reported 30 sheep killed in the same manner. In Cuero, Texas on July 14, 2007 – a odd looking coyote corpse was found, and identified as a mangy coyote, though most of the people dealing with the corpse were convinced it was that of a chupacabra.
Wikipedia commons: Public Domain image
Habitat: Reports of the mythical beast abound especially in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Southwestern region of the United States as well as China, Russia, and the Philippines since the early 1990’s. They have also been reported in Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Brazil.
Science: Some scientists claim what many believe are chupacabra are simply coyotes with severe mange. The majority of samples turned in for scientific study turned out to be coyotes suffering from very severe cases of mange. Mange is a severely painful potentially fatal skin disease that causes the victim’s hair to fall out and the skin to shrivel. This is believed to be caused by the the parasite known as Sarcoptes scabiei. This is the same cause of scabies in humans (an itchy rash). This mite burrows under the skin and secretes eggs and waste creating the inflammatory response from the host’s immune system. Further, scientists claim that the accusation of the chupacabra attacking livestock is understandable because animals with mange are often quite debilitated and if they have a hard time catching normal prey, they may go for something a bit easier like livestock. Others believe that this legend came out of horror movies or alien-horror tales that in 1995 premiered in Puerto Rico. Movies such as “Species” which opening dates corresponded to the date of the first sightings of these creatures. The spikes reportedly coming out of the back are quite similar to that depicted with the aliens in “Species”.
Evidence: July 2004, a rancher in San Antonio, Texas killed a hairless dog-like creature that attacked his livestock. He called it the “Elmendorf Beast” and after analyzed by the University of California at Davis was believed to be a coyote with sarcoptic mange. Two more carcasses found in the same area that October were defined as the same. Another creature caught in a trap in Coleman, Texas was analyzed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife to be another coyote with mange even though it looked like a cross between a hairless dog, rat, and kangaroo. According to the episode: Lost Tapes: Chupacabra was a tale of the Ramirez family in Sonora Mexico in July 2006 when they got two gifts from family in the States … a video camera from their daughter and a Coyote deal for their family to be smuggled across the border. They were driven down to the border by the Coyote, let out to hike across the desert (husband, wife, and young daughter) for a dangerous 4-day foot journey. In Nogales, Arizona, on 7/7/2006 at 8:29 pm, drone thermals from the US Border security reported 4 illegal immigrants crossing believed to be the Ramirez family, and one with an appearance of a dog chasing and attacking them as the fourth thermal surveillance cam figure. It disappears. Videotape files recorded the attack. Agents Tim Valentine and Martin Santino received the report and responded. 8:33 pm, Nogales – Arizona: Found the dead bodies of the husband and wife, both with 3 puncture marks/wounds and no blood. As they checked the wash, heard growling in the bushes, believed to be the Chupacabra. They found Ava, the young daughter, unhurt and terrified hiding in the brush. When they brought her to safety, she just kept saying “its out there”. The agents heard noises and found lots of dead animals in the ditch, all drained of blood, and smelling horrendously. The agents pursued the growling and noises, not able to find the culprit. The official cause of death for the Ramirez family was unknown. There are many unexplained death along the border. In 2007 there were reports of 300 sheep dead and drained of blood in Boyaca. Purportedly there was a specimen captured and analyzed by the National University of Columbia. That same year, three animals found dead in Cuero, Texas that resemble the fabled Chupacabra. Phyllis Canion of Cuero, Texas kept one of these corpses heads as evidence of the “chupacabra”. Experts originally cited it as a head of a gray fox with mange. It was run through DNA analysis in November of 2007 and deduced to be that of a mange infested coyote. She reported that nearly 30 chickens on her farm had been taken by these monsters over the years, and this is what made her connect the dots to the carcasses she found as being Chupacabra. The purported “coyote with mange” however had grayish-blue mostly hairless skin with large fanged teeth. In Capiz, Philippines, on January 11, 2008 residents reported eight chickens killed and spotted a chupacabra looking animal attacking the chickens. Back in Cuero, Texas on August 8, 2008 a Dewitt County Deputy by the name of Brandon Riedel took video footage of a Chupacabra-like animal running around the back roads with his dashboard camera, it was the size of a coyote, hairless, long snout, short front legs, long back legs. His supervisor claimed it to be a coyote species that was not unlike the one documented in 2007 by University researchers. This footage appeared on the SyFy channel’s 2011 episode of Fact or Faked: Paranormal files. They cross-checked the video to see if it was faked, and it was not. September 2009, CNN aired a report of video footage of another unidentified dead animal provided by a local taxidermist suggesting it was a Chupacabra or a genetically mutated coyote. This carcass was sold to the Lost World Museum placed on display and being researched by a unknown university. July 2010 had a report of animal control officers in Hood County, Texas killing chupacabras and spotting in several locations. Again, researchers found the coyote-dog hybrid to be a victim of mange and parasites. That same year in December, Nelson County Kentucky produced another corpse of a so-called Chupacabra, killed by Mark Cothren, well photographed and documented by local news. This creature was depicted as having a long tail, large ears, whiskers, and body mass of like that of a house cat. The body was handed over to Department of Fish and Wildlife. July 4, 2011 in Lake Jackson, Texas had another report of a chupacabra in a back yard by Jeff Crabtree. Once news media covered the story and ridiculed him for his claim, he backed down and stated it was a coyote with mange. It was filmed at a later date and experts deduced it was definitely a coyote with mange. Sightings:http://www.technogypsie.com/faerie/?p=22
Folklore Local legends tie the chupacabra in with gargoyles from medieval Europe brought to South America on Spanish Galleons. Others says it is a product of secret government genetic experiments in the Lauga mountains in Puerto Rico on a US army base in 1997 that escaped during an electrical storm. Others claim them to be aliens related to UFO sightings in the same area. Some believe that the Chupacabra was genetically created by mad scientists who turned coyotes into “goat suckers” by means of genetically altered parasites. Another theory is that an escaped troop of rhesus monkeys took over Puerto Rico, some standing up on their hind legs, and that those were the purported Chupacabras. Scientists do back up that there was a group of rhesus monkeys used in blood experiments in Puerto Rico during that time and they could have gotten loose. In New Orleans there is a so-called lover’s lane called “Grunch Road” that is well noted for sightings of “grunches” that seem to share description with chupacabras. In Chile they are called the “Peuchen” and have chupacabra-like characteristics, except also being described as winged snakes. Modern Urban Lore and popularity: Not to only focus on documentaries and news reports, Chupacabra sightings have unleashed numerous films and horror movies of the subject. The X-files episode “El Mundo Gira”; a Bones episode; an episode of Dexter (season 2: “Got your Goat”); Generator Rex episode “Outpost”; the Lost files; an episode of “The Walking Dead” as episode “Chupacabra”; TV series “Ugly Americans” depicting them living in New York; CNN Ed Lavandera “Bigfoot of Latino Culture”; Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico, Chupacabra: Dark Seas; Guns of El Chupacabra; El Chupacabras; Vuelve el Chupacabra; as well as being in mystery novels and scientific books; songs; video games such as “Red Dead Redemption” or “Undead Nightmare”; anime; comic “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Twilight Sparkle and Flutter shy” get pursued by a chupacabra and fights with its arch enemies vampiric jackalopes; and other media.
References/recommended reading:
CNN: May 2, 2006 “Illegal Immigrants frightened by raid rumors, George Bush”; “The Decider”; “Happy Slapping”.
Discovery News “Chupacabra mystery solved. http://news.discovery.com/animals/pets/chupacabra-mystery-solved.htm. Web site referenced Mary 2013.
Fox News 2007 “Texas Woman Claims to Have Found Mythical Chupacabra”. Associated Press. November 2, 2007.
Lost Tapes: “Chupacabra”. Watched March 2013.
Monster Quest 2008 “Chupacabra”
National Geographic 2010 “Chupacabra Evolution Halloween Science Monsters” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101028-chupacabra-evolution-halloween-science-monsters-chupacabras-picture/. Web site referenced April 2013.
Radford, Benjamin 2011 “Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore.” ISBN 978-0-8263-5015-2
Wagner, Stephen 2007 “On the Trail of the Chupacabras”. “Encounters with Chupacabras”.
