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Fairy Tale Stories      Children's Fairy Tales      Fairies       Faery Woodlands Magazine      Blog     About Celtic Fairies List of Scottish Fairies Baobhan Sith (Scottish Fairy) Also known as “the White Women of the Scottish Highlands,” Baobhan Sith are beautiful but dangerous fairies who prey on young travelers by night. Appearing as beautiful women in green dresses, often times with deer hoofs instead of feet they arise from their graves once each year and haunt forests, bogs, or other secluded places, seduing victims inorder to drink their blood with the help of their razor sharp fingernails. They lure men to dance with them and then during the dance they begin to slash the men with their fingers then  drink of the enchanted men until they die. As with other fairies they are kept at bay by iron. Bauchan (bocan) (Scottish Fairy) Are a brownie type creature which is exceedingly hairy and attaches itself to families, often providing aid as well as mischief. The Blue Men of the Minch (Scottish Fairy) Blue humanoids who inhabit the ocean along Minch between Shiant and Lewis islands. They swam alongside ships while attempting to lure saloirs into the water or causing storms in order to try to drown the people. The best way to get them to leave you alone is by winning rhyming and poetic competitions. Bodach (Scottish Fairy) A bogeyman like creature. Beithir (Scottish Fairy) A general name for fairies in Glamorganshire Bodachan (Scottish Fairy) Known  as the little old man of the barn, bodachan are brownie like fairies which live in the barns and helps to thresh grain at night. Bogle (Scottish Fairy) A general name for many fairy like creatures which haunt humans. One which was often depicted as a scarecrow would hide in potato fields and jump out and scare people. In other cases they would throw things through windows and roofs and act very much like polterguiests. Boobrie (Scottish Fairy) A water bird which uses its wings for swimming rather the flying so that it is better able to haunt the lochs and salt water wells of Scoteland. Boobrie were shap changers who could appear not only as giant birds but also as horses. They loved to eat calves and lamps and so were the bane of farmers. In “Forgotten Books; Survivals in Belief Among the Celts,” George Henderson states that; The boobrie as water-bird has wings that appear to have been given by nature more for the purpose of assisting him in swimming under water, than flying. He is larger than seventeen of the biggest eagles put together. His neck is two feet eleven inches long, and twenty-three inches in circumference, his bill is about seventeen inches long, black in colour, measuring round the root about eleven inches; for the first twelve inches the bill is straight, but after that assumes the shape of an eagle's and of proportionate strength. His legs are remarkably short for his size, black, and tremendously powerful. The feet are webbed till within five inches of the toes, which then terminate in immense claws of most destructive nature. The print of his foot on the mud at the end of the lake (as accurately measured by an authority) covers the space generally of the span of a large wide-spreading pair of red deer's horns. The sound he utters resembles that of a large bull in his most angry humours, but much superior in strength. The favourite food of the boobrie is the flesh of calves; failing them he feeds upon sheep or lambs, as suits him, or seizing his prey he carries it off to the largest neighbouring muir loch, swims out to the deepest part, where he dives, carrying his victim along with him, and there feeds, returning on shore at pleasure. He is particularly fond of otters, which he swallows in great numbers and with considerable avidity. THE BROLLACHAN (Scottish Fairy) Extracted from “Popular Tales of Highlands” From Widow M. Calder, a pauper, Sutherland. IN the mill of the Glens, MUILION NA GLEANNAN, lived long ago a cripple of the name of Murray, better known as "Ally" na Muilinn. He was maintained by the charity of the miller and his neighbours, who, when they removed their meal, put each a handful into the lamiter's bag. The lad slept usually at the mill; and it came to pass that one night, who should enter but the BROLLACHAN, 1 son of the FUATH. Now the Brollachan had eyes and a mouth, and can say two words only, MI-FHEIN, myself, and THU-FHEIN, thyself; besides that, he has no speech, and alas no shape. He lay all his lubber-length by the dying fire; and Murray threw a fresh peat on the embers, which made them fly about red hot, and Brollachan was severely burnt. So he screamed in an awful way, and soon comes the "Vough," very fierce, crying, "Och, my Brollachan, who then burnt you?" but all he could say was "mee!" and then he said "oo!" (me and thou, mi thu) and she replied, "Were it any other, wouldn't I be revenged." Murray slipped the peck measure over himself, and hid among the machinery, so as to look as like a sack as possible, ejaculating at times, "May the Lord preserve me," so he escaped unhurt; and the "Vough" and her Brollachan left the mill. That same night a woman going by the place, was chased by the still furious parent, and could have been saved had she not been nimble to reach her own door in time, to leave nothing for the "Vough" to catch but her heel; this heel was torn off, and the woman went lame all the rest of her days. Cait Sigh or Cat Sidhe  (Scottish Fairy) A fairy creature which appears as a black at with a white spot on its breast. There are a number of fairy tales about cats acting as magical fairy like creatures and so Briggs asserts that many Celts thought of cats as being fairies in their own right. Caoineag (konyack) (Scottish Fairy) One of the names given to the banshee of the Highlands, they have some connection with waterfalls as they are often heard wailing near these. They are attached to a clan and will wail and cry when something bad is about to befall the clan in general. Cearb (Scottish Fairy) The killing one, vaugly refered too Ceasg (Scottish Fairy) Half women half samon mermaid which grants wishes to anyone who captures one. Crodh Mara (Scottish Fairy) Hornless dun colored fairy cattle which will occasionally join human herds and lead the mortal cattle into the fairy realm. Fir Chlis (Scottish Fairy) Fuath  (Scottish Fairy) Evil water spirit, often used as a generic term. Fuath haunt both sea, lochs and rivers. They often appear as shaggy web toed mosters and no nose. They often dress in green and seek to drown humans though occasionally they will mate with a female human leding to n offspring which has webbed feet a mane or a tail. They are harmed by both iron and sunlight. Glaistig (Also known as the green maiden) (Scottish Fairy) A beautiful women who’s bottom half is that of a goat, she appears with long blond hair and a flowing green dress which is long enough to hide her legs. Glaistig as with many fairies are dualistic in nature; acting on the one hand asa siren which  lures men to her lair so she can drink their blood or throwing giant rocks in paths so travelers will get lost. However she also acts as a tutelary spirit, protecting catle and herders as she did for th town of Ach-na Creige where the people ould offer her milk by poaring it into a hollowed out stone for their local glaistig. They will also on occasion watch over the children  of herders as the mothers go out to milk the cows. In some legends she also appears as a household type fairy. Ghillie dhu (Scottish Fairy) The guardian spirit of trees, he is especially kind to children but is generally wild and shy. He dresses in leaves and moss and is especially fond of birch trees. Gruagach (Scottish Fairy) Female Gruagach could be either beautiful or haggard. They acted as guardian fairies of catle and farms, and was often wet which would prompt her to ask to dry off by the fire in houses. The males were shaggy brownie like fairies which performed household choirs in return for offerings of milk. Loireag (Scottish Fairy) A water fairy of the nymph type who also act as spinners and weavers as well as matrans of tradition and rituals. Lovers of music and of milk and cream. Pech (Scottish Fairy) Believed to have been the megalith builders of old Scotland the pech was small but in the past they had been incredibly  strong. They are fading however, as in one tale an old pech on his death bed was still stronger then his healthy sons. Roane (Scottish Fairy) A pacifistic and kind form of seelkie which appeared to bare little resentment against seal hunters. They turned people into seals and took them down and asked them to not kill them anymore (if they take an oath to never killa  seal again they are returned home) Then when they swear they also give them a gift of enough money that they never have to take seals skins again Sealkie (Scottish Fairy) Sealkies are seals which can become increadably beautiful humans by taking of their skin and there are a number of romantic tragedies in which a human takes ones skin in order to compele it to marry them only to have the sealkie discover the skin and return to the sea later on. Male selkies have great seductive powers and will seek out those who are dissatisfied with their love life. In some cases women in superstition were said to seek out the selkie so these relationships were not always believed to end badly. Just as selkie men would on occasion seek out a wife among humans selkie women would occasionally seek out a husband among the humans as well. However even these stories often end with the wife having to leave as she is forced to take her seal form and give up her home in order to save her husband who is caught in a storm at sea. Even in cases where the selkie leaves her husband she is often seen playing with her children in the waves. Selkies were often vengeful, sinking the ships and causing storms to take revenge against those who went hunting for seals. THe Sluagh (Scottish Fairy) The spirits of the restless dead, people unable to entereither heaven or hell. They were considered to be dangerous flying through the air like flocks of birds they would try to carry away the souls of the dying or to kidnap innocent people. Spunkies (Scottish Fairy) Extracted from “On the ignis fatuus: or, will-o'-the-wisp, and the fairies” By Jabez Allies The Ignis fatuus is called " Spunkie" in Scotland. In Stewart's Superstitions of the Highlands of Scotland, published in 1823, the Spunkies are described as follows:— "Whenever the traveller had the misfortune to lose his way, or whenever there was a prospect of deluding him from it, this vigilant link-boy was ever at hand, to light him into far worse quarters than even the purlieus of Covent Garden. "Suddenly the traveller's attention was arrested by the most resplendent light, apparently reflected from a window not far distant, which, however, as the traveller approached, receded from him, like the rainbow. Still pursuing his course towards it, the wily Spunkie manoeuvred so dexterously that the unhappy wan * In Coston Hacket, adjoining Bromsgrove parish, there is a piece called :'The Sprights." f Also Upper, Lower, and Far Elkin. derer was speedily decoyed into the nearest morass or precipice. Plunging headlong into some fatal abyss, the deluded victim never returned to his mournful wife and family, to relate to them the Spunkie's perfidy." Tangie (Scottish Fairy) Shapeshifting water sprites which live in the sea and lochs. They terrorize travelers, especially young women on the lonely roads near the lochs and will occasionally abduct people in order to devour them underwater. In one legend they helped  a bandit to rustle sheep and abduct women. Trow (Scottish Fairy) Small troll like creatures which are small, ugly, shy and mischievous. Trows are nocturnal, only venturing forth from the earthen mounds where they live at night to creep into peoples houses. They have a fondness for music and will often kidnap musicians to play for them. Urisk (Scottish Fairy) A rough fairy of the browney type which appears as a half human and half goat. They are considered to bring good luck and perform tasks such as herding catle and helping with farm work but are also solitary and will haunt lonely pools. Occasionally craving company they will try to travel with people who they would unwittingly terrify. together