While writing my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I took inspiration from the Celtic mythology, especially their notion of the Fair Folk. I learned a lot about the different creatures that exist within that notion (such as faeries, pixies, pookas, and faoladhs) but also about the different deities associated with the faerie belief. One... Continue Reading →
The Tale of Oisín and Niamh
Last month, I finally fulfilled a year-long dream of mine and travelled to Dublin, Ireland. We spent most of our stay within the city itself, but on one day we booked a bus trip across the country all the way to the opposite side to visit the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. During the bus... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Tír na nÓg
It's the last #FaerieFriday before the release of my debut novel SEELIE PRINCESS on September 19. And I have something special planned for today. In previous posts, I've introduced various creatures of the Celtic Fair Folk. Today, I want to introduce the Celtic Otherworld: Tír na nÓg. According to A Treasury of Irish Fairy and... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Pixies
So far we've covered Seelie and Unseelie faeries, pookas, faoladhs, and merrows. But we should not forget about the tiniest member of the Fair Folk: the pixies. These small, childlike creatures are mostly benign, but they enjoy playing the occasional trick. They're known to live in moors, forests, or even gardens. Pixie by Brian Froud... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Merrows
We've all heard of mermaids: beautiful, sea-dwelling creatures that are human-like in appearance, with a fish tail instead of feet. There are plenty of stories about how they lure in fishermen with their enchanting voice. Stories like these also exist in the Celtic folklore, however, the Irish merpeople are called Merrows. Merrows vs. Mermaids vs.... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Faoladh
Last time, I introduced you to a creature of the Fair Folk, the Pooka. Today I want to tell you about a mythical being that might not be part of the Fair Folk in Celtic mythology, but fascinating nonetheless. The etymology of the faoladh First of, even after countless hours of research online, I have no... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Pookas
Last week I talked about categorizing faeries into the Seelie and the Unseelie Court, but the Fair Folk is so much more than faeries. One of those creatures that dwell with the faeries is the pooka, sometimes also spelled púca, phouka, or even pwca. Illustrated by Alan Lee What is a pooka? In his beautifully... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Seelies and Unseelies
During my research for my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I learned that the term 'faerie' does not refer to one individual type of being, but rather encompasses a whole variety of beings. In Celtic mythology there are many ways to categorize faeries, for example into Trooping Faeries or Solitary Faeries. But one categorization... Continue Reading →
#FaerieFriday: Fairy, Faerie, or Fae?
Whether you think faeries are real or just a story you tell little children, the truth is that many European cultures have their own faerie belief. Some think of the faeries as small and cute forest creatures, others would say they are more humanoid. Faeries might be benevolent little helpers sometimes, but they can also... Continue Reading →
Sarah Tanzmann 