Scotland's Deadly Giant Serpent: The Beithir

 

The beithir is a large deadly serpent, possible even a wingless dragon with a poisonous sting.

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It lives in  caves and valleys.


 If a person is stung by the beithir then he must head for the closest  river or loch. If he can reach it before the beithir does then he is cured, but if the monster reaches it first then the victim is doomed. Another cure for the sting is water in which the head of another snake has been placed. 

The beithir is considered one of the fuath, a general term for various monsters and spirits associated with water.

 

Fuath (plural fuathan, meaning “hate” in Scottish Gaelic) refers to a type of evil water spirits in Highland Gaelic mythology. These spirits are believed to inhabit the sea, rivers, lakes, and sea lochs of Scotland and Ireland.

In Gaelic folklore, any being that frequently changes its shape is of evil origin. The case of the Fuath confirms such thinking. A Fuath can sometimes be seen, if it chooses to take on a physical appearance. Most fuathan have the power of transforming themselves in many things even angels of light. They use this power to trick their victims but they are generally found out in the long run. Most often, they present themselves as humanoid creatures, with green skin and the mane and tail of a yellow horse.

 

Its the  largest and most deadly kind of serpent", or possibly  a type of land dragon (but without certain typical draconic features like wings or fiery breath). similar to a lindworm (worm meaning snake), also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm, is a mythical creature in Northern and Central European folklore that traditionally has the shape of a giant serpent monster living deep in the forest lindworm (worm meaning snake), also spelled lindwyrm or lindwurm,  a mythical creature in Northern and Central European folklore in the shape of a giant serpent living in the forest

 

It makes its home in large mountainous caves and (valleys)  and has an extremely  venomous sting. 

 

If a person is stung by the beithir then they need head for the nearest body of water like as a river or loch. If they can reach it before the beithir does then they are cured, but if the creature gets there first then the victim is will die.

 Another cure for the sting is water in which the head of another snake has been placed.

A common belief is that if a normal snake is killed then the head must be separated a proper distance from its body and destroyed. Otherwise, both parts will come together and the snake will return to life as a beithir. 

 

John Gregorson Campbell in 1900 provided an account of the beithir:

The big beast of Scanlastle in Islay was one of this kind. It devoured seven horses on its way to Loch-in-daal. A ship was lying at anchor in the loch at the time, and a line of barrels filled with deadly spikes, and with pieces of flesh laid upon them, was placed from the shore to the ship. Tempted by the flesh, the "loathly worm" made its way out on the barrels and was killed by the spikes and cannon

 

 

                                                                   Loch-in-daal

 

 

John Francis Campbell in 1890 recounted a traditional story about a wicked stepmother who was the wife of an Irish king, and she gave the king's son a magic shirt that was a beithir in disguise. As long as the "great snake" remained coiled about his neck, the prince was under his stepmother's enchantment, but he was eventually freed from the beithir with the help of a wise woman.

This Serpent is most often sighted on summer nights when lightning strikes occurred

Tha e ann an grath na nathrach dhuit.'

'Tha nimh na nathrach aig dhuit.'

'Cho carach ris an nathair nimhe.'

'Cleas na nathrach cur a chraicinn.'

'Cochull nathrach is ole a dh’fheumadh tu.'

He is in the spirit of the serpent towards thee.

The venom of the serpent he has towards thee.

As twistful as the serpent venomous.

The trick of the serpent changing the skin.

The sheath of the serpent badly wouldst thou need    

 

 

 

Tha sinne 'cur mar choran 's mar gheasan ort,

Gu 'n innis thu, co thu fhein na co do mhuinntir ?

'S mise nighean righ na Sorchann,

Sgiath an ainn ;

'S gur h-e 's ainm dha 'm Baoidhre borb ;

'S gu 'n d' thoir e mise leis,

Cia mor bhur treis as an Fheinn.

Cia b' fhada 'n oidhche gu latha,

Cha bu ghna leinn 'bbith gun cheol.

We lay it as a circuit and as spells on thee.

That thou tell us who thou art, or thy people.

I am the daughter of the king of Sorchann,

Shield of armies,

And that his name is Baoidhre borb,*

And that he will take me with him.

Though great our time from the Fane,

Though long be the night to day,

It was not our wont to be without music.     .

Demons of Love: the Baobhan Sith or Scottish Vampire / fairy ..

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February  is the month of love and valentines Day, so too celebrate the month of love i will be posting about the monster's  of Love and subduction ...Think of demons like  the Succubus and other's similar to her in nature...
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                         ~~~~Baobhan Sith ~~~  

                            👻☘️💕😈💕☘️👻

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The Baobhan Sith, pronounced baa’van see, also also known as the White Women of the Scottish Highlands or simply the Fairy Woman.

The Baobhan Sith is most often  depicted as  a beautiful young woman,

They are believed to be a type of fairy, though they share similarities to Succubus and Vampire's

They can be found lurking in the Highlands, waiting to seduce young travelers and drink their blood.
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Thought to be fairies. though some believe them to be a sub spices of Succubus or a type of lesser vampire... are a particularly dangerous type of vampire-spirits from the folklore of the Scottish Highlands like  the Leanan Sídhes, the Boabhan Siths are considered female but are usually temptresses who use their beauty to lure men into dance before brutally killing them


There mane concern is feeding - they will luring young hunters in by inviting them to dance until the hunter's are too tired too fight back or  overpower the Baobahn Sith.

They would then feed on their helpless victims, draining them dry of blood.




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The baobhan sith most often appears as a beautiful young woman wearing a long green dress..

She has deer hooves insted of normal human feet..

The long dress is used to conceals her  hooveed legs ..

                                      
                                             Green Dress...

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Like vampires, she drinks the blood of human victims and will leave before dawn..

She  can also transform according to some legends she may take the form of a hooded crow or raven. in other versions she will transform into a wolf..
                                      



There are numerous stories about the baobhan sith with a general theme of hunters being attacked in the wilderness at night.

                                  


                                      


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One famous legend state's that there were four men who went hunting and took shelter for the night in an old cabin.

One of the men supplied vocal music while the others began dancing.

The men wished there were woman present  to dance with, and soon after that four women entered the hut.

Three of them danced while the fourth sat beside as the vocalist.

He then noticed drops of blood falling from his companions and fled from the hut, taking refuge among the horses. His blood thusty  guests chased him but were unable to catch him, and when daylight came the woman all disappeared.

Later the man went back inside and found all three of his friends dead and  completely drained of blood.

The  baobhan sith was unable to catch the fourth man because liker other fairy's she has a weakness to iron., (iron being a traditional fairy  vulnerability.)

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In a similar tale one of the men noticed that the women had deer hooves instead of feet and fled from them. He returned the next morning to find that the other hunters had their "throats cut and chests laid open"<sup>.

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In a third story the hunters took refuge in a cave.

Each of the men said he wished his own sweetheart were there that night, but one of them, named Macphee, who was accompanied by his black dog, said he preferred his wife to remain at home.

 At that moment a group of young women entered the cave, and the men who had wished for their sweethearts were killed. Macphee was protected by his dog who drove the women from the cave^.

 
One recurring motif in these stories is that the baobhan sith appear almost immediately after the hunters express their desire for female companionship.

This is connected with a traditional Scottish belief that if one were to make a wish at night without also invoking God's protection, then that wish would be granted in some terrible manner..
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Fairy Myths: The Cat Sidhe

                                                           The Cat Sidh.

 The Cat Sidhe, Cath Sith, Cait Sidhe, Fairy Cat. is a creature believed to be a type of fay/fairy that lives in or near the Scottish Highlands.

The cat sidhe, like it's name would suggest is a cat like creature, in some versions of this tail it is as  large as a dog.

Most often described as black and white this cat is said to roam the Scottish Highlands, and was believed to steal the souls of any nearby newly deceased bodies before burial.during  the Feill Fadalach  OR  “Lake Wake, unburied bodies were watched over night and day to make sure the Cat Sìth would not gain access to the corpse and to keep it away from the room in which the body was kept they would also avoid lighting any fires near the burial as the Cat sihde was said to be attracted to the warmth .. 

Apparently anything that will distract a cat will work on the cat sith, thing like catnip and music were sometimes used.

Most believed the Cat Sìth is a type of feline fairy, but in some Celtic legends the Cat Sìths were thought to be shape-shifting witches who could turn themselves into a cat at least eight times.

Those attempting the transformation a ninth time would be permanently trapped in there cat  form, This is also the thought to be the origins of  the myth that cats have nine lives. 

The Cat Sìth is all black with the exception of a white spot on its chest.



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On a side note Black Cats are NOT bad luck, at least no more so then any other animal, but because of this misconception they are often mistreated during certain times of the year (Friday the  13th and Halloween for example).... during these times they are often  hurt and sometimes even killed by foolish and cruel people. Pleases keep them indoors and safe during the holidays..