Shapeshifters from the Celtic World

The statue of the selkie in Mikladalur, by Siegfried Rabanser, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68573408

There are many different kinds of shapeshifting and here we look at different examples from Ireland, Wales and Scotland that provide differing glimpses of shapeshifters in action in the myth, folklore, and tradition of these three Celtic nations.

Courting the Wild Twin

I first caught the perfume of my wild twin by walking with muddy boots through wet grasses to my scrubby woodland den as a six-year-old. As the trees swirled I caught a scent and started to cry without understanding. I wove a pheasant feather in my hair. I hear it now in the owl court who hoot across the frost grass and moon-touched lawns of my cottage. There’s more than book smarts in that chill delirium. These are not domestic tones, not corralled sounds, but loose as Dartmoor ponies on the hill. They give me ecstasy. Not safety, not contentment, certainly not ease, not peace, but ecstasy. It’s almost painful. Makes me restless.

Top Five Terrors: Treasury of Folklore – Seas and Rivers

Cover illustration from Treasury of Folklore – Seas and Rivers, by Joe McLaren. Authors: Willow Winsham & Dee Dee Chainey.

The folklore attached to the seas and rivers of the world is plentiful, filled with wondrous creatures and beguiling tales. There are some places, however, that a cautious reader would do best to avoid: here are the top five watery locations featured in Treasury of Folklore – Seas and Rivers to steer well clear of.

Spinning a Tale: Spinning and Weaving in Myths and Legends

Assorted spindles – modern, but identical to old and ancient ones. © Freyalyn Close-Hainsworth https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7238/7187064986_36975bbb39.jpg

Spinning is a fundamentally human thing, and something that we have been doing since far into the ancient past.

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