Mythical Creatures and Monsters from Celtic Mythology | Part 1

Hey, and welcome back to Wild Mythology. I welcome you to the channel with bread and salt. For today's video, I'm going to be talking about five mythical creatures from Celtic mythology. But before we get to that, don't forget to join this month's giveaway for the 75th anniversary book of Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton. All you have to do is subscribe and make a comment on this video. Plus, don't forget to comment on any other video I make this May. It gives you an extra chance to win. Now enough of that, it's time for the creatures of Celtic Mythology. Number 1 The Nuckelavee The Nuckelavee is a hideous creature from the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland. Said to be the most malevolent creature in all of Scotland, the Nuckelavee is without a doubt the most dangerous creature in all of Celtic mythology. Legend has it that the Nuckelavee's breath is extremely toxic and can cause plagues, droughts, and can destroy crops in seconds. Its arms are long enough to touch the ground past its horse-like body, allowing the Nuckelavee to easily capture its prey and tear it to pieces. When it catches the scent of burning seaweed or kelp, the Nuckelavee will go berserk and destroy everything in its path. The Nuckelavee is so powerful that only an ancient Orkney Island spirit named Seamither is able to semi-control it. She is able to lock the Nuckelavee away in the sea during the summer season where the demonic beast stays until the beginning of fall. The only way to even come close to avoiding a Nuckelavee is by crossing a freshwater source. A Nuckelavee is unable to cross or be near freshwater, but that doesn't mean it won't figure out a way to get to you. After all, it is an extremely malicious creature. Number 2. The Dullahan Being a huge influence for the story of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, the Dullahan is a headless man from Irish folklore that rides a black horse while holding his decapitated head. In legend, a Dullahan's head has moving eyes that are able to see far and wide in the dark, a horrible grin stretched from cheek to cheek, and is said to glow like a lantern. Dullahan's wield human spines as swifts, and in the instance where their horses are pulling carriages, the carriage is full of funeral items and covered in bones. In myths, a Dullahan would continuously ride until it stopped at a home. It was believed that when a Dullahan stopped riding, someone was about to die. When it stopped, it would ride up right to the door of the home, and the decapitated head would yell a name. The person whose name was called would have their soul drained away by the Dullahan, and would die right on the spot. Supposedly, the only way to defeat or ward away a Dullahan is by carrying gold. According to legend, the Dullahan's origins come from the god Kromdubth. Kromdubth was once a fertility god that required decapitated sacrifices. After his worship came to an end because of Christianity, Kromdubth became the first Dullahan as revenge and as a way to continue gaining blood and sacrifices. Number 3 The Banshee Banshees are fey spirits from Irish folklore who signal the demise or coming death of an individual through the use of a terrible shriek. Usually, they're depicted as either old or young women, with long flowing hair and are known to wear a grey hooded cloak. According to legend, Banshees were responsible for letting families know that a member of their family had died. They originally were only responsible for four main clans of families in Ireland, but as members married outside the family, the legend of the Banshee became more widespread and more people were affected. In the case of a death of someone extremely important or holy, multiple Banshees would appear and shriek together. Banshees are thought to be connected to an old Irish tradition of mourning, where a woman, usually called a Keening Woman, would sing songs of grief during funerals. Banshees are omens of death and if you're ever unlucky to hear a Banshee's wail, then someone close to you or possibly yourself will soon perish. Number 4 Cat Shee Cat Shee or a Kite Shee is said to be either a fairy or witch from Celtic mythology that takes the form of a large dog-sized black cat with a white spot on its chest. The people of the Scottish Highlands believed that Cat Shees could steal a dead person's soul before it moved on to the afterlife by stepping over their grave before the burial. So the Highlanders would post watches during the night, but no fires would be lit since the cats were attracted to the warmth. According to legend, watchmen would have to distract the Cat Shees with creative games of wrestling, jumping, and riddles. They would even use catnip and music to ward off the felines. Another legend tells of Cat Shees appearing on the night of Samhain. They would bless a house and its family if they left out a saucer of milk. Those who didn't would have their cows cursed to be milkless for an entire year. In British folklore, there is a tale about a man who comes home from a walk. He tells his wife and cat that he saw nine Cat Shees carrying a casket, proclaiming that the king of cats was now dead. Hearing this, the man's cat begins to speak, proclaiming that he is now king. The new king of the cats then escapes the house through the chimney. In Ireland, Cat Shees were thought to be witches who had the ability to transform into cats. Although, they were only able to do this nine times, and after the ninth, the witch would forever take the form of a cat. Thus, a possible origin of the wives' tale that cats had nine lives. Number 5. The Changeling In European mythology and folklore, there are many stories about the fairy folk. Stories where they are mischievous, stories where they are kind, and stories where they are malevolent. But one of the creatures that fit all three of these traits are the changelings, the deformed and odd children of the fae. When the fairy folk had deformed children, they would switch out these changelings for the children of humans. Usually, the human children were the fairest and most beautiful features, because these were the features that the fairy folk admired and desired. Once the switch was made, the human child would either grow up to become a servant to the fairies, or would be accepted and loved by the fae family that took them in. As for the changeling, legend has it that they would grow up in odd ways. They could appear sickly or not grow to the correct size. They would also display strange levels of intelligence and be gifted in the arts, such as dancing, singing, and the playing of instruments at an incredibly young age. When a family discovered that their child had been replaced, the changing would usually be tortured in hopes of their real child being returned. Changelings were also abandoned in the wild so they could no longer be a danger to the family. And there it is, I give you 5 creatures from Celtic Mythology. I hope you enjoyed the video, go check out our other content and don't forget to subscribe and comment so you can enter our giveaway. Well until next time on Wild Mythology