Glossary
Anu – Anu or Ana (sometimes given as Anann or Anand) is the name of a goddess mentioned briefly in Irish mythology. The 9th century Sanas Cormaic (Cormac’s Glossary) says in its entry for her: “Ana – mother of the gods of Ireland; well did she feed the gods”. She may be a goddess in her own right, or an alternate name for Danu. For the purposes of this series, she is the Goddess of Faerie, the rivers, love, fertility, and pleasure.
Barghest – the Barghest or Barguest is a mythical monstrous black dog with large teeth and claws. They often accompany the Wild Hunt or Fairy Raed.
Bealtaine – Beltane or Bealtaine is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on the 1st May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In Irish the name for the festival day is Lá Bealtaine while the month of May is Mí na Bealtaine, Beltane is one of the four main Celtic seasonal festivals—along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh—and is similar to the Welsh Calan Mai.
Bi-corn – The Bicorn (literally meaning “two horns”) is a mythological two-horned creature. Due to its variation in depictions, it’s possible this creature has some shape-shifting abilities. For the purpose of this series, it is a horse with two horns.
Cailleach – Cah-lee-acht. In Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) myth, the Cailleach is a divine hag and ancestor, associated with the creation of the landscape and with the weather, especially storms and winter. The word literally means ‘old woman, hag’, and is found with this meaning in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Cailleach comes from the Old Irish Caillech (‘veiled one’), an adjectival form of caille (‘veil’). For the purposes of this series, she is the hag of winter. An immortal lesser goddess.
Coimirceoir – Comet-key-oih. This word means Guardian in Irish. For the purposes of this series, these are the elite oath-sworn guards and potential mates of the High Queen of Faerie.
Dubhlachan – The Dullahan, also called Colainn Gan Cheann (meaning “without a head” in Irish), is a type of legendary creature in Irish folklore. He is depicted as a headless rider, on a black horse, who carries his own head held high in his hand or under his right arm. They fight with a whip and a sword. They are sensitive to gold.
Firben – This word means lizard in Danish. For the purpose of this series, it is a work animal used for riding by the Fomóiri. They’re blocky saurians that look a lot like Saurosuchus galilei.
Fomóiri – The Fomorians or Fomóiri are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally, they were said to come from under the sea or the earth. Later, they were portrayed as sea raiders and giants. They are enemies of Ireland’s first settlers and opponents of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the other supernatural race in Irish mythology, although some members of the two races have offspring.
Jann – are the ancestor of the jinn in Islam. They are said to have inhabited the earth before Adam, ruled by a king called Jann ibn Jann. Jann is an Arabic term, whose primary meaning is “to hide” and can also refer to an agile snake. The term designates a supernatural creature or a serpent. For the purposes of this series, the Jann are what a lot of Arabic mythology paints them as. Mortal shapeshifters that have been bastardized into the European genie myth.
Kobolds – A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialize in the form of a non-human animal, a fire, a hominid form, and a candle. They are known to be impudent, thieving, droll, idle, and mischievous. For the purpose of this series, I’ve used the oldest myths of the Kobolds. They were mine spirits in many old tales. They’re known to wear bright clothing and have amber eyes with a blue flame pupil. For anyone curious, my kobold character, Séaghdha, is 5’6”. I took some creative license with his race for height. In folklore kobolds are usually shorter.
Melf’s Acid Arrow – This is a D&D spell. A shimmering green arrow streaks toward a target within range and bursts in a spray of acid. Makes a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 4d4 acid damage immediately and 2d4 acid damage at the end of its next turn. On a miss, the arrow splashes the target with acid for half as much of the initial damage and no damage at the end of its next turn.
Mist walker – A creature capable of traversing large distances by walking through clouds, fog, or mist. For the purposes of this series, Mist walkers are the children of the Cailleach.
Muirgeilt – A mermaid or merman in Irish folklore. Often anglicized to merrow. They are gentle, kind beings that require a magical cap in order to travel between deep water and dry land.
Sail élle – translates into English as “thonged willow-stick.” Often anglicized and bastardized into Shillelagh. They are usually made from Blackthorn wood with a leather wrist strap joined to the handle. Commonly used as a walking cane or walking stick and can sometimes be described as a cudgel. It is typically made from a stout knobbly and knotty stick with a knotty head, which can be used for gripping or striking. It is one of the weapons of the traditional Irish Martial Art Bataireacht (pronounced Bahh-tare-acht) – a form of traditional Irish stick fighting.
Samhain – is a Gaelic festival on the 1st of November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. It is also the Irish language name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa.
The Wild Hunt/Fairy Raed – Wild Hunts are typically a chase led by a mythological figure (usually a shirtless male figure) escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, valkyries, or elves. Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to forebode some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. The Fairy Raed used to be synonymous with The Wild Hunt. For the purposes of this series, that is the case.