Far darrig

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A far darrig or fear dearg is a faerie of Irish mythology. The name far darrig is an Anglophone pronunciation of the Irish words fear dearg, meaning Red Man, as the far darrig is said to wear a red coat and cap. According to Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, the far darrig is classified as a solitary fairy along with the leprechaun and the clurichaun, all of whom are "most sluttish, slouching, jeering, mischievous phantoms". The far darrig in particular is described as one who "busies himself with practical joking, especially with gruesome joking".[1] One example of this is replacing babies with changelings.[2] They are also said to have some connection to nightmares. [3]

In books

In Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, the fear dearg makes an appearance in the book Divine Misdemeanors, where he asks Merry to give him a proper name.

In the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon book series, The Callahan Touch introduces a character, Ernie "The Lucky Duck" Shea, who is the crossbreed son of a far darrig and a pooka. His strange heritage leaves him with an unusual effect on the probability of events around him – flip three coins simultaneously, for example, and they are likely to land stacked up on edge.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Yeats, W. B. (ed.) Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. 1888.
  2. ↑ Bardan, Patrick (1891). The Dead-watchers, and Other Folk-lore Tales of Westmeath. Westmeath Guardian Office. p. 82. ISBN 1277594635. 
  3. ↑ Catholic World, Volume 79. Paulist Fathers. 1901. p. 755. ISBN 9781149771518. 
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