Celtic mythology and its most well-preserved incarnation, , are filled with tales of therianthropy, i.e. the ability of humans (or human-like gods) to shapeshift or shape-change into animals. From metamorphosizing into a bejeweled, music-making fly to metamorphosizing into a salmon to metamorphosizing into a deer, there are many examples—and animals—to choose from. And wolves are no exception.
The daughters of Airitech are perhaps the earliest example of werewolves (a.k.a. wolfwalkers a.k.a lycanthropes a.k.a. faoladh) in Irish mythology. Every Samhain, at the behest of their father, the trio of sisters would leave their home (the Cave of Cruachan, an entrance to the Otherworld), transform into wolves, and raid the Irish countryside for sustenance. —not silver—proved to be their weakness, for one Samhain a warrior of the , Cas Corach, was able to convince the sisters to change back into their human forms so they might better appreciate his enchanting tunes. The ruse worked, and the sisters were promptly dispatched with a spear, courtesy of Caílte mac Rónáin, cousin (and/or nephew) of Fionn mac Cumhail and, famously, the slayer of the ocean-god .
(FYI: I wrote a retelling of the above story, "," for Enchanted Conversations Magazine a couple of years back if you want the more in-depth version.)
As noted in , the most famous werewolves from Irish mythology are the man-wolves of Ossory, who were featured in the twelfth-century work (Topography of Ireland). In it, tells of a wandering priest who gives the last rites to a dying wolf, who is actually an old woman. She and her husband (also a wolf) claim to be natives of Ossory, a medieval Irish kingdom that comprised what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois. The pair are cursed to live as animals every seven years. Although in other versions, residents of Ossory are able to leave their bodies in a lifeless state while traveling as wolves, which more closely resembles what we see in WolfWalkers.
The man-wolves of Ossory are sometimes said to be the descendants of the old gods of Ireland, the , while other origin stories peg them as the descendants of Laighnech Fáelad, ancestor of the original kings of Ossory. And this makes me wonder: Is the Irish werewolf synonym "faoladh" derived from the name Fáelad? (I couldn't find anything on this, so if you have information, please share it in the comments!) I'm also definitely reaching here, but it's interesting that the name Ossory is similar to Ossar: a hound from Irish mythology, belonging to the Leinster king Mesorda Mac Da Thó, which could outrun all other hounds.
YOU ARE READING
Werewolf Facts
Про оборотнейFacts about werewolves that include age of shifting, birth, side effects, coat colors, pack ranks, mating habits and spells that can possibly transform you into a werewolf. A lot of information here is found on the internet, credit goes to the write...
