In the beginning, there was an idea.

I've loved myths and folktales as long as I can remember. They were among the first material I read as a young child, and knowing them has enriched my sense of spirituality and made me feel like a part of something greater. Being a writer, I tell stories as well, but no matter what I write about, I always feel as though these stories, these ancient tales that were passed down from generation to generation, are more perfect than anything that has come from the mind of a writer in this day and age. So, recently, I began to toy with the idea of sharing these myths with readers all over the world. Only a few days before this blog was created, my mother and I were talking and she suggested I make a blog and gather together information that would otherwise remain scattered over literature and the Internet. Why not myths? Why not make a blog that tells, picks apart, and analyzes popular (and even not-so-popular) myths, stories and folktales from around the world?

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The Bean Nighe

Don't ask me to pronounce it. I'm horrible with Gaelic.

The Bean Nighe, also known as the "Washer of the Ford" (not the car), is a Scottish spirit (or possibly multiple spirits), who many say was once a woman who died in childbirth. She sits by the river, washing the blood out of the clothes of soldiers who are to die. If you come across a bean nighe, chances are you won't last through the day. Imagine many a Scotsman's surprise when he went out to take a drink (or a leak) and stumbled upon such a spirit.

In the story of Cuchulainn (the Ulster Cycle), Morrigan takes the form of a bean nighe in order to inform our hero that he is to die. The story of his final battle (well, his whole life, really) is an interesting one, and I suppose I'll have to share it one of these days.

Sources:
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/bean_nighe.html
http://www.morrigan.net/morrigan.htm
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