The soul-devouring fairies of Irish and Scottish folklore

"A Murder of Crows" by Paul Balfe under this license, unmodified

Almost all of my favorite folktales have been on types of fairies, and today is no exception.

I'm so sorry, but I can't help myself. One of my next book series is based on fairies and the mythologies surrounding them, and I'm doing an insane amount of research for the story. Consequently, I keep finding awesome stuff that I want to include in it.

(In case you're curious, the series is titled Children of the Death Gods. You can check out the playlist I've made for the series on Spotify, and book one - The Bone Faerie - is coming soon.)

Now, on to the soul-devouring fairies I promised; they're called the Sluagh.

In Irish and Scottish folklore and mythology, the Sluagh are a type of (usually evil) fairy made up of the spirits of the dead.

But AP, how can you be so sure that the Sluagh are usually evil? you might ask.

Well, their primary objective is to steal the souls of people... especially the souls of vulnerable, dying people (although they also steal the souls of strong, healthy people when they can). It seems that absorbing souls is how they sustain themselves. Sounds pretty vile, no?

During the day, the Sluagh hide in dark and abandoned places, but once the sun falls below the horizon, they take to the sky. They're especially active during Samhain.

From far away, these creatures can look like a murder of crows (despite having leathery wings and disfigured limbs). So if you happen to be traveling at night and you see what looks like a flock of dark-colored birds, run away as fast as you can, because it could be the Sluagh coming to suck the soul from your body.

And if that happens, it's said you'll be forced to fly with them forever.

If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering, How do I keep myself safe from the Sluagh?

Well, you can't always help when you get sick or when you're dying, so there isn't much you can do to avoid the Sluagh in those cases. But one way to keep these wicked fairies at bay is to ensure that your west-facing windows and doors are shut at night. This is because it's said that the Sluagh fly from the west.

A few other ways to avoid the Sluagh are to not travel at night - especially during Samhain - and to never utter their name, as this calls them to you.

The last method I discovered on how to deter the Sluagh is one I would never recommend, as it's pure evil: apparently, the Sluagh will leave you alone if you give them another person's soul in place of yours.

I hope you enjoyed November 2023's favorite folktale!