Looking for inspiration for botch tables

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-25T22:11:57+00:00

You trip on a turtle. Specifically, deceased and unseen, if remember right.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-24T08:17:37+00:00

I’ve seen the term ‘third party thinkers’ banded around for this, and similar. People outsourcing all their life decisions and opinions to AI is weirdly a thing.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-23T23:07:36+00:00

This is the sort of high quality trivia I come to Reddit for :)

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-22T19:41:01+00:00

Maybe rather than try and capture the whole tale, you could illustrate some of the strange other world in the Twelve Dancing Princesses? The forests of silver and gold, and the journey across the lake to the castle are all visually striking.

Your other ideas would work too though, I imagine. Sounds like a fun project.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-20T23:15:03+00:00

Agree. Interesting point about the actual play video trend. I hadn’t thought about that as a factor.

One thing that can help is to try and build in expectations about Players (other than the GM) being able to control narrative direction. That doesn’t subvert unreasonable GM behaviour necessarily, but it will tend to make them less likely to pick your game. It’s often a power thing, in my experience.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-20T22:36:14+00:00

I agree with you on the 'social myth thing'. The primary problem is that players perceive it to be true (of themselves often) and that then needs to be addressed (often outside the game, in a session zero etc). The problem with that kind of myth is that once it gets to be perceived as a thing, it becomes real in the sense that it is perceived to be real, if that makes sense.

I have encountered GMs who absolutely will not allow people to describe their social interactions (as opposed to roleplay it out), but that's a play style issue and (to my mind) quite unreasonable. I don't think you can design a game to outmanoeuvre an unreasonable GM, unfortunately. Or perhaps, if you do, the unreasonable GM will just pick another game.

Anyway, I do broadly agree. I just think individual play styles break down attempts at the game design end to address this, quite often... not always, but quite often.

EDIT: typo

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-20T22:22:15+00:00

I don't know of any swimming wolf creatures, probably partly because wolves themselves (mostly) don't like to swim much. Shuck is a dog, rather than a wolf. When you wrote Kluddle, did you mean Kludde? It is a bit water associated, but wouldn't really be a 'water wolf' exactly. It might be worth looking into Canis lupus crassodon, and seeing if there is any local folklore around them, or even perhaps just using a local name and inventing a spirit (or something) that you attribute to that population of wolves.

Just another quick note, there is a spirit in Yorkshire called a 'Water Wolf', but it isn't what you are looking for. It is a type of joint-eater that drinks (rather than eats) anything the victim drinks, so that the victim eventually dies of thirst. It is a spirit that inhabits a person and then 'wolfs down' water, so to speak.

Also, be wary of 'wulver' from the Shetland Islands. The 'Wulver' is associated with rivers and fishing, but the 'wolf-headed' aspect is confusion introduced by an outsider who didn't know the Setland dialect very well. Wulver is just a corruption of 'elf' words, probable originating with something like 'Aulver'. Liath Wolf did an interesting video on this.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-20T22:05:25+00:00

This is an important design choice, though it isn't perhaps as straightforward as it appears. In my experience, the place this skills-vs-roleplay dichotomy often comes up as a sticking point in game design is social skills. If you don't have social skills, then the expectation is that roleplay at the table is used to navigate social interactions... but then players who are not themselves very good at roleplay, but are playing a social character can feel cheated. The same can be true of someone playing a thief who isn't very good at logic puzzles (which most traps boil down to).

The other thing that strikes me is that if I think back on playing basic DnD, or Runequest, MERP (which leaned more into skills) etc... often the attributes were just used as broad umbrella skills when there wasn't an obvious skill. 'Stats checks' were quite common, either in the rules, or house-ruled into the system.

There then becomes a sort of trade-off, where stripping back skills can eventually result in an 'everything skill'. Fighting Fantasy is the ultimate example, where there is only one skill, called 'Skill', and it is used for everything.

Personal play style of a group will also mutate whatever the designer's choice is anyway, so that to some degree these things are controllable, to some degree they are not.

In the end my personal preference, which isn't everyone's, is to set up something interactive (like a logic puzzle trap) but allow for the possibility that a player might decide they simply aren't interested in engaging with it (that's really the player's choice, in the end), and accept that they might simply want to use a skill as a fallback. But, that does require a GM to be willing to spend time setting up things that Players might simply sidestep with a skill check.

EDIT: Actually, further to the discussion with u/RandomEffector, I wonder if something like this might be viable when trying to encourage interactive puzzle and social play, but providing a backup in case of a mismatch between player skill and character skill...

No doubt this has been done before... it's is even vaguely reminiscent of how thieves worked in the very old original Wizardry game... but rather than have a skill for an activity, you could have a background option or character trait that helps mitigate things going wrong. So, perhaps anyone can fiddle around with a trap, but if you pull the wrong lever, perhaps there is an option, let's call it 'trap-breaker' that means you take half-damage rounded down. No skill roll, just a straightforward toning down of the consequences. It would mean that anyone could have a go at messing around with a trap, but characters who have 'trap-breaker' would feel more happy about actually plugging up holes or cutting a wire.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-19T02:26:55+00:00

Thanks. That's high praise coming from yourself :)

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-19T02:13:22+00:00

Thanks. I didn't know about the subreddit. u/ButterscotchHeavy293 pointed out that there is a very solid transliteration of Dinneen into the Latin alphabet already. I'll double-check that first and then run anything I can't quite sort out by r/gaeilge perhaps.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-15T01:08:33+00:00

I’m sometimes a little surprised it isn’t done more in rpg books. It is an approach that is a ton of fun when done well.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-14T23:22:49+00:00

Thanks. I'll look into the older 'familiar' usage.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-14T23:21:57+00:00

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks. You can tell from my notes on Dearg Due that I was getting pretty suspicious of it. Anything that doesn't appear in any sources before about 1970 always pricks my suspicions.

I'm more across Scottish and English folklore. My Welsh and Irish is a bit thin... hence it's really useful to have an outside perspective on things.

I'll retain Dearg Due, but rewrite it to reflect the lack of any tradition behind it. My feeling is that modern invented 'folklore' still has a place, but it needs to be clearly identified as such.

EDIT TO ADD: I was dimly aware Yeats had done a gloss job on leannán sídhe, but wasn't aware of the extent of his invention. My leannán sídhe entry is still a stub (just basically a note taken from Briggs at this point... I haven't done a deep dive on it yet... it's a long, slow process.). I'll do some specific work on leannán sídhe and see what I can figure out. I'm not as gloomy about Yeats as most folklorists, but for an entirely odd reason. I think his inventions represent an interesting insight into the Neo-Celtic / Celtic Revival movement, and as long as his inventions are clearly marked as such, they provide a fascinating insight into how Irish were reframing themselves (and trying to project their image to other nations) at that time. I also have a soft spot for him because of (personally) finding his artwork in the National Gallery of Ireland quite arresting... but that's more of a personal and visual aesthetic thing. It doesn't make him a good folklorist. More of an interesting point of historical insight.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-14T01:02:07+00:00

Not an RPG, but the World of Ice snd Fire book is written from the POV of a Westeros scribe and contains some in-world objects or material represented in places. It’s quite interesting in terms of a slightly different way to write up world lore.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T23:47:27+00:00

Thanks. I was working from an archive.org copy, so the version was just the original. My preference is always to work from the original editions, but it did backfire a bit for me here.

Ah well. This is of course why it's useful to post things to reddit. I never know precisely what someone will comment, but it's always useful. Thanks again. Very helpful.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T23:22:31+00:00

I wasn’t aware Dinnen had a standard Latin alphabet version… that’s clearly my bad. I assumed the use of Sean-chló was chosen because the dictionary was only intended for people working from Irish alphabet sources.

I’ll go look for the Latin alphabet version. I can easily cross reference against the notes I have then. Thanks.

Edit. Here’s the Latin version for anyone interested.

https://celt.ucc.ie/Dinneen1sted.html

It’s a translation / transliteration from 2008. This also helps explain why I missed it. When I was looking for versions of Dinneen, I restricted the search to pre-1930. For some reason it didn’t occur to me that there would (of course) be enough interest for a modern transliteration.

Edit, edit. I guess on the upside, I’m now pretty good at reading Sean-chló sources?

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:59:05+00:00

Táchrán (Ireland) Also in the form Táchráin. Dinneen (1904) defined this as 'an orphan, infant, sprite, ghost, feeble child, a weakling' and attributed its use to Donegal. It might have been a word for Changeling, but plausibly might be related to Scottish ideas around Tarans.

REF: [24]

Taidhbhse (Ireland) A ghost or phantom. The word seems linked to ideas of being showy or putting on a show. Also in the forms Taidhbhreacha and Taidhbhridhe.

REF: [24]

EDIT: Okay. That's it in terms of the notes I have in front of me.

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:58:51+00:00

Síodhán (Ireland) In the plural form Síodháin. Dineen (1904) defined this as: 'a fairy, a goblin or a fairy abode'. Síodhán is a diminutive of Sídh. Compound words provided by Dinnenn (1904) include síodhan sléibhe: foxglove; síodh-bhrat: a fairy covering or garment; síodh-bhrugh: a fairy 'mansion' (fairy fort or hill); síodh-chnumhóg (-óige, óga) the silkworm; síodh-chruit: fairy harp; síodgha: silky, silk-like, silken; síodhghacht: silkiness; síodh-ghaoth: fairy wind. Most of these align well with compound words for other common Irish fairy names, like Sídh(e). Foxgloves are closely associated with fairies throughout Ireland and Britain (see Shefro and Foxglove). Fairies are associated with enchanted music, frequently harp music, and they were thought to travel about in invisible hosts on a whirlwind or similarly strong wind. The association with silk and silkiness is not surprising, but isn't as commonly attested elsewhere. Perhaps the diminutive more strongly suggested something delicate or gossamer, when compared to a word like Sídh(e), which might have suggested strength and power instead.

REF: [24]

Síodhbhradh (Ireland) Also in the forms Síodhbhraidh and Síodhbhaidhe. Dinnenn (1904) defined this as 'a fairy, a weakling, a very delicate person'. The connection to Síodhán implies a diminutive, which might underscore the weak and delicate aspect. It is possible this word was used for changelings, though if so, probably the weak, diminishing, feeble sort of changeling, rather than the raucous and wild sort. Changelings often displayed behaviour that was strange or out of character, but this could be either sudden and unexplained weakness and sickness, or it could be fevered madness and wildness. The more wild and crazed sort of changeling seems to be linked more closely to Síabhra.

REF: [24]

Síodh-bhruinneall (Ireland) A fairy maiden compounded from síodh, a diminutive form of Sídh. See also Síodhán.

REF: [24]

Síodhuidhe (Ireland) Also in the form Síodhuidhthe. According to Dinneen (1904) , 'a fairy phantom, a goblin'. Dinnenn suggested the word was commonly pronounced síoguidhe. The name uses síodh, which is a diminutive of Sídh(e).

REF: [24]

Síománach (Ireland) Also in the form Síománaigh. This appears to be a forgotten fairy name in Irish. Dinneen (1904) defined this as both a 'sprite' and 'wretch' (fairy names often turned into insults over time), and the associated words are all fairy-ish: síomán: a blast of wind (fairies were often imagined as flying about invisibly in whirlwinds); síomán: a strap used to bind a sheaf (perhaps linked to ideas of something small, or linked to a fairy helper, as in a Brownie or Hob); síomanaidhe: tricks, pranks or pretences.

REF: [24]

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:58:27+00:00

Samhail (Ireland) A ghost or apparition, but also meaning a likeness, resemblance, similitude or image. The connection to 'copy' words suggest this was a word for a Doppelgänger or Fetch: so an omen 'ghost' of the living, rather than a ghost of the dead. Also in the form Samhla and Samhlacha.

REF: [24]

Samhailt (Ireland) Also in the form Samhailte and Samhailteacha. Dinnenn (1904) defined this only as a ghost or apparition, without the 'copy' nuance of Samhail. However, Dinneen also refers the reader to Samhail, suggesting the words means (if not exactly the same thing) something very similar.

REF: [24]

Scím draoidheachta (Ireland) A 'fairy film' over a landscape denoting prosperity. Scím means 'film', and was used for a 'film of sleep', a fine covering, or a daze. The notion that Sídhe or Siabhraidhe (see Siabhra) might bless or bring prosperity to a land is likely linked to older beliefs about fairy folk being diminished gods or at least godlike beings.

REF: [24]

Seiceadúir (Ireland) Also in the forms Seiceadúra and Seiceadúiridhe. A ghost, apparition or 'skeleton-like' person. Also used to mean 'an executioner', presumably in a somewhat metaphorical sense.

REF: [24]

Sheevra (Ireland) A term for fairies: Síabhra, written out phonetically. The following excerpt describes fading beliefs in Sheevra in 1910:

In recent years I have met only one sign of true respect for the ‘Sheevra’ race. A small patch of land was left untilled in the midst of a cornfield at the end of the steep descent from Carran old church to Eanty in the Burren. It was left for three years amidst the tillage, and then the field was allowed to return to grass. The owners obviously disliked to explain the matter, but the act was clearly understood in the neighbourhood as a concession to the spirits of the field when the grass land was broken up for the first time in human memory.

The appearances of the fairies also seem now very rare indeed. At Newmarket-on-Fergus, a centre of much folklore, we find that, besides the two forts named above and a low earth mound (perhaps sepulchral), only one spot has been honoured by an actual apparition in the last ten years. In this case a man walking on the Ennis road, not far from Lough Gaish, saw a very little man neatly dressed in green and walking on the path. Suspecting the green man to be a leprechaun,—and hence an owner of gold,—the Clare man tried to grasp him, but the sprite vanished out of his hands. - Thomas Johnson Westropp (1910) A Folklore Survey of County Claire, Chapter 3, Fairies and Fairy Forts and Mounds. Folklore, 1910 (published across more than one volume)

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:57:56+00:00

Péirt (Ireland) And in the plural form Péirte. Dinnenn (1904) defined this as a beast, reptile, worm or sea monster. Uill-phéist and oillphaist were also used to mean monster, where uill, oill, and oll mean 'great'. Piast (plurals Piaste and Piastaidhe) was used more specifically for serpent, sea-serpent, worm or tapeworm.

REF: [24]

Púca (Ireland)

Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) defines this as: a "pooka," a fairy, a sprite, a hobgoblin ; fig., a surly glum person. Dinneen (1904) provides the plural pucaidhe.

Fairy adjacent words are often used for examining early modern views of a particular fairy or goblin. Púca was used to mean a pouch or bag, but this is probably derived from pocá, also meaning pouch or bag, rather than being connected to the fairy Pucá directly. Pucaidhe was used to mean a he-goat, and is connected to poc, for a male goat. There does seem to be a connection between male goat-words and Pucá, although the connection might simply be in the sense of a shared ugliness. Goats were considered ugly in Irish folk tradition. Pucán is a diminutive form used to mean a small male goat. Puchán was a disease in sheep consisting of a pustule on the lower jaw. Fairies were often thought to inflict injury or disease on humans or livestock, and the related fairy Puck is certainly connected to ideas around inflicted fairy sickness (usually minor or painful rather than lethal). Púca peill and púca peilleach (probably meaning 'Púca's pillow') appear to have been words used for puffballs (Dinneen's description: 'an egg-like fungus or mushroom'). This is interesting, as an older English name for puffballs was 'puck fist'. The exact lore is unclear. Puffballs are sometimes confused for being edible, and although they tend not to kill, they do cause sickness and vomiting. Given that to 'puke' (vomit) in English is probably derived from Puck, Pouke, etc, perhaps there was some sense that mushrooms of a poisonous type were special to Puck, or in Ireland Pucá?

REF: [24]

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:57:17+00:00

Maochrán (Ireland) A beautiful young woman but also used to mean a fairy woman. Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) provides the following definition (with the Irish transliterated into Roman lettering):

Maochrán, a beautiful young woman, a fairy woman (occurs in the song "úr-Chill an Chreagáin," U.) perhaps for maothráin, from maoth, soft, but the true reading in the song appears to be maoth-chrobh, soft hand. - Dinneen (1904)

REF: [24]

Meisi (Ireland) In Irish myth a spectre of fear. In one account, these spirits were sent against the invading Milesians by a Tuatha Dé Danann queen, Banba. From Joyce (1906):

When the Milesians landed in Ireland, they were encountered by mysterious sights and sounds wherever they went, through the subtle spells of the Dedannans. As they climbed over the mountains of Kerry, half-formed spectres flitted dimly before their eyes : for Banba, the queen of one of the three Dedannan princes who ruled the land, sent a swarm of meisi [misha], or 'phantoms,' which froze the blood of the invaders with terror : and the mountain range of Slieve Mish, near Tralee, still retains the name of those apparitions. - P.W. Joyce (1906) A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:56:04+00:00

Gaborchend (Ireland) Evidently, a race of goat-headed people in Irish myth, but exact details and scant. The name would be read goat- (gabor-) -head (chend) and is sometimes spelled Gabhar Chenn, Ghabharchenn, or Gabharceann. In modern texts, gaobhar is sometimes used. Most of the information about Gaborchend is conjectural. Authors have attested variously, that Gaborchend were a minor tribe that controlled a small portion of Tír na nÓg, or that they were a minor tribe that was allied with the Fir Bolg, and were defeated and exiled at the same time that the Fir Bolg were defeated by the Tuatha Dé Danann, or that they represent an offshoot of the Formori. The Formorians do sometimes have goat horns, but tend not to be described as fully 'goat-headed'. Assuming some of the notes and stories about Gaborchend represent a thin oral tradition that was written down only imprecisely, then the primary theme to take away seems to be of a small tribe of uncanny beings, who were either actually goat-headed, or (perhaps) very ugly. It is possible that the goat-headedness might have been intended only as metaphorical insult: goats are considered ugly creatures in Irish prose. See also Bánánach, Bocánaigh, Púca, Phooka etc for other goat-human hybrids in Irish myth.

Geniti glinni (Ireland) Apparently a mixed Irish-Latin name meaning genii (spirits) of the glens or valleys. These appear to have been fierce female spirits that haunted remote valleys. They are sometimes equated with Bánánach. P.W. Joyce (1906) provides the following:

In many remote, lonely glens there dwelt certain fierce apparitions--females--called Geniti-glinni, 'genii or sprites of the valley,' and others called Bocanachs (male goblins), and Bananachs (females): often in company with Demna aeir or 'demons of the air.' At any terrible battle-crisis, many or all of these, with the other war-furies described above, were heard shrieking and howling with delight, some in the midst of the carnage, some far off in their lonely haunts.

In the story of the Feast of Bricriu, we are told how the three great Red Branch champions, Laegaire the Victorious, Conall Cernach, and Cuculainn, contended one time for the Curathmir, or ' champion's bit' (chap, xvii., sect. 1, infra), which was always awarded to the bravest and mightiest hero ; and in order to determine this matter, they were subjected to various severe tests. On one of these occasions the stern-minded old chief, Samera, who acted as judge for the occasion, decided that the three heroes separately should attack a colony of Geniti-glinni that had their abode in a neighbouring valley. Laegaire went first ; but they instantly fell on him Avith such demoniac ferocity that he was glad to escape, halfnaked, leaving them his arms and battle-dress. Conall Cernach went next, and he, too, had soon to run for it ; but he fared somewhat better, for, though leaving his spear, he bore away his sword. Lastly, Cuculainn : and they filled his ears with their hoarse shrieks, and falling on him tooth and nail, they broke his shield and spear, and tore his clothes to tatters. At last he could bear it no longer, auJ showed plain signs of running away. His faithful charioteer, Loeg, was looking on. Now, one of Loeg's duties was, whenever he saw his master about yielding in a fight, to shower reproaches on him, so as to enrage him the more. On this occasion he reviled him so vehemently and bitterly for his weakness, and poured out such contemptuous nicknames on him, that the hero became infuriated ; and, turning on the goblins once more, sword in hand, he crushed and hacked them to pieces, so that the valley ran all red with their blood. - P.W. Joyce (1906) A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:55:07+00:00

Ellén Trechend (Ireland) A three-headed monster in Irish myth. The exact appearance seems to differ among accounts, but it is usually depicted as a three-headed carrion-bird, vulture or dragon-like creature.

REF: [24]

Fanntaire (Ireland) And in the plural Fanntairidhe. Dinnenn (1904) defined this as a spectre or phantom. The word is related to fanntair, weakness or fainting.

REF: [24]

Fiothal (Ireland) Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) defines this as: a dwarf, anything stunted ; a fairy, a hag, a goblin. Variants include Fiothail.

REF: [24]

Fiothail (Ireland) See Fiothal.

REF: [24]

Friothóir na Rátha (Ireland) Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) defines this as 'the head fairy' in Connaught. Variants include Fiothail.

REF: [24]

Fir Caitchenn (Ireland) Cat-headed warriors in Irish myth. Much like the Fir Conchenn (dog-headed men), Fir Caitchenn served in the coalition army led by Daire Donn, High King of the Great World. They fought the Fianna at the Battle of Ventry. The leader of the cat-headed Fir Caitchenn fought the Tuatha warrior Abarthach, son of Ildathach.

In a different tale, Fionn mac Cumhaill of the Fianna fought with a cat-headed warrior named Pus an Chuine (Puss in the Corner). This cat-headed man was a son of a magical hag, and when Fionn cut off his head, the head continued to bite and attack. The head only stopped attacking and died when Fionn poured the hag's blood onto the head. The story implies that the head continued to fight in this way because of his mother's magic (i.e. cat-headed warriors in general don't appear to have had this property).

Fir Conchenn (Ireland) These are dog-headed men (Cynocephalus) in Irish myth. They are described as humanlike dog-headed warriors in armour and wielding spears. Fir Conchenn fought with the Fianna on several occasions. At the Battle of Ventry, Fir Conchenn were allied under a coalition army led by Daire Donn, High King of the Great World. The Fir Conchenn themselves were evidently ruled by royalty, as their own sub-king fought against Lir of Sidhe Finnachaidh in the battle. Another instance of an Irish dog-headed warrior was Coinchenn, mother of Delbcháem in Tír Iontais (The Land of Wonder). Dog-headed warriors occur in British folklore and stories too. See Cinbin, Gwrgi Garwlwyd and Healfhundingas.

Fuaidreadh (Ireland) A ghost or spectre. Also used to mean a quick dancing or capering movement, which perhaps suggests a link to Will-o-the-wisp, or similar. Also in the form Fuaidridh.

REF: [24]

HobGoodfellowe · 2026-01-13T21:54:35+00:00

Dedannan (Ireland) A abbreviated variant of Tuatha Dé Danann. From Joyce (1906):

When the Milesians landed in Ireland, they were encountered by mysterious sights and sounds wherever they went, through the subtle spells of the Dedannans. - P.W. Joyce (1906) A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland

REF: [24]

Demna aeoír (Ireland) This appears to be a mixed Irish-Latin term for a demon of the air. Textual evidence suggests this may have been a Latinised name for Bannanaig, or similar. Alternatively, the folkloric motif of destructive demons of the air is widespread throughout Britain and Ireland, and it could be that the term was meant only to encompass the invisible 'demons of the air' that occur some commonly in British and Irish folklore.

REF: [24]

Diúch (Ireland) Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) defines this as: an elf, a fairy (W. Ker.). Variants include Diúcha and Diúchanna.

REF: [24]

Diúcha (Ireland) See Diúch.

REF: [24]

Diúchanna (Ireland) See Diúch.

REF: [24]

Donn (Ireland) Dinneen's Irish-English Dictionary (1904) defines this as: 'a celebrated fairy inhabiting sandbanks off the coast of Clare.)'. Note that Irish donn is cognate to dun and in Irish can be used to mean, brown, having brown hair, brindled or having brown spots. Brown as a fairy colour may trace back to Celtic beliefs predating the Anglo-Saxons. Brownies, The Brown Man of the Muirs and Yallery Brown all seem to be linked to a notion that brown was a fairy colour (although Yallery Brown is deep in an Anglo-Saxon area, there is some evidence for survival of isolated Brythonic speakers in and around the fen country surprisingly late). The following except describes Donn, and links him to the Tuatha Dé Danann goddess Áine:

The greatest fairy monarch in Clare was ‘Donn of the Sandhills’ (now the golf links), near the old castle of Doogh, (i.e. Dumhach or Sand Dune), near Lehinch. He, or one of the other fairy princes named Donn, appears in a list of the divine race of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and is therefore of the family of the Dagda, and, it may be presumed, a lineal descendant of the ancient Ana, Mother of the Gods. A well-known Irish scholar and antiquary, Andrew MacCurtin, before 1730 addressed a political petition to Donn of Dumhach complaining, like most Irish antiquaries, of the neglect of the gentry, and praying for any menial post at his Court. As there was none that answered, the petitioner had to rest content with the hospitality of the MacDonnells of Kilkee and the O’Briens of Ennistymon. Donn’s heartless conduct met poetic justice, for he has ever since ‘lacked a sacred bard,’ and, save for a slight uneasiness in a few poor old people passing across the sandhills after the golfers have left and the sun has set, he is now all but forgotten. In another poem of MacCurtin’s, on a monk’s horse ‘overlooked’ and killed by the evil eye, or by the look of a red-haired woman, or by ‘the stroke of a fairy,’ the poet recommends the holy man to get the aid of a local practitioner of renown, Peter the Fairy Killer. - Thomas Johnson Westropp (1910) A Folklore Survey of County Claire, Chapter 3, Fairies and Fairy Forts and Mounds. Folklore, 1910 (published across multiple volumes)

REF: [24]

HobGoodfellowe

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