And knowing is half the battle...
"There is a place in the parish of Errigal in Londonderry, called Slaghtaverty, but it ought to have been called Laghtaverty, the laght or sepulchral monument of the abhartach [avartagh] or dwarf (see p. 61, supra). This dwarf was a magician, and a dreadful tyrant, and after having perpetrated great cruelties on the people he was at last vanquished and slain by a neighbouring chieftain; some say by Fionn Mac Cumhail. He was buried in a standing posture, but the very next day he appeared in his old haunts, more cruel and vigorous than ever. And the chief slew him a second time and buried him as before, but again he escaped from the grave, and spread terror through the whole country. The chief then consulted a druid, and according to his directions, he slew the dwarf a third time, and buried him in the same place, with his head downwards; which subdued his magical power, so that he never again appeared on earth. The laght raised over the dwarf is still there, and you may hear the legend with much detail from the natives of the place, one of whom told it to me."
_Joyce, The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places
Alternative versions of the story tell that the dwarf demanded a bowl of blood from his subjects, Abhartach is one of the neamh-mairbh, or walking dead, and that he can only be restrained by killing him with a sword made of yew, burry him upside down and surrounding him with thorns. A large stone was then placed on top of the grave as the dwarf could not be killed.
Why am I telling you this? Because this is a possible alternative origin of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Most tellings state that Count Dracula is based on the historical Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Tepes. According to scholars, there is no evidence to support that Bram Stoker used Vlad Tepes as a guide for his character Count Dracula. In reality, Stoker is an Irishman who most likely heard of this story many times through the years and could very well based the supernatural aspects of Count Dracula on this legend. Oh, and the drawf was also called "The Man of Bad Blood" which in Irish Gaelic is Fear na droch fhola; droch fhola is pronounced Drockola.
Now the reason why I am realating this story is two fold (besides the fact that I love supernatural lore and folk stories). One Dracula is one of my favorite novels of all time as well as the favorite novel of some of my friends who read this blog. Two, there is a real life supernatural element to the story of Abhartach. Abhartach's grave is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant's Grave". It comprises a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn. In 1997, attempts were made to clear the land; in conformity with folklore, workmen who attempted to cut down the thorn tree arching across Abhartach's grave allegedly had their chain saw malfunction three times. While attempting to lift the great stone, a steel chain snapped, cutting the hand of one of the labourers, and ominously, allowing blood to soak into the ground. Mr Bob Curran (the scholar who first published the above information) suffered "a severe and inexplicable fall" after visiting the site.
Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. (Points to anyone who knows where that line comes from and now this sentence does not end in a preposition because I added this line. *whew*)
"There is a place in the parish of Errigal in Londonderry, called Slaghtaverty, but it ought to have been called Laghtaverty, the laght or sepulchral monument of the abhartach [avartagh] or dwarf (see p. 61, supra). This dwarf was a magician, and a dreadful tyrant, and after having perpetrated great cruelties on the people he was at last vanquished and slain by a neighbouring chieftain; some say by Fionn Mac Cumhail. He was buried in a standing posture, but the very next day he appeared in his old haunts, more cruel and vigorous than ever. And the chief slew him a second time and buried him as before, but again he escaped from the grave, and spread terror through the whole country. The chief then consulted a druid, and according to his directions, he slew the dwarf a third time, and buried him in the same place, with his head downwards; which subdued his magical power, so that he never again appeared on earth. The laght raised over the dwarf is still there, and you may hear the legend with much detail from the natives of the place, one of whom told it to me."
_Joyce, The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places
Alternative versions of the story tell that the dwarf demanded a bowl of blood from his subjects, Abhartach is one of the neamh-mairbh, or walking dead, and that he can only be restrained by killing him with a sword made of yew, burry him upside down and surrounding him with thorns. A large stone was then placed on top of the grave as the dwarf could not be killed.
Why am I telling you this? Because this is a possible alternative origin of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Most tellings state that Count Dracula is based on the historical Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Tepes. According to scholars, there is no evidence to support that Bram Stoker used Vlad Tepes as a guide for his character Count Dracula. In reality, Stoker is an Irishman who most likely heard of this story many times through the years and could very well based the supernatural aspects of Count Dracula on this legend. Oh, and the drawf was also called "The Man of Bad Blood" which in Irish Gaelic is Fear na droch fhola; droch fhola is pronounced Drockola.
Now the reason why I am realating this story is two fold (besides the fact that I love supernatural lore and folk stories). One Dracula is one of my favorite novels of all time as well as the favorite novel of some of my friends who read this blog. Two, there is a real life supernatural element to the story of Abhartach. Abhartach's grave is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant's Grave". It comprises a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn. In 1997, attempts were made to clear the land; in conformity with folklore, workmen who attempted to cut down the thorn tree arching across Abhartach's grave allegedly had their chain saw malfunction three times. While attempting to lift the great stone, a steel chain snapped, cutting the hand of one of the labourers, and ominously, allowing blood to soak into the ground. Mr Bob Curran (the scholar who first published the above information) suffered "a severe and inexplicable fall" after visiting the site.
Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. (Points to anyone who knows where that line comes from and now this sentence does not end in a preposition because I added this line. *whew*)
hellstorm:
we're quoting G.I. Joe the TV show now?
