Baobhan sith

A baobhan sith (pronounced baa'-van shee) is a type of blood-sucking female fairy in Scottish mythology, similar to the banshee or leanan sídhe. Also known as "the White Women of the Scottish Highlands," [1] they are beautiful seductresses who prey on young travelers by night.

Description and attributes

The baobhan sith bears similarities to both the faeries of its native Scotland and the vampires of other regions. It has the form of a woman of supernatural beauty wearing a green or white dress. Like faeries, the baobhan sith used their enchanting appearance to lure unwary travelers into secluded areas of the countryside. The baobhan sith would then invite the men to dance before attacking when their victims were off guard. They would then use their extremely sharp talons to puncture the neck.[2] Using these holes the baobhan sith would suck the blood or, in older versions of the tale, the life force or even sexual potency from the victim. As with many vampires, the baobhan sith couldn't tolerate daylight and would return to their graves before sunrise.[3] In medieval versions of the tale, they are often depicted with cloven hooves, which they keep hidden under the dress.[4] They are portrayed as being unaccountably afraid of horses.

Literature

The Baobhan Sith have appeared on a number of occasions in author Mark Chadbourn's fantasy trilogies The Age of Misrule, The Dark Age, and Kingdom of the Serpent. Baobhan sith are also mentioned in Nicole Peeler's "Tempest Rising" series, as well as Michael Scott's "The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel," baobhan sith are also featured in the anno Domini Anthology series by Christopher Young. They also appear in "Faerie Tale" by Raymond E. Feist where they are portrayed as evil fairies of the Unseelie Court, who (aside from their amazing beauty) possess a strong compelling magic, which they use to force solitary males (who are in isolated locations) to follow them - to their deaths. Cornelia Amiri writes a Dancing Vampire romance series of with six novellas: Dance of the Vampires, Vampire Highland Fling, A Bonnie Vampire Dancer, One Dance With A Vampire, Vampire Valkyrie Ball, and Some Vampires Shimmy. The series is about seven baobhan sith sisters and each book features a different sister as they fall in love.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Maberry, Jonathan (2006). Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. Citadel Press. p. 34. ISBN 0806528133.
  2. ↑ McLeod, Judyth A. (2010). Vampires: A Bite-sized History. Murdoch Books. ISBN 1741967732.
  3. ↑ Maberry, Jonathan; Bashman, Janice Gable (2010). "Legendary Heroes". Wanted Undead Or Alive: Vampire Hunters and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil (Illustrated ed.). Citadel Press. p. 139. ISBN 0806528214. She then drinks her victim's blood through her fingernails.
  4. ↑ Maberry, Jonathan; Kramer, David F. (2007). The Cryptopedia: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange, and Downright Bizarre. Citadel Press. p. 225. ISBN 0806528192.
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