Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Irish Thought for April 3...

Irish Folklore

The Pooka

A vindictive, dangerous fairy that appears as a fearsome, huge black horse with eyes of yellow fire, the pooka terrorized the countryside at night, breathing blue flames and wreaking havoc.  It has a deep human voice, and sometimes stopped in front of houses to bellow the names of people, demanding to take them on midnight sprees.  If refused, the pooka would vandalize their property.  If the ride was accepted, the pooka would gallop around until the rider was flung headlong into a ditch, breaking his neck.  According to legend, Irish king Brian Boru tames the pooka with a charmed bridle, and rode the fairy steed until, exhausted, it promised that it would never kill another man.  The pooka still takes drunks on wild rides, but always returns them with only bruises and a tale to tell.

The pooka
http://karlshuker.blogspot.com/2011/12/fairy-hound-and-pooka-crypto-folktale.html

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