The Dark Spirit: Sinister Portraits from Celtic History

by Bob Curran, Andrew Whitson

You can keep your headless horsemen, your blood-dripping vampires, your things that go bump in the night. This collection of grim Celtic characters is sure to have you checking under the bed--twice. Among them, lurching out of the dark shadows of Celtic folklore, you'll meet the Black Sisters, who brought death wherever they went...the wolf of Badenoch, a blasphemous sorcerer who plundered church and countryside...and canny Alexander Colville, who did a deal with the Devil. In these ominous stories, the strand of Celtic myth threads its way through the British Isles and across the Atlantic to colonial shores, drawing into its coils along the way immigrant and indigenous American folklore. The terrifying tapestry it weaves will leave you knowing more, wondering more...and trying to convince yourself something is not still out there in the mist, especially not a dark spirit...skulking in the shadows.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mythology

288 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2001

About the author

BOB CURRAN is an educational psychologist in Coleraine University. His interests are broad-ranging but are focused especially on history and story. He has written several books, including The Field Guide to Irish Fairies, The Wolfhound Guide to the Shamrock, Creatures of Celtic Myth, The Truth about the Leprechaun.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was good 10 years ago so it needs reread , but i very much enjoyed when i did its nice wee addition to my collection of folklore good or bad

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever owned a book that you read once a year? That's this book for me. I've had my copy since its first release, and fourteen years later, I've already read it well over fourteen times. Each story is wonderfully unique—in that, I've not heard it retold over and over in other collections of folklore. The author's set up to each story provides a much needed background, allowing the reader to better appreciate the following tale. While some of the stories are "Celtic" (at least in aesthetic), don't expect to read about Taliesin or Merlin; and instead expect to read about characters from numerous eras, and from England to the United States. Don't let that turn you off of this book, Celtophiles—you might not get exactly what you were expecting, but it's something you will want to keep.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of folklore stories with celtic roots, and what is known for fact about the individuals involved, and what was added after the fact. I say celtic roots because a few of the stories related are situated in America, not the British Isles. The author typically points out where the celtic connection is, although in some cases I think it is a little strained, particularly in the vampire story.
I have to disagree with the author that the origin of 'vampires' are solely celtic. Obviously much of modern, post-Stoker, vampire lore is bears resemblance to the celtic variety of the undead, mostly because the most prolific writers of gothic vampire literature had strong celtic backgrounds, which obviously influenced their writing. But all cultures all over the world have myths and folklore involving the returned dead, it is a collective, unconscious fear of the human race. And the idea that these undead consume blood, I argue, is also universal in a way. Pretty much every culture associates blood with life, and if an undead craves life, then the idea it would crave blood is and obvious conclusion. That and I'm a little disappointed in the chapter on death carriages and riders as portents of death that the author did not mention dullahans at all.
Though all in all, a really fascinating read and one I did enjoy.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent selection of intriguing tales from Celtic folklore from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Well worth a read.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first time I read this, I ended up feeling a bit disappointed. It's billed as 'Sinister Portraits from Celtic Folklore', which to me conjures up stories of Kelpies or Fairies, Dryads or Naids and other creatures of the old Celtic religion. Instead, we have stories concerning real people who lived in Wales, Scotland, Ireland or immigrated from these places to America.

The stories themselves are interesting, lots of ghost stories or ones about pacts with the devil. There is some cross-over with the old religion, but most of it is Christian based. In fact, the thing that did annoy me most with this book is when the author constantly seems to confuse 'Pagan' with 'Satanism' - from a strongly Christian viewpoint they maybe considered the same thing, but in this more enlightened world there is a difference.

But once I got past that, I did enjoy the stories for what they are. The drawings illustrating the book are fantastic, especially the one for 'Beautiful Nell' and 'The Demon In The Church'. In all, this book could appeal to anyone interested in ghosts, ghouls and folktales, and will keep you entertained for a while.

[Alix Amnamare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intriguing read. It's a collection of dark tales from around the Celtic world, including the areas of America settled by Celtic immigrants. This was my first exposure to some of these stories, and each one is deftly told. If you want a nice little collection of eerie Celtic-rooted tales, read this.