Fear Doirich (literally Dark Man), sometimes written as far dorocha, is a villainous druid in Irish mythology in events surrounding the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his wife Sadhbh. He is sometimes described as a malevolent fairy, acting as a butler-like servant of the Fairy Queen.
In myth
According to the myth, Fear Doirich had sought Sadhbh to wife, but transformed her into a deer or fawn when she refused his advances. Fionn encountered her while hunting and his hounds Bran and Sceólang recognized her as an enchanted human, having themselves been born of a woman who had been changed into a hound. Fionn's land proved to be the one place where Fear Doirich's spell could be undone and Sadhbh restored to human form; upon achieving this, she and Fionn were married and she became pregnant. Unfortunately, Fear Doirich learned of this and transformed her back into a deer after Fionn left for a war; she was thus never seen again.
References
- MacKillop, James (2004). "Far Dorocha". A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford Reference. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Sinn, Shanon (19 September 2012). "Fear Dorcha: Shadow Creature from the Land of the Celts". Living Library. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- hÉireann, Stair na (18 March 2019). "The Legend of Sadhbh". Stair na hÉireann | History of Ireland. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
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