The Curious History of the Vampiric Muse

What really was the Leanán Sídhe? Were they really vampiric fairies who consumed the souls of artists? And what does this creature reveal about how our folklore changes over time? Hi everybody, my name is Nick this is Beasts of the Olde World: a channel that explores ancient folklore and mythical creatures from across the globe. If you’re fascinated by the mysterious and the unseen, then make sure to subscribe and ring the bell. 🌛 Support us on Patreon for full uncut access to all Olde World content from this channel and our sister channel Beasts of the Olde World →   / beastsoftheoldeworld   🐲 Subscribe to Beasts of the Olde World →    / @beastsoftheoldeworld   Join us as we uncover the story of the Leanán Sídhe (Leannán Sìth) as told by its defining authentic sources, including W.B. Yeats, Lady Wilde, Robert Kirk and John Gregorson Campbell, all of whom have very different ideas about what the Leannán Sìth really is. Today Yeats’s version is the dominant one, but perhaps this view isn’t quite as traditional as it first seems - because it appears that the name of this fairy is a little misleading… Join us to peel back the layers of one of Celtic Mythology’s strangest mythical creatures on both sides of the Irish Sea, and uncover the hidden clues that hint at why preserving our Olde Tales is so important… 🔗Links/References: A Dictionary of Fairies - Katherine Briggs - 1976 The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies - Rev. Robert Kirk - C.1691 https://archive.org/details/Kirk1893C... Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry - W.B. Yeats - 1888 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/... Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland - Lady Jane Wilde - 1887 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/... Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland - John Gregorson Campbell - 1900 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/... Transactions of the Ossianic Society: Vol II - Nicholas O’Kearney (ed.) - 1855 https://digital.nls.uk/early-gaelic-b... Glimpses of Church and Social Life in the Highlands in Olden Times: and Other Papers - Alexander macpherson - 1893 https://archive.org/details/glimpseso... 🙏Thank you for watching this episode of Beasts of the Olde World!🙏 🎬Timestamps: 02:00 - The Vampiric Muse 05:54 - The Spirit of Life 07:05 - Eodain the Poetess 08:36 - A Source of Confusion? 10:14 - Did Yeats Make it Up? 12:31 - The Scandal of Nicholas O’Kearney 13:35 - Oral vs Written Tradition 15:29 - Robert Kirk’s Highland Succubus 19:19 - JG Campbell’s Fairy Sweetheart 23:50 - Not a Type of Fairy 26:57 - A Spirit Dear to the Landscape 29:14 - The Paradox of the Lonely Wilds 31:34 - What really is a Leannan Sith? 33:17 - Folklore is a Window 35:30 - A World We Cannot Know 37:35 - Never Alone 42:00 - Notices and Acknowledgements 🎼MUSIC ACCREDITATION Celtic Impulse - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/ 🎨IMAGE ACCREDITATION CREATIVE COMMONS ZERO 👇 http://creativecommons.org/publicdoma... Fairy in Irises By Dora Wheeler Keith CREATIVE COMMONS 2.0 👇 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Drumcliffe - Gravesite of William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Photo by Joseph Mischyshyn CREATIVE COMMONS 4.0 👇 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Gimli son of Gloin by Perrie Nicholas Smith Rev. Robert Kirk’s Grave Photo by Rosser1954 All other images are free to use under the public domain The thumbnail was created from Max Švabinsky's Confluence of Souls, 1897, with manual edits and additions, including colour grading and title text, which I do on PowerPoint. No AI was used in any part of this video's production. Apologies for the issue with sound - I had to re-record certain sections due to errors in pronunciation, and attempted (only partially successfully) to splice the corrections in with the old recording. This is why it might sound odd at times. 👁️ Watch Next: What is an Ùruisg? → •    • The Strange Case of Scotland's Satyr   Who are the Fae? → •    • The Ancient Secret of the Fairies   Who were the Moss People? → •    • The Vanishing of the Moss People   Who is the Hat Man? → •    • The ANCIENT ORIGINS of the HAT MAN   🧙‍♂️ #Mythology #BeastsoftheOldeWorld #mythicalcreatures #mythsandlegends #ancientfolklore