A chilly wind shakes the autumn leaves. Flickering candle flames dance shadows across the walls. Tendrils of fog wrap around the house. In the still darkness, a desolate wail shatters the silence. It’s Halloween. Time for ghost stories. From haunted castles to ghost trains, phantom funerals to corpse candles, faceless ladies to banshees, the Celtic Moonfish blog has gathered quite a collection of ghostly tales from Celtic folklore. For example, here is a very short tale from Wales.
It’s late, almost midnight. A man is making his way home, driving from Black Bridge to Waterston in Wales. Up ahead, a blue light appears. As he approaches and passes it, the driver sees a very old woman in a ragged ankle-length dress walking along the side of the road. She is clutching a bundle to her chest. A blue glow and orbs of light flicker around her. The man pulls to the side of the road, shaken. He feels crushed by sadness and dread. Recovering, he looks in the rearview mirror to find the woman has vanished.
That’s just a quick bite. There are longer tales and a story from Brittany that’s so complex (“Tryphine and the Celtic Bluebeard”), it takes up a whole post by itself. So, get in the Halloween spirit and check out one or two (or several). Just click on the links below and get ready for a haunting good read. Happy Halloween!
Collections
Every night, his ghost made horrible noises, threw dishes, turned over furniture, rattled keys, and made all kinds of mischief. In the morning, though, there would be no evidence of his nocturnal rampages.
…the pub is like a Petrie dish for ghosts. Numerous disembodied sounds, from laughter to footsteps to the thump of soldiers marching outside the inn have been reported by the pub’s patrons.
He crawled across the span, battling wind and rain until he drew near the center. Then he discovered the ghastly reason for the train’s disappearance…
…a chill went into him as if a cold wind was blowing right through his heart. His legs nearly gave out, but he forced himself towards the bridge.
But others say the castle is sinister and it has been called “one of Ireland's most notoriously haunted places."
Single Story Posts
A chill wind wrapped around him as he took a quick glance to his left. There, keeping pace with him, was a black goat the size of a calf, with the moonlight sparkling on his curled horns.
With her mind and heart racing, Tryphine descended the stairs to the crypt. It was cold and dark, lit by a single wall torch. By the flickering light, Tryphine saw six tombs, five for each of Conomar’s previous wives and one that was empty…
Bonus Non-Ghost Posts
An Irish vampire, this beautiful woman fell in love with a peasant. Her father refused to let her marry her beloved. Instead, he forced her to marry another man who treated her cruelly. Finally, she killed herself. But she came back with a vengeance!
If you see a comb lying on the ground, don’t pick it up, especially if it’s silver. The comb likely belongs to a banshee, and you don’t want her coming after you to get it back!
This faerie looks just like a Halloween cat: black fur, back arched, tail up, hair standing on end. In folklore, this faerie sneaks into the room where someone had just died. By walking over the fresh corpse, it steals the person’s soul. Nasty little creature!
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Slan go foil!
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@tvlgbird Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate your support. Enjoy the ghost posts! 👻
Looking forward to checking out all those scary stories this weekend. Thank you!