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Get ready for Halloween with the ten scariest monsters and demons from Celtic myth - PHOTOS

Banshees, vampires and evil fairies to frighten you this Halloween


Leanan Sidhe – the evil Irish fairy-muse Both a muse and a demon
Leanan Sidhe – the evil Irish fairy-muse Both a muse and a demon
Photo by elyobkram

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Several versions of the Banshee legend say the feared ghost rode alongside the Dullahan in a black cart drawn by six black horses. The pair is said to whip the horses with a human spinal cord.

But most legends say the Banshee was terrifying enough on her own.

Descriptions of her appearance vary, from an ugly old hag to a beautiful young woman, but all agree that the creature’s blood curdling wail will be heard three times before someone dies.

4. Balor – the Celtic demon king

Balor is the demonic God of Death in Celtic mythology.

Sporting one eye and a single gigantic leg, the evil creature was King of the Fomori, demons who lived in the dark depths of lakes and seas.

Balor can kill someone just by staring at them with his evil eye, so he kept it closed most of the time, so as not to constantly be tripping over dead bodies.

The God of Death would provide his Fomori with victims, but the evil race was left to their own devices  when Balor was killed by his son Lug, who shot him with a slingshot.

Now the Fomori have returned to their waters and transformed into sea monsters who prey on humans.

Perhaps it’d be a good idea to stay away from any bodies of water this Halloween!

PHOTOS - The scariest demons from Celtic myth slideshow

5. Sluagh – the dead Irish sinners

Though they’re not so much “demons,” Sluagh are scary creatures that hunt down souls.

According to Irish folklore, Sluagh are dead sinners that come back as malicious spirits.

These spirits come from the west, flying in groups like flocks of birds, and try to enter a house where someone is dying to take away that person’s soul.

Some Irish families would keep their west-facing windows shut at all times to keep the Sluagh out of their homes.

Some say the Sluagh is the Irish version of the Wild Hunt, a European folktale about ghostly hounds or spirits traveling around in packs foretelling of death and disaster.

6. Carman – the Celtic witch

Carman is the Celtic goddess of evil magic.

This destructive witch roamed around with her three evil sons: Dub (“darkness” in Irish), Dother (“evil”) and Dain (“violence”), destroying anything or anyone in their path.

Carman put a blight on Ireland’s crops and terrorized the Irish until the Tuatha De Danann, the “peoples of the goddess Danu,” used their magic to fight and defeat her, and drove her sons across the sea.

Guess this is one demon you can check off your list of scary creatures to worry about this Halloween.

7. Kelpie – the Celtic sea monster

The kelpie is a monster right out of Celtic myth. The creature can take on multiple shapes, but usually it appears in the form of a horse.

The kelpie galloped around Ireland, looking like a lost pony, attempting to trick women and children into riding on it. But the strange thing about this pony is that its mane would always be dripping with water.


Nster.com


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