Cu Sith
The Cu Sith or Cusith ( kuː ʃiː ) is a legendary figure from Celtic mythology . He is a formidable dog that lives in the Scottish Highlands .
Features and special
Roughly the size of a large calf to roughly the size of a cow (or even the stature of an ox), the Cu Sith is usually described with dark green, shaggy fur and a long, curled tail. The creature hunts silently, but from time to time it can emit a triple, terrible bark that can be heard over long distances, even out to sea. It is said that this should be a warning to the farmers to lock their wives in the house so that the animal does not come to fetch them and drag them away to take them to a fairy hill , where they have to give milk for the fairy children. Some sources claim that when the dog was not out hunting, it had to guard the hill so that no stranger would come too close.
Cu Sith means "fairy dog" ( fairy = Sidhe ). Unlike the other magical dogs in Celtic, which are normally either entirely black or white with red ears, this being is out of line in terms of color. It may be due to the green color of the Celtic fairies.
In addition to the Cu Sith, there are also other mythical creatures that are said to be associated with the fairies. The Cait Sith, for example, was a "fairy cat" and the Cro Sith a "fairy cow".
Mentions in modern times
- Wolfgang Hohlbein , in his work Drachenfeuer, described the Cu Sith as magical watchdogs that uninvited guests see as a welcome change in the menu. The protagonist of the story, "Chris", meets one of these "mythical creatures" at the beginning of the book.
- Ivory MacIntyre describes the Cu Sith in her book Chalice of the Dead as shapeshifters, called Sidhe, who were banished from society. Even Black Shuck , Barghests and Gwyllgi are in the book only other names for the Cu Sith.
See also
literature
- Carol Rose: Giants, Monsters, and Dragons. An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth . Norton, New York NY et al. 2001, ISBN 0-393-32211-4 .