The Dark Side of Fairies.

If Disney movies and other fairy tales taught us one thing, it is that fairies are all nice and good-hearted creatures, right? WRONG! Folklore fairies are anything but innocent candies, and here is an example of one: Leanan Sidhe, which can be compared to a femme fatale.

Leanan Sidhe are fairies on the eviller side of the spectrum. They are notorious in Irish Mythology for tormenting artists, writers and other creators. Using their shapeshifting ability, they approach them and transform into their dream partner to seduce them. Once they capture the heart of their chosen lover, the Aos Si (Celtic fairies, specifically the Celtic Briton) gift them with great inspiration and creativity. Faithfull, she will remain with her lover until he dies, being the mortal of the couple. This may sound all nice and romantic until you realize that the man in question got the short end of the stick.

You see, the Leanan Sidhe are like that obnoxious girlfriend that can’t stand that you are not thinking about her 24/7. Except for this time, said girlfriend happens to be an immortal magical being that can, and will, drive you insane. The human lover ends up so enrapt in their love that they can’t even take care of themselves. In return, the Leanan Sidhe feed on their life energy, slowly killing them in the process. The man is all but lost at this stage as no one knows how to break this curse, damning this poor soul to a slow and tormented death.

I told you, the ‘real’ fairies can be pretty hardcore!