This podcast may not be for all listeners.
Listener discretion is advised. Imagine a realm teeming with
mystical creatures, where time flows differently and the rules
of nature are rewritten. The Celtic Otherworld is not
just a place, it's a concept deeply rooted in the mythology
of the ancient Celts, a people who believed in the presence of
unseen dimensions. You're hearing the track True
Lies Behind Me, written and performed specifically for
unexplained realms by our friend Mr. V.
In this episode, we will explore the enchantments and enigmas of
the Celtic Otherworld. We will unravel the myths,
question the mysteries, and seek the truths hidden within the
ancient lore. Whether you're a seeker of the
supernatural or a lover of dark tales, the other world awaits.
Let's venture into the shadows, where nightmares dance and
dreams unravel. This is no gentle fairy land.
It's a realm where ancient magic writhes in the darkness, hungry
for new souls to ensnare. Imagine walking through an
ancient Irish forest. The mist curls around your feet,
and somewhere in the distance you hear music that sounds
almost human, but not quite. According to Celtic belief, we
might be closer to the other world than we realize.
The Celtic otherworld isn't like heaven or hell.
It's not above or below us. It's right here, leered over a
reality like transparency on an old overhead projector.
The Celts called it by many names, Tyrannog, the land of
youth, Avalon, or the Isle of Apples.
The name Tyrannog means the land of the young.
Time stands still, and age never creeps into bones or dims the
sparkle in eyes. It is said those who wander into
this eternal realm find themselves in a place where
youth blooms as endlessly as wildflowers, where warriors
feast in halls, and where the weight of mortal years slips
away like morning dew. In the misty hills of Ireland,
whispers tell of an ancient truth.
The veil between our world and the other world is as thin as
morning fog. It is believed that when we draw
our final breath, we don't travel that far at all.
That realm of eternal twilight lies just a heartbeat away from
where our mortal coils rest, separated only by shadows and
old magic. But here's where it gets
interesting. The Other World isn't just one
place, it's many, all somehow existing simultaneously.
Time moves differently there. A night spent dancing at an
Other World feast might mean 100 years have passed in our world.
Or you might have spent what feels like years there, only to
return and find mere minutes have ticked by.
In the Celtic Otherworld, time is a fluid concept.
Days could stretch into years and moments could last in
eternity. Some who ventured there returned
forever changed, bearing wisdom or madness.
Others were lost to the shadows, their names whispered only in
old tales. Yet it isn't merely a utopia.
It is a realm of duality, shrouded in darkness and
mystery. The common question is where the
gates to this realm are. They're everywhere.
If you know where to look. The ancient Celts believe you
could find entrances in the most ordinary places, beneath certain
hills, through prehistoric stone circles, or by stepping into
rings of mushrooms. Lakes and pools were considered
particularly powerful portals. There's still surface acting as
mirrors between worlds. I bet you'll think twice next
time you see a perfectly circular ring of mushrooms in
your backyard. But perhaps the most fascinating
aspect of the Celtic Otherworld is its residence.
The ancient gods of Ireland didn't die or disappear when
Christianity came. They simply sucked sideways.
They were not exactly gods anymore, but they were certainly
not mere spirits either. Legends speak of brave warriors
and daring adventurers who journeyed into the otherworldly
domain, lured by promises of glory or trapped by
enchantments. The Celtic Otherworld was home
to ethereal beings akin to fairies, and home to gods and
other creatures whose intentions were often as murky as the mists
that guarded their land. One such tale tells of the
Kukulen, the legendary hero of Ulster, who found himself
ensnared in the other world. According to the story, he was
entranced by a mysterious woman riding a spectral chariot, her
eyes like twin moons illuminating the night.
She led him through a landscape that defied all logic, a forest
where the trees whispered secrets and rivers ran backward.
But as with many who dared to cross the threshold into the
other World, the Kukulan discovered that the path was
perilous. The boundaries of reality
blurred, and his very soul was tested by trials that blended
illusion and truth. My favorite creature in the
other world is the Fae. Fairies are said to live and
rule in the other world. Deep in the mists of the other
world, where shadows dance and Starlight bends, the Fey reign
supreme. These aren't your grandmother's
flower crowned garden Pixies. No, these creatures are ancient,
the clever tricksters who've captured imaginations for
thousands of years. Ask any wanderer of the old ways
and they'll tell you of all the beings that dwell in those
twilight realms, none command more fear and fascination than
the fairy folk. They're the ones who turn milk
sour with a glance and lead travelers astray with ghostly
lights. Yet they're also the ones who
might grant your deepest wish, if you're brave enough or
foolish enough to strike a bargain.
The Goncana, or, as some column, the Love talker, might be the
most dangerous of all fairy creatures precisely because he
appears the least threatening. This solitary male fairy, always
impossibly handsome, lounges against trees in the Irish
countryside smoking a clay pipe. His very touch is said to be
addictive to mortal women, and those who encounter him are
doomed to waste away from longing after he inevitably
disappears. Less commonly discussed are the
Glashton shape shifting water spirits.
By day they appear as handsome young men, but their true nature
is betrayed by the seaweed in their hair and their inability
to keep their horse ears hidden for very long.
They're known to help farmers plow their fields, but woe
betide anyone who forgets to leave them in proper offering of
fresh cream. Not far from the sea, the
marshlands hold the puka shape shifters, who can appear as
horses, goats, cats, dogs and hares.
Unlike their more malevolent cousins, the Kelbys puka are
known for their complex nature. While they delight in scaring
travelers and leading them astray, they also protect those
who show them respect. Farmers once left a portion of
their harvest for the puka, ensuring their crops would be
guarded against thieves and their cattle would give rich
milk. Perhaps the most enigmatic are
the keepers of boundaries. These beings guard the thin
places where our world and the other world brush against each
other like overlapping leaves. They appear as elderly men and
women, tending to seemingly meaningless tasks.
Stacking stones, weaving with invisible thread, or counting
grains of sand to disturb them risks making the boundaries
between worlds unstable, allowing other, more dangerous
creatures to slip through. All these beings remind us that
in the Celtic tradition, the other world isn't some distant
realm. It's a place that exists
alongside our own, separated by nothing more than a thin veil of
perception. The creatures who dwell there
aren't confined to ancient stories.
They live in the spaces between moments, in the shadows cast by
standing stones, and in the whispers carried on winds that
blow from nowhere. In the old days, people knew how
to look for signs of these creatures.
Mushroom rings in the morning dew, unexplained music in the
wind. We're this sudden scent of pipe
smoke where no one stands. They all knew that the other
world's inhabitants were neither good nor evil, but rather like
nature, Wild, unpredictable, and bound by rules humans could
never fully understand. Perhaps they're still here,
these dwellers of the other world, watching us through the
midst of centuries. Maybe they're waiting in those
quiet moments when the world feels slightly tilted, slightly
strange, when we catch movement in the corner of our eye or hear
footsteps in an empty room. After all, the Celts never set
these creatures left. We simply stop knowing how to
see them. The stories of the Celtic
Otherworld have intrigued me since childhood.
I look forward to deep diving into many of these creatures and
future episodes. These stories, they tell us
something important about how our ancestors viewed the world.
They didn't see reality as something fixed and
unchangeable. For them, magic wasn't relegated
to some distant Rome, it was right there with them.
The fairy folk. Definitely my favorite because
they aren't the glittering, benevolent creatures of Disney
movies. They're ancient, dangerous, and
beautiful in ways that can break the mortal mind.
And while I'm intrigued with fairies, I'm obsessed with this
track behind me titled Saturn's Return by Sarah the
Illustrumentalist. Check her out on Spotify.
Until next time, I will leave you with a task.
Next time you're walking in nature and you get that strange
feeling that something's watching you.
Or when you catch a movement in the corner of your eye and it
vanishes when you turn to look. Remember the Celtic other world
as it may just be out of sight and waiting to be stumbled upon.