Glaistig

Ghost from Scottish mythology

The glaistig '/ɡ//l//æ//ʃ//t//ᵻ//ɡ/ is a ghost from Scottish mythology, a type of fuath. It is also known as maighdean uaine (Green Maiden), and may appear as a woman of beauty or monstrous mien, as a half woman and half goat similar to a faun or satyr, or in the shape of a goat. The lower goat half of her hybrid form is usually disguised by a long, flowing green robe or dress, and the woman often appears grey with long yellow hair. in the town of Ach na Creige, there was such a spirit protecting the cattle herds. The townsfolk, in gratitude, poured milk from the cows into a hollowed out stone for her to drink. According to the same legend, her protection was revoked after one local youth poured boiling milk into the stone, burning her. She has also been described in some folklore as watching over children while their mothers milked the cows and fathers watched over the herds. In some Scottish tales, the cows are replaced with deer, of which the glaistig is fiercely protective. Also known as the Scottish goddess of the hunt, the glaistig was both help and hindrance to hunters, going so far as to hide her herds if the hunters made the mistake of killing a doe instead of a stag. Occasionally, hunters would be granted permission to shoot if they provided an offering, such as the hind of the deer to the herder. Another name of this instance is the Maiden of Callart.

A glaistig is a minor character in Martha Wells' 2006 short story The Potter's Daughter. A dark fairy queen called The Glaistig appears in "Waycross", one of the short stories in Caitlin R. Kiernan's Alabaster short story collection. A glaistig appears in Emma Bull's urban fantasy novel War For the Oaks. Glaistig Uaine is a supervillain in the serial webfiction Worm by Wildbow, who has the power to claim the souls of other superhumans and take their powers for herself. A glaistig named Troya is in Fish Out of Water by Hailey Edwards. Glaistigs appear in Melissa Marr's young adult series, Wicked Lovely.