Fear Liath

"Gray Man." A malevolent fairy of Hiberno-Irish tradition. He is the personification of fog, covering land and sea with his mantle. This darkens the roads, causing travelers to unwitting stumble over precipices to their deaths, and obscures rocks so that ships crash upon them. He is also said to make odd crunching noises or a high-pitched humming sound, occasionally accompanied by ghostly music or voices. He particularly haunts the summit and passes of Ben Macdui, the second highest mountain in Scotland.

The Fear Liath is described as being ten to twenty feet tall, with broad shoulders and long waving arms. He is gray or olive colored, or covered with short brown hair, and has pointed ears. Also Am Fear Liath Mòr, "Big Gray Man," and the Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui.

❧