Frightening Irish Vampires, Monsters and Ghost by Karen Nutt

My vampire tale Twilight’s Eternal Embrace was released Oct. 1, 2012!  The tale takes place in medieval Ireland with vampire warriors, invaders and of course there’s a forbidden romance.

Through the centuries tales of legends and myths have been passed down to us. Some are darn right scary. If you’re brave enough to read on, find out what frightening Irish demons and monsters roam the hillsides of Ireland, and what you must do to prevent becoming their next victim.

1. The Dearg-Due is a vampire. The name translates to ‘blood sucker’. She’s a female demon that seduces men drains and them dry. According to legend the beautiful woman fell in love with a local peasant, but her father would not let her marry him. She was forced to marry a man who was rich, but who was also a cruel man. She eventually committed suicide. She was buried near Strongbow’s Tree in Waterford. One night she rose from the grave and sought out revenge on her father and husband, sucking their blood until they died. The Dearg-due now rises once a year on the anniversary of her death to lure men to their death. To prevent her from rising: Place stones over her grave.

2. Washington Irving isn’t the only one who has a story about the headless horseman. The Dullahan, which translates ‘dark man’, is a man, who carries his head tucked under his arm and rides a horse with flaming red eyes. When he stops riding a human dies. Some claim he calls out the name of the doomed. His weakness is gold. I suggest you carry, a gold bar, gold coins, or wear gold jewelry. Whatever works best for you.

3. Leanan Sidhe is an evil Irish faery-muse and demon/vampire.  The faery woman is beautiful and gives inspiration to the poets and musicians, but of course the price is their life. She becomes the artist’s lover. She shares her creativity and magic, but she leaves the men so depressed that they wither away and die. She then takes them back to her lair. She doesn’t suck their blood. She collects it in a red cauldron. The blood is the source of her artistic inspiration and her beauty. Hmm…perhaps falling into bed with a beautiful woman who whispers inspirational ideas should be avoided at all cost. A cairn of stones also prevents this vampire faery from rising.

4. Banshee is the Irish wailing ghost of doom. She is a feminine spirit who begins to wail if someone is about to die. Banshees were said to appear to particular Irish families—the O’Gradys, O’Neills, O’Briens, O’Connors and the Kavanaghs. If several banshees appear, it meant someone of great importance would die.  Sometimes she appears as an ugly hag, but she’s also been described as a beautiful woman. One legend states a murdered woman, or a woman who dies in childbirth can become a Banshee if she is not buried properly. Most likely this meant a Catholic burial on sacred grounds.

Avoid at all cost changing your name to any of the above names. If you were born into those families… sorry there’s nothing you can do.

I hope you enjoyed the post!

READERS—I’m offering a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.

Share an interesting legend or myth. Don’t know one? Then tell me which of the Irish fiends above scared you the most?

Blub for :Twilight’s Eternal Embrace

The Oiche Sith, the blood drinkers, forged an alliance with the Lathe Sith, a neighboring daywalker clan. The Oiche Sith would protect them from invaders in exchange that one female a year wed one of their warriors for the blooding ritual. Unfortunately, the female Lathe Sith never survives for very long.

Adryanna, a Lathe Sith, mourns the death of her recently mated sister, but she finds solace in the most unlikely place—in the arms of Bram, an Oiche Sith. She should fear him, loathe his existence, but instead she longs for their twilight embraces. Bram admires Adryanna’s strength and wishes only to protect her, even if it’s from him.

If Bram cannot find a way for Adryanna to survive the blooding ritual the romance is doomed. They seek help from Sheerin, Bram’s cousin, who believes he’s found a way for the Lathe Sith to survive, but others in the Oiche Sith clan do not wish for them to succeed.

About the author: Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband, three fascinating children, and a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Visit the author at her website: http://www.kmnbooks.com

Stop by her blog for Monday interviews, chats and contests at: http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Karen-Michelle-Nutt/e/B002BLLBPE/