Fear Doirich (literally Dark Man), sometimes written as far dorocha, is a villainous

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

in events surrounding the hero

Fionn mac Cumhaill Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer a ...

and his wife Sadhbh. He is sometimes described as a malevolent

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

, acting as a butler-like servant of the Fairy Queen.

In myth

According to the myth, Fear Doirich had sought Sadhbh to wife, but transformed her into a deer or fawn when she refused his advances. Fionn encountered her while hunting and his hounds

Bran and Sceólang Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a cereal grain consisting of the hard layersthe combined aleurone and pericarpsurrounding the endosperm. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with the germ, it is ...

recognized her as an enchanted human, having themselves been born of a woman who had been changed into a hound. Fionn's land proved to be the one place where Fear Doirich's spell could be undone and Sadhbh restored to human form; upon achieving this, she and Fionn were married and she became pregnant. Unfortunately, Fear Doirich learned of this and transformed her back into a deer after Fionn left for a war; she was thus never seen again.

References

Fenian Cycle Characters in Irish mythology Druids {{Celt-myth-stub