Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure. Among Celts in close contact with Ancient Rome, s...
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The story of the Abhartach is somewhat different to the others, as it is not from the fairy world but the world of humans. Abhartach was once a chieftain who ruled the fifth century town of Slaughtaverty in county Derry. He was not exactly known to be a nice man, keeping his subjects under a strict reign of terror. Eventually, he was vanquished and killed by a (nicer) neighbouring chieftain, and was buried in a standing position – this was standard procedure at the time for a man of high stature. The next night however, Abhartach rose from his grave, stalking the town and drinking the blood of his subjects. He was again slain and put back in his grave, but again, the next night rose from the dead to wreak havoc. He was killed yet again and this time was buried face down, which subdued his magical powers prevented him from leaving his grave. The story has strong similarities to that famous vampire story – Dracula – which was written by Irishman Bram Stoker. Many critics argue that his inspiration for the story was Abhartach himself, not the historical Transylvanian ruler Vlad III as is often cited. Whatever the real inspiration was, there’s no doubt that the Irish legend of Abhartach is one of the earliest vampires stories around.
