Ghillie Dhu

Ghillie is an English equivalent of the Scottish Gaelic word gille;^[2] Edward Dwelly, a Scottish lexicographer, lists gille as a "lad", "youth" or "boy"^[3] with dubh translating as "dark" or "dark-haired".^[4]

According to folklorist and scholar Katharine Briggs the Ghillie Dhu was a gentle and kind-hearted mountain spirit,^[5] or a "rather unusual nature fairy."^[6] The Ghillie Dhu was an individual male modern day fairy described by Osgood Mackenzie, a Scottish landowner and horticulturist, in his memoirs that were published in 1921.^[5][7] The fairy was generally timid, yet he could also be "wild".^[8]

Residing in the birch woods near Loch a Druing,^[9] in the north-west Highland area of Gairloch,^[10] he was mainly seen in the latter part of the 18th century.^[5] The woods are in a dip alongside a hilly area^[11] around 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) from where Rua Reidh Lighthouse was later built.^[9] One summer evening a local child named Jessie Macrae wandered into the woods and became lost.^[9] Jessie was found by the Ghillie Dhu who looked after her until the next morning when he took her home.^[9] Over a period of four decades the fairy was frequently seen by many people but Jessie was the only person he conversed with.^[9] Generally of a dishevelled appearance,^[12] he used green moss and leaves taken from trees as clothing.^[9] As implied by his name, he had black hair;^[9] he was of a small stature.^[13] His fondness of children is similar to that displayed by the little known Hyter sprite of English mythology.^[14]

Shortly after the Gille Dhu rescued Jessie, a group of Mackenzie dignitaries were invited by the landowner, Sir Hector Mackenzie of Gairloch, to get together to hunt and capture the Ghillie Dhu.^[9] The team of five hunters congregated at the home of one of Mackenzie's tenants where they were provided with a complimentary evening meal before setting off on their mission to shoot the child-rescuing, kind Ghillie Dhu.^[9] Despite searching extensively throughout the night, the hunters could not find their prey;^[15] according to Patricia Monaghan, a writer on Celtic mythology, the Ghillie Dhu was never seen again.^[12]

After researching folklore traditions gathered primarily from Gaelic areas of Scotland,^[16] an authority on congenital disorders, Susan Schoon Eberly, has speculated the tale of the Ghillie Dhu may have a basis in a human being with a medical condition;^[17] other academics, such as Carole G. Silver, Professor of English at Stern College for Women,^[18] agree and suggest he was a dwarf.^[13] Eberly maintained several other solitary or individual fairies, including the Brownie and the Manx Fenodyree, could also have a medical, rather than supernatural, explanation.^[19]

• Ghillie suit
• Dryad
• Aos Sí

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