Traditional Knowledge: The smooth newt is also called the common newt in Ireland, or 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘢 in the Irish language. Regardless the name, these animals have wormed their way into local legend. The original peoples of Ireland, the Celts, had a variety of folklore consisting of fairies, banshees, and giants amongst others. As Christianity moved to the island, new mythologies soon evolved. One of these is the 𝘈𝘭𝘱-𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘢, a small water fairy that can change into the shape of a newt. In this form, they can slither down the throats of those who fall asleep by a river or creek. Here, they feed on the essence of whatever their host eats. Because of this, the person cannot gain weight and becomes very week, as if inflicted by a tapeworm. In some literature, the only way to rid oneself of a 𝘈𝘭𝘱-𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘢 is to eat lots of dried meat, starving the fairy of moisture so that it escapes into the nearest body of water. While newts themselves are known to avoid people, stories such as this may play a role in hindering people from sleeping next to rivers that may be prone to flooding, or even to stop the consumption of toxic newts (Hyde, 1820).
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Sources:
Hyde, Douglas. Beside the Fire: A Collection of Irish Gaelic Folk Stories. Strand, 1890, pp. 46-73, archive.org/details/besidefirecollec00hyde/mode/2up. Accessed 22 June 2022. King, J, et al. "Ireland Red List No. 5: Amphibians, Reptiles and Freshwater Fish." National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2011, www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/RL5.pdf. Accessed 22 June 2022. |