Baobhan Sith are the Scottish brand of vampires, which are so terrifying they leave their Transylvanian cousins for dead, says ROSE GARNETT
Everyone knows vampires originally came from Europe.
Bram Stoker’s Transylvanian Dracula is after all, quite emphatic on the point.
Another star in the vampiric firmament is Elizabeth Bathory, a 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman, said to bathe in the blood of young virgins in her search for eternal youth.
This earned her the nickname “the Blood Countess” and an unenviable reputation for being a genuine blood-sucker, not to mention an all-round bad girl.
The 1922 German film Nosferatu took the legend deeper into the Eurozone by concentrating on the vampire’s less seductive side – Twilight fans beware.
The European victory in the blood and fang stakes (no pun intended) is complete.
So do we take it that Britain is just too, well, British to be able to compete? If you take the time to do a little digging you will quickly find the answer is a big, fat, resounding no.
Enter stage left, the Baobhan Sith: Scottish vampires who roam the countryside in packs, rending their victim’s limb from limb with taloned nails. Not just any victims though: only delicious young men will do as their diet of choice.
Dracula, one suspects, would be a bit long in the tooth for their tastes.
Who are the Baobhan Sith?
One of the stories commonly told is of four young men out hill-walking in the Scottish Highlands.
The weather turns bad and they decide to take shelter in a deserted bothy for the night. One gentle tapping at the door later, three beautiful women who just happen to be on the remote hill-side beg to join them for the night.
As you might have guessed, the fun really starts after the obligatory invitation over the threshold. One of the women then begins to play an instrument while the others dance and the men can hardly believe their luck. But it is, in fact, a death dance ending in bloody dismemberment for three of the four; the lucky survivor unwittingly protecting himself with an iron coal-scuttle.
Iron, we are told, is the Boabhan Sith’s Kryptonite, so all the garlic and pointy stakes in the world will just not cut it as protection. And they do not take a dainty little bite out of your neck promising to come back for dessert later. They’ll have the whole neck, thank you very much for not asking and there will be no danger of you coming back as a vampire yourself, because there will not be enough of you left to do it.
There are hints, to be sure, of the Greek maenads who were also reputed to hunt down men and kill them. But they had a master, Dionysus, whereas the Boabhan Sith are a law unto themselves. They do not offer up your flesh to appease an angry god and there is no negotiations or escape. Unless of course, you make sure you carry around some iron at all times or have the temerity to be female.
So there we have it, the Scottish entry in the vampire charts and a nice feminist role-reversal from Dracula where the victims are always girls …
What do you think? Do you think Scottish vampires are more dangerous than most? Tell us in the comments section below!
You can find out more about British and Irish vampires here.
Guest writer ROSE GARNETT is the author of Stories From Dead Central and specialises in Scottish Urban Horror. She describes herself as Edinburgh’s only supernatural crime-fighter. You can contact her on Twitter @dead_central
what a terrible and utterly incorrect article!
What is it that you say is incorrect?
Sounds awesome. Would love to read more.
Thanks for telling us about them. In your description they sound like they are eating flesh not drinking blood, which isn't what vampires do. But looking them up I found another version of the story at wikipedia.
"There is a certain legend in regards to the baobhan sith, where a group of young travelers stopped for the night in a small glade in the Scottish Highlands. They built a fire and began to wish for the company of beautiful women. Four stunning women appeared, and began to dance with the men. The dance, which started out for enjoyment, became harsh, and the women tore at the men and drew blood. One of the men ran from their shelter and hid between two horses. The strange women circled the horses, but could not seem to cross to him. When dawn came, they disappeared. He found his companions dead and drained of blood. It is thought that the Baobhan Sith could not cross to him because of the iron in the shoes of the horses."
The Baobhan Sith are a wonderful legend. I would love to see them in a well written short horror fiction story.
Bien j’étudie ca en anglais!!