Abhartach

Abhartach (also avartagh, Irish Gaelic for dwarf) is an early Irish legend, which was first collected in Patrick Weston Joyce's "The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places" (1875)cite book | last = Joyce | first = Patrick | authorlink = Patrick Weston Joyce | coauthors = | title = The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places | publisher = McGlashan & Gill | date = 1875 | location = | pages = p. 330 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ] , which has led some to suggest that it may have been the prototype for Bram Stoker's "Dracula".cite journal | last = Curran | first = Bob | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Was Dracula an Irishman? | journal = History Ireland | volume = 8 | issue = 2 | pages = | publisher = | location = | date = Summer 2000 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = ] Abhartach should not be confused with the similarly-named Abartach, a figure associated with Fionn mac Cumhaill.

It is often incorrectly claimed that the Abhartach legend first appeared in Geoffrey Keating's 17th century "Forus Feasa Air Éirinn" (History of Ireland); this is based on a misreading of "The Undead: The Legend of Bram Stoker and Dracula" by Peter Haining and Peter Tremayne (1997) [cite book | last = Haining | first = Peter | authorlink = Peter Haining | coauthors = Peter Tremayne | title = The Undead: The Legend of Bram Stoker and Dracula | publisher = Constable and Co. | date = 1997 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ] Haining and Tremayne state on page 71 that Patrick Weston Joyce translated Keating's work, while on page 74 they point out that Joyce and several other 19th century antiquarians recorded the Abhartach folktale. Many popular books perpeptuate this misunderstanding.

Legend

Alternate versions

In some versions Abhartach rises from his grave to drink the blood of his subjects, while the chieftain who slays the revenant is named as Cathrain. The hero variously consults an early Christian saint instead of a druid, and is told that Abhartach is one of the "neamh-mairbh", or walking dead, and that he can only be restrained by killing him with a sword made of yew wood, burying him upside down, surrounding his grave with thorns, and placing a large stone on top of the grave. [cite book | last = Winn | first = Christopher | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = I Never Knew that about Ireland | publisher = Macmillan | date = 2007 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0312368801 ] cite book | last = Curran | first = Bob | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night | publisher = Career Press | date = 2005 | location = | pages = p. 65 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1564148076 ]

The name "Cathrain", or "Catháin" is one of the forebearer of the O'Kane family, a name synonymous with the north Derry area, "Ó Catháin" being "the family of Catháin". "The man of bad blood" in Irish Gaelic would be "Fear na droch fhola"; "droch fhola" would be pronounced "Drockola", which might add some weight to the Bram Stoker theory.

Alternative Origin of Dracula

It has always been assumed that the original Dracula story, written by the Irishman Abraham (Bram) Stoker in 1897, was based on the Transylvanian folk hero Vlad III Tepesh Dracula, known as “the impaler” because of his favourite method of punishment.

However, an alternative inspiration for Stoker's story was put forward by Bob Curran, lecturer in Celtic History and Folklore at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, in the Summer 2000 edition of "History Ireland", a peer-reviewed journal edited by historians, where he suggested that Stoker may have derived his inspiration from the legend of Abhartach. Curran is also the author of "Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night" (2005), which recounts a more detailed version of the legend than that collected by Weston.

Recent folklore and supernatural claims

Abhartach's grave is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant’s Grave". It comprises a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn. [cite book | last = Middleton | first = Ian | authorlink = | coauthors = Douglas Elwell, Jim Fitzpatrick | title = Mysterious World: Ireland | publisher = Elwell, Inc. | date = 2006 | location = | pages = pp. 717-718 | url = http://ireland.mysteriousworld.com/Content/Information/PDFs/MWI-Journey.pdf | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-9760827-3-X"(PDF sample)"]

In 1997, attempts were made to clear the land; in conformity with folklore, workmen who attempted to cut down the thorn tree arching across Abhartach’s grave allegedly had their chain saw malfunction three times. While attempting to lift the great stone, a steel chain snapped, cutting the hand of one of the labourers, and ominously, allowing blood to soak into the ground.Mr Curran himself suffered “a severe and inexplicable fall” after visiting the site. [cite news | last = Stuart | first = Julia | coauthors = | title = The legend of the Irish Vampire | work = The Independent | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = May 31, 2000 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20000531/ai_n14317462 | accessdate = 2008-07-16]

Notes