A Far Darrig or Fear Deang is a faerie of Irish mythology.
The name Far Darrig is an Anglophone pronunciation of the Irish words Fear Dearg, meaning “Red Man”, as the Far Darrig is said to wear a red coat and cap.
According to Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry the Far Darrig is classified as a solitary creature along with the leprechaun and the clurichan, all of whom are “most sluttish, slouching, jeering, mischievous phantoms."
Like many other phantoms, he presides over evil dreams. Some legends hold that the Far Darrig is an unlucky former human who wandered into fairy land by mistake and now attempts to warn others from making the same mistake.
Despite this apparently good natured move, they revel in cruel and gruesome practical jokes, which they play upon those who have made the mistake of irritating them. A favorite trick is to make some poor mortal tramp over hedges and ditches, carrying a corpse on his back, or to make him turn it on a spit.
Possessing a similar lack of taste in their choice of foodstuffs, Far Darrigs consume carrion as their main staple.
Most active in winter, and found along polluted coastlines, in swamps, marshes and coastal ruins, it is best to avoid these creatures at almost any cost. Occasionally they venture into the land of humans, where they delight in startling people by knocking upon their doors in the dead of night and asking to warm themselves at the fire. Never refuse such a request, as it is exceedingly bad luck and you may wake to find a changeling in your child’s crib or that your cows have come down with the pox.
Should you happen to encounter a Far Darrig, take great pains to be polite to it, lest you become the victim for one of its practical jokes.
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