Féar Gortach

In Ireland there is a legend known as Féar Gortach, which translates roughly into "Hungry Grass" - believed to be cursed by malevolent spirits these patches of dead grass were feared as harbingers of death, whoever walked over a patch of Féar Gortach would be doomed to perpetual hunger.

Yet such stories are often seen as fairy tales in today's society - in fact one of the alternative names for Féar Gortach is literally "Fairy Grass", as Irish mythology attributed the curse to the Fairies - who in mythology were spirits of nature and the dead, unlike the modern versions we have come to associate with children's tales.

As a lover of folklore I admit Ireland has fascinated me but I have never actually went myself, instead I often explore my own nation's mythology - however I have family who moved from Ireland during the "Troubles" and they shared with me what most would consider a fairly standard ghost story: yet I still feel it is worth sharing.

The story concerns a man, his dog and his young son - all of whom were native to the land and often explored the more remote areas of Ireland that tourists don't tend to frequent, in fact they enjoyed their treks through the countryside and the man often shared stories with his son.

One day the man was walking along a patch of grass when he suddenly felt a pain in his stomach, his son coming over to see what was wrong - the dog however barked repeatedly and would not go near the patch of grass.

The man would soon head home with his son but their troubles had just begun - for over the next few days the man developed a ravenous appetite yet continually lost weight: his hunger became so great he would even begin to eat dog food from the can and often neglected his son.

As a result the son also grew weak and soon local authorities were called in, they decided to take the son into temporary care as they had a doctor evalute the father - who was becoming so thin that he was almost literal "skin and bones".

The doctor couldn't find out what was wrong with the man and despite going into hospital he continued to fade away until eventually he died - a devastating blow to his young son, who now faced an uncertain future as his mother had long been abscent from his life; leaving authorities little choice but to put him into a foster home until he could be adopted.

A high price to pay for stepping on a patch of grass in the remote corners of the world..