fachan
Sign in to saveAlso known as fachin, fachen
thumb|"Direach Ghlinn Eiti, or Fachan" as illustrated by J. F. Campbell In Scottish folklore, the fachan (or fachin, fachen, Direach Ghlinn Eitidh or Dithreach (dwarf of Glen Etive)) is a monster or giant described by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands as having a single eye in the middle of its face, a single hand protruding from its chest instead of arms, and a single leg emerging from its central axis. It has a single tuft of hair on the top of its head, regarding which Campbell says "it were easier to take a mountain from the root than to bend that tuft." Campbell
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thumb|"Direach Ghlinn Eiti, or Fachan" as illustrated by J. F. Campbell In Scottish folklore, the fachan (or fachin, fachen, Direach Ghlinn Eitidh or Dithreach (dwarf of Glen Etive)) is a monster or giant described by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands as having a single eye in the middle of its face, a single hand protruding from its chest instead of arms, and a single leg emerging from its central axis. It has a single tuft of hair on the top of its head, regarding which Campbell says "it were easier to take a mountain from the root than to bend that tuft." Campbell draws attention to the possible influence of creatures from Arabic tradition such as the Nesnas or Shikk, described as "half of a human being" and hopping about on one leg with great agility.
Douglas Hyde quotes Campbell's description in his collection of Irish folklore Beside the Fire and refers to an Irish manuscript in which a similar monster is described:
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “fachan” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.