Myths and Legends : Dark Joan

W.B.Yeats in'Lucifer' of 1889 tells of Dark Joan of the Boyne.  This is a fairy who visits houses in the form of a hen with a lot of chickens, or a pig with a litter of banyans.  He reports that several have fought with this fairy pig.  She is also said to wander the roads with her clutch of chicks. 

Probably the same fairy energy is Black Joanna of the Boyne who would visit houses that were neat and tidy on Halloween, 31 October.

Both these fairies seem to be regarded as benign, bringing good luck to the houses they visit.

Cast out all hope, cast out all fear,

And taste with me the faeries' meat,

For while I blamed them I could hear

Dark Joan call the berries sweet,

Where NIamh heads the revelry.

(Ah, mournful Danaan quicken tree!)

~'The Danaan Quicken Tree', Yeats

Page last updated: 4th Sep 2009