“Just as every #fairy mound had its queen, so also did it have a fool, the #Amadán, who served the queen loyally, even blindly, unaware of the difficulties he caused. It was the Amadán who could cause a stroke by the mere touch of his hand over human flesh. While some describe the Amadán as malicious—and certainly his behavior caused difficulties for his victims—he is more often depicted as too dim-witted to understand the (sometimes dire) consequences he wrought.
The fool also appears in oral folklore and in written texts as a hapless human simpleton, as in the story of “Shawn an Omadawn,” recorded by several early collectors, wherein a somewhat stupid boy winds up outwitting his more intelligent siblings or companions. In a tale from the Fenioan Cycle called the Adventure of the Great Amadán (Eachtra an Amadáin Mhóir), the fool was really the son of a king, dispossessed of his lands by invasion. Hiding in the wildwood, he grew into a hairy giant who, despite his unattractive features, married into the usurping family, only to kill his in-laws in retribution for their crimes. After many adventures and battles, the Amadán was restored to his own family and went forth to battle other giants.”
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore`
https://twitter.com/MinaStillwater/status/1592851574916644865

I put a little sign in the kitchen: "Ingredients do not tyrannize me"
Yet here I am awake early scanning recipes for the beautiful small eggplant I brought home and for the box of cooked chestnuts I was so proud to find. 🤦‍♀️
#mastodaoine #foody #amadán