groac'h
A groac'h is a kind of Breton water-fairy seen in various forms, often by night, with many appearing as old figures similar to ogres and witches, sometimes with walrus teeth. Supposed to live in caverns under the beach and under the sea, the groac'h has power over the forces of nature and can change its shape. It is mainly known as a malevolent figure, largely because of stories in which the fairy seduces men, changes them into fish and serves them as meals to guests.
↻ synthesized from 2 sources
When
- First attested
- 3000 BCE
- Attested period
- 1800 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Origin traced to ancient female divinities demonized by Christianity; 19th-century Breton writers brought them closer to classical fairy figures.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- houles fairy, Korrigan
- consort of
- korandon
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“She discovers that a groac'h lives there. The fairy tells her never to come back by night, otherwise she will never see her mother again... The groac'h catches the girl and keeps her in its cave, which has every possible comfort.”
#6501 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5
“A few are similar to old groac'h-type fairies, adept at metamorphosis and whose role is more obscure.”
#6640 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5