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| Leanan sídhe and her victim |
The muse is described as a very beautiful woman, and her victim, if he does not meet his end drained by her, then—in the "best" case—loses his mind.
The legend of this fairy-muse says that she seeks the love of mortals. If the mortal chosen by the fairy refuses her, then she will serve him like a slave. If, however, the mortal falls under her spell and falls in love with her, then he becomes her slave, and his only escape is to find another man to take his place and be drained of strength until he reaches his end.
In folklore, she does not necessarily appear under the name leanan sídhe, and therefore references to her can be harder to find, but you can read about her in the stories of Katherine Briggs, in the legend Oisin in the Land of Youth, or in the poems of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.
