Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

Monster With a Harp: Halloween's Oldest Story (Patreon)

Published:

2026-10-30 18:47:34

Imported:

2026-10

Content

The oldest Halloween story has a monster with no fangs and no scary face. He has a harp.

Watch the video

I'm out on the trail behind my house, the day before Halloween, telling you where Halloween comes from: Samhain (say it "SOW-in"), the old Gaelic festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. The dead came home, the fires were lit, people went door to door in disguise, and the jack-o'-lantern started as a turnip.

Then the story of Aillen, who came to Tara every Samhain and played his harp until everyone fell asleep... and what Fionn mac Cumhaill did about it. Historians argue about how much of this was ancient practice and how much is later storytelling, so I've told it the way the stories tell it.

🎃 My Halloween song, "A Rabbit for Halloween": https://youtu.be/_x1hQlDBnkc

🍺 Want to hear a song? Request one (it's free): Request@celtfather.net Or leave it in the comments.

What are you dressing as?

💿 Come Adventure With Me is $5 as a digital album. Add the CD for $15 more ($20 total, plus shipping): https://celticmusic.org/videochallenge/

New video every Thursday at noon ET.

#Samhain #Halloween #IrishMythology

Files

Monster With a Harp: Halloween's Oldest Story

The oldest Halloween story has a monster with no fangs and no scary face. He has a harp. I'm out on the trail behind my house, the day before Halloween, telling you where Halloween comes from: Samhain (say it "SOW-in"), the old Gaelic festival that marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. The dead came home, the fires were lit, people went door to door in disguise, and the jack-o'-lantern started as a turnip. Then the story of Aillen, who came to Tara every Samhain and played his harp until everyone fell asleep... and what Fionn mac Cumhaill did about it. Historians argue about how much of this was ancient practice and how much is later storytelling, so I've told it the way the stories tell it. 🎃 My Halloween song, "A Rabbit for Halloween": https://youtu.be/_x1hQlDBnkc 🍺 Want to hear a song? Request one (it's free): Request@celtfather.net Or leave it in the comments. What are you dressing as? 👉 Follow me on Patreon (free): https://www.patreon.com/celtfather 💿 Come Adventure With Me is $5 as a digital album. Add the CD for $15 more ($20 total, plus shipping): https://celticmusic.org/videochallenge/ New video every Thursday at noon ET. #Samhain #Halloween #IrishMythology