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Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) created a post

May 29, 2026  
Happy Folklore Friday for the 29th! 🌿

Today I want to talk about the Cyhyraeth, one of the quieter, stranger figures in Welsh folklore and one that has always fascinated me.

At first glance, a Cyhyraeth is like the Irish Banshee. It’s a wailing female spirit that acts as a death omen, heralding an impending loss. But unlike the Banshee, the Cyhyraeth is never seen, only ever heard, particularly along the Welsh coast and near water.

The cry was understood as a portent of death, arriving before illness, before disaster, before shipwrecks claimed their dead. Sometimes she was said to wail three times, each cry growing fainter, and those who heard her knew that something irrevocable was already in motion.

What makes the Cyhyraeth so compelling is how much she does with so little. There's no figure to describe, no face to imagine, only a sound moving through the darkness and the particular dread of knowing that a warning has already come too late to change anything. 🌊

She belongs to a rich tradition of Welsh omens and heralds, sitting alongside the Gwrach y Rhibyn and the corpse candle as one of the ways Welsh folklore gave shape to the unspeakable. Some things, it seems, need a voice even when there's no one left to hear them.

#FolkloreFriday #TalesFromWales #WelshFolklore #FolkloreFantasy #MythAndMoonlight
     
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Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) May 29, 2026

And for those of you wondering... it's pronounced Kuh-HUR-aith 💙

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2615 KP) rated The Unkept Woman in Books

Mar 2, 2026 (Updated Mar 2, 2026)  
The Unkept Woman
The Unkept Woman
Allison Montclair | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Body in Sparks’s Apartment
When Iris Sparks returns to her apartment one night after work, she is shocked to find an unexpected visitor. It’s someone she is less than happy to see, especially since she thought the person was out of her life for good. After quickly going to the Bainbridge’s for the night, she thinks things are behind her again – until a body is discovered in her living room. Who was the victim? And who committed the murder?
 
If you have yet to meet the ladies of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau, I don’t suggest you start here. Despite the prologue, which has a scene two days before the story really starts (yep, still hate that literary technique), the book takes some time getting into the mystery. Instead, we get some updates in the ongoing soap opera infused storylines. But, as a fan, I was there for it. Things only pick up once the murder happens. Despite my focus on Iris in the teaser, Gwen gets plenty of her own moments to shine, and the plot couldn’t have been solved without both of them. And they continue to be two compelling leads I can’t wait to spend more time with soon. Fans looking to catch up will be as hooked on this entry as I was.