Glashtyn

"*‘Ash,’ Gwyn said. ‘How are-’ ‘Glashtyn,’ said the waterhorse, with no lazy cheerful informality. It was like they were meeting an entirely new fae. His voice reverberated with some deep truth, as though the soul of something profound were speaking, instead of a voice box and vocal cords. ‘Do not desecrate me with that name.’*"
―Gwyn ap Nudd and Ash Glashtyn[[The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague, Chapter 24: Glashtyn]]
The **Glashtyn** is one of the few named reincarnating fae. The Glashtyn is a kind of waterhorse, and his current incarnation is "Ash" Glashtyn, or Ash.

## Physical Description

In his true-form, the Glashtyn is 'a large, dappled reddish-brown pony, with glowing malevolent hazel eyes and a curly, cropped mane and tail shining in red, brown, and blond. From its mane and tail grew pale green waterweed, and where a regular horse’s teeth should be, sharp fangs caught the light and gleamed with thick saliva.' He also has 'a long, sharp tongue'. He also has 'long, thick lashes coloured like his mane, brown and gold and blond and auburn and bright red.' He is considered against type, as previous glashtyn used to have black hair and green eyes, like Augus Each Uisge does. Ash is often described as a runt. In his true-form form, the Soulbond appears 'sparkling of iridescent blue [on one of his forelegs], looking like it had been burnt into him, fringed in a charcoal grey-black. Against his red and orange hairs, it gleamed almost prettily, like jewels set into his hair and skin.'

The Glashtyn has a 'low laugh, eldritch and cold', which sometimes is 'a deep rolling sound that seemed to press up from the earth itself and wreathe up into the air like smoke.' Eran Iliakambar noted that even 'when he wasn’t laughing, he still sounded like he was mocking them all.'

## Abilities

Gwyn noted that Ash is far more powerful than previous incarnations of the Glashtyn, particularly in the use of his dra'ocht. The Glashtyn later confirmed this himself, as, even after starving for so long and traveling on salt water, he said, *'I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, and I’ve always been strong.'* Gwyn has also noted on several occasions that Ash's dra'ocht is much like Crielle ferch Fnwy's in terms of power: it can sway an entire Court if he puts his mind to it. The Raven Prince implied that Ash is not as strong as Crielle with it, though. The Glashtyn noted, *'They have called me a runt, but I am just as powerful and capable of hunting as any waterhorse, and stronger than most.'*

Like other waterhorses, Ash can create waterweed and use it in combat.

When the Glashtyn's reincarnation shifts into true-form, there is a 'change in the air . . . the temperature dropped'.

'[W]aterhorses had an ability to stick people to their pelts. They did it while hunting, so that any human who touched them couldn’t get away without ripping their skin or limbs off.'

It appears that placing a bridle on a waterhorse can weaken them, or at least place them under the control of the person with the bridle.

The Glashtyn noted that Ash has to shift to his Glashtyn form to feed properly.

## Characteristics (culture, habits)

Waterhorses like when other fae brush their hair. 'Unseelie waterhorses can't tolerate meat early on in their lives.' Like other waterhorses, although the glashtyn consumes humans, human liver is deathly poisonous to the glashtyn.

Augus stated that every prior incarnation of the Each Uisge and the Glashtyn were rivals, not siblings. When the Glashtyn first appeared in canon, he was dismissive of the Each Uisge, stating, *‘Oh, the dear Each Uisge, my* brother *. . . He* does *look to be in a bit of trouble, doesn’t he? Tch, tch. What a* shame.’ The Glashtyn noted *‘I loathe him for what he has twisted our true instincts into. For I do not believe that the other one inside of me would be so…rigorously against who we are, were it not for the Each Uisge.'* The Glashtyn either simply hates other horse-like creatures, or transfers his hatred of the Each Uisge to hate other horse-like creatures. He's also killed other waterhorses **that incurred on the Each Uisge’s territory if he couldn’t get to them in time.**

The Glashtyn is a freshwater fae. 'Freshwater fae . . . could come up with rashes with exposure to salt water and saltwater fae. It burnt their eyes and throat. Just as many freshwater fish wouldn’t survive in the ocean, so many freshwater fae strongly reviled being around sea-fae.'

The Glashtyn is a solitary creature, which makes it hard for them to survive as underfae.

According to the Raven Prince, the glashtyns of the past were 'sexual sadists' who possessed strong hearts and conviction.

Supposedly, every glashtyn yearns 'to experience the sensation of true dryness and warmth. That it was the one thing they could never have, so they yearned for it. And – for the most part – it was true. Waterhorses craved dry beds and warm places. Fires in hearths and fluffy towels and blankets and having their hair combed in sunlight. They lived as though they didn’t shed water through their scalp. Rather than spending all their times in lakes, they purchased water-wicking fabrics, lived in homes they kept as dry as possible.'

Augus stated that waterhorses - or at least the Each Uisge and Glashtyn - do not have funereal rituals.

Gwyn noted that Ash is quite separate from his inner waterhorse, and that 'the schism is profound, and creates issues.' Julvia Dubna Vajat noted that 'he’s not like Ash at all. And he’s been…forcibly kept down and repressed by Ash for thousands of years. He’ll- He’ll not want to cede any control back to him.’ Personality-wise, the Glashtyn is a sadistic, playful creature who appears to enjoy hurting the Each Uisge and taunting others.

The Glashtyn noted, '*‘My dra’ocht and my compulsions are for hunting . . . Not for all the petty reasons the other one uses them for. And while I play my own games, I will not use my sacred abilities. The King will kill me.’*

The Glashtyn noted that he hates the sky: '*We are made for lakes, a home with walls, and then lake walls too, pressure all around us, not* air.' Personality-wise, the Glashtyn is a sadistic, playful creature who enjoys taunting others. Mosk noted he is opportunistic.

## Quotations

* The Raven Prince to Ash: 'Ugly runt, poisonous Glashtyn, won’t you stay? Don’t you want to hear the story?'
* To the Glashtyn: ‘You want to take me on, Ash Glashtyn? Go ahead. I’ll have no problems with you.’
* To Gwyn: *‘More the fool he,’* the Glashtyn said, his lip curling. *‘Place him on my back then, if you must, so there might be a glut of humans at the end of this misery.’*
* *'Yes, yes, of course, Your Majesty. Anything for you, Your Majesty.’* [Gwyn]: ‘Cut it out, Glashtyn.’ *‘Anything you want, my King,’* the Glashtyn said, his voice smoothing into another chuckle. *‘Anything you want.’*
* To Mosk, about Ash: *‘He needs me,’* the Glashtyn said. *‘I need him.’*
* 'Olphix was out there, somewhere, with too much magic and power and zero intention to do anything good. The Glashtyn was nothing like the monster Mosk feared most.'

## Folklore/Mythology

The Glashtyn, glashtin, glashtan, or glashan is a creature from Manx folklore. The Manx are a Celtic ethnic group from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.

'The glashtin is said to be a goblin that appears out of its aquatic habitat, to come in contact with the island folk; others claim it takes the shape of a colt, or equate it to the water horse known locally as *cabyll-ushtey*. Yet another source claims the glashtin was a water-bull (*tarroo-ushtey* in Manx), half-bovine and half-equine.

Some tales or lore recount that it has pursued . . . women, ending in the stock motif of escape by cutting loose the skirt-hem, although in one modern version her escape is achieved by a rooster's crowing; in that tale the glashtin pretends to be a handsome man but is[,] betrayed by his horse-ears.

. . . Although the glashtin may assume a normal horse's guise, it had hooves which "were back to front", writes Wiltshire native folklore author Ralph Whitlock, writing in 1979. The reversed hooves has been ascribed to the Shetlandic njogel by James A. Teit back in 1918.

. . . Train claims the glashtin to be a water-horse, and that this sea-glashtin would at one time emerge from his marine habitat, mingling with the local land-roving ponies, and cross breed to produce foal.

Train drew similarity to the Manx water-bull . . . which also shared the trait of mingling with land livestock. In fact the water-bull attempts to mate with domesticated cows as well, only unsuccessfully, according to George Waldron (1731).

The glashtin, it was said, ceased to appear after the islanders started cross-breeding their native horses with breeds from the outside.

. . . German mythographer Karl Blind noted that Manx glashtin or elashtan "attacks lonely women" as is the case with the Shetlandic nuggle and the Scottish kelpie.

The creature was known to have great curiosity for women and pester them in rather picaresque manner, and would grab hold and tear off pieces of women's attire.'

'A folk tale from Barra tells of a lonely kelpie that transforms itself into a handsome young man to woo a pretty young girl it was determined to take for its wife. But the girl recognises the young man as a kelpie and removes his silver necklace (his bridle) while he sleeps. The kelpie immediately reverts to its equine form, and the girl takes it home to her father's farm, where it is put to work for a year. . . . When a kelpie appeared in its equine persona without any tack, it could be captured using a halter stamped with the sign of a cross, and its strength could then be harnessed in tasks such as the transportation of heavy mill stones. . . . Some kelpies were said to be equipped with a bridle and sometimes a saddle, and appeared invitingly ready to ride, but if mounted they would run off and drown their riders. If the kelpie was already wearing a bridle, exorcism might be achieved by removing it. A bridle taken from a kelpie was endowed with magical properties, and if brandished towards someone, was able to transform that person into a horse or pony.'

## Image Gallery

Fanart of Augus Each Uisge and Ash Glashtyn in waterhorse form by sic-sempervirens https://sic-sempervirens.tumblr.com/post/651913801311158272/sliding-into-mermay-on-a-technicality
## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 20 January 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/91136179. Chapter 24: Glashtyn.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 February 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/91940740. Chapter 25: Monsters Within Monsters.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 6 June 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/45419827. Chapter 7: Tell Me a Story.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 June 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/9291202. Chapter 47: Redirection.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 20 January 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/91136179. Chapter 24: Glashtyn.
6. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 13 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1894662. Chapter 11: Abandoned.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 11 November 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5741654. Chapter 17: Life.
8. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 16 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1904254. Chapter 12: Liver.
9. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 January 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2083339. Chapter 26: Family.
10. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 29 November 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2132476. Chapter 29: Corporal.
11. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 31 January 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/2363349. Chapter 39: Alone.
12. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 2 - The Seething Seas.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 27 September 2019. https://archiveofourown.org/works/17959874/chapters/49401356. Chapter 15: Own Yourself.
13. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 14 November 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/5830019. Chapter 18: Blood.
14. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 10 August 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/36302208. Chapter 26: A Familiar Blue.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Glashtyn". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glashtyn. Accessed 11 May 2021.
16. ↑ "Manx people". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx\_people. Accessed 11 May 2021.
17. ↑ "Kelpie". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie. Accessed 20 January 2022.