The Ly Erg is a

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

from

Scottish folklore Scottish folklore (Scottish Gaelic: ''Beul-aithris na h-Alba'') encompasses the folklore of the Scottish people from their earliest records until today. Folklorists, both academic and amateur, have published a variety of works focused specifically ...

, particularly associated with the area in and around the Glenmore Forest, part of the present-day

Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh) is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Tros ...

. It is dressed as a soldier, distinguishable from a real soldier only by its red right hand, said to be stained with the blood of its victims. While out walking it will stop near water, and by raising its right hand challenge passersby to fight. But anyone who engages in combat with the Ly Erg will be dead within a fortnight, win or lose. Writing in 1847, the antiquarian Joseph Robertson tells of three brothers who fought the Ly Erg, each of them dying immediately after their encounter.

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* * {{coord, 57, 5, 0, N, 3, 40, 0, W, type:landmark_region:GB_scale:100000, display=title Scottish folklore Fairies Scottish mythology