What is the name of the Scottish Gaelic one-eyed giant?

The Scottish Gaelic one-eyed giant is called the Fachan. Scottish folklore describes the Fachan as a grotesque monster or giant with one eye in the middle of its face, one hand emerging from its chest, and one leg supporting its body.

The creature was recorded by folklorist John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Campbell’s account gives the Fachan a powerful flail-club, chains hung with enchanted apples, a body wrapped in animal skins, and a mantle of dark blue feathers. Its unusual anatomy makes it more than simply a one-eyed giant: it is a striking example of the “single-limbed” monster motif found in several traditions.

The name is also written fachin or fachen, and the being is associated with Direach Ghlinn Eitidh, sometimes glossed as the dwarf of Glen Etive. Scholars have compared it with related Gaelic words for giant, including Irish fathach and Scottish Gaelic famhair. It is often confused with Balor, the one-eyed Fomorian from Irish mythology, but Balor is a separate figure with a very different story and role.