Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Tir-Nan-Og
Tagged: Theme.
The Celtic "Land of the Young" to which the old Fairy folk retreated in the face of Thinning. This Otherworld combines attributes of Faerie, Heaven and the Earthly Paradise, and is often invoked in Celtic Fantasy. Mortal visitors may suffer Time-in-Faerie disjunctions, with centuries passing unheeded yet taking effect on departure (see also Shangri-La). Roger Zelazny borrowed the name in Sign of the Unicorn (1975) for an insubstantial kingdom which is literally in the sky. [DRL]