Áine

by Dubhaill Heath

The name originally meant 'brightness'. And in archaic times the designation 'Áine' was apparently used for male as well as female deities. In mediaval literature She is said to be the daughter of Manannan mac Lir.

In Her main association with the province of Munster in Co. Limerick, She is referred to as the daughter of oghabhal, who is said to be the King of the Sidhe in that territory. AAccording to Daithi OhOgáin, Eoghabhal's mention as Áine's father is due to Her being adopted as the Patron of Sovereignty and Land Goddess by the Eoghanacht sept. The significance of this is that it was among the Eoghanachts that the Kingship of Munster was held. There is a story in an 8th century text, according to OhOgáin, where Áine is shown to be the ancestress of the Eoghanachts:

Ailill Olum, son of Eoghan Mor went to Cnoc Áine (Knockaney; the hill of Áine) to tend to his horses at Samhain. There on the hillside he lay down and fell asleep. When he awoke he saw that the entire hill had been stripped of it's grass. Not knowing what to make of it he went to Fearchas mac Comain, a seer-poet who was in Leinster. Ailill asked who had done the thing and Fearchas advised that they both go and investigate the following Samhain. When the time came Ailill again fell asleep on the hillside. Then Eoghabhal came accompanied by Áine, His daughter, who was playing an instrument made of bronze. Fearchas slew Eoghabhal and Ailill raped Áine. She then cursed them both for the horrible treatment.

This not only represents a tradition of Ailill being Áine's mate, but in fact reflects an even older tradition. There is in this the significance of the mortal King becomming married to the Goddess of Sovereignty. The statement that Ailill raped Áine recalls older myths of land taking where a battle was fought to win Sovereignty, so that the word 'rape' can be seen more as a metaphor describing the manner in which Sovereignty is often gÁined. Though this story casts quite an unfavorable light on Ailill, OhOgáin points it out as an older radition showing Ailill to be Áine's mate.

In another account given by mediaval scholars, we here a much earlier story of Áine in the time of the Tuatha De Danann where Eoghabhal and His family were seeking territory and went to Nechtain. By His advice they went to take the hill known as Drom Collchoille. At first Eoghabhal and his men were being pushed back by the tribe already inhabiting the territory, but Áine promised to help them win the battle on the condition that the hill be named after Her. As this was promised, She used Her magic to defeat their enemies. The promise was fulfilled and thereafter the hill was call Cnoc Áine. The hill was then divided into four parts. Uainidhe's portion to the North, that of Fear Fi to the South, Eoghabhal's to the West, and Áine's tothe East.

The name Cnoc Áine literally translates as Áine's hill. Dr. Daithi OhOgáin points out that the full name is Cnoc Áine Cliach, the latter part of the name being the ancient name of the territory. Another version of Cliach is Cliu. She is called Áine Chliar, which has been explÁined as meaning 'cliar' (a wisp). OhOgáin's statement is that cliar is actually derived from the afforementioned Cliach.

In regard to some of the customs surroundong Áine, there were Midsummer festivals celebrated upon Croc Áine as recent as the 19th century. There the locals would gather straw (cliara), light them and carry them to the summit of the hill. They would then go to scatter them among the crops and the cattle to insure prosperity. She was sometimes claimed to have been seen on the hill that very night.

The people's feelings about Áine come through when we hear of the different ways she is described by the people, such as "the best hearted Woman who ever lived". OhOgáin recounts a legend he says is still current in Ireland. It tells of how She appeared to a local family in the form of a beggar woman. The family showed Her hospitality, and after She left they discovered a new sheep in their field. All their affairs are said to have prospered as long as they kept the sheep, but that they returned to poverty after selling it.

Although Áine is primarily associated with Cnoc Áine in Munster, there traditions regarding Her in other areas of Ireland as well. At Dun Áine (Dunany in Co. Louth), people refrained from going on the sea during the weekend directly following Lughnasadh, as this time was seen as sacred to Her. In Co. Derry in the parish of Lissan (Lios Áine) there is another hill called Cnoc Áine. Here is another legend about Her which shows Her to be concerned with the wellfare of the people.

The story goes that once, when a cowheard was sleeping, She awakened him to inform him that the cattle had strayed into an oat field. She touched his head, leaving five grey finger marks on his fair hair. According to legend here, she was supposedly once a mortal woman who was abducted into the hill. The local family Corr were reputed to be Her descendants. According to this, She was their bean sidhe, whose wailing presaged the death of family members.

In Co. Donegal, in the parish of Teelin, is yet another hill named Cnoc Áine. Here too She is said to have once been a mortal girl, who having grown weary of her father's harsh orders went into the hill. There She lives in a beautiful palace where She passes Her time 'spinning sunbeams and making gold cloth from the thread'.

Sources:

Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition, - Dáithí OhOgáin Prentice Hall Press, 1991, ISBN: 0-13-275959-4

Contributed by Seoirse Ó Cearbhaill

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