In Irish mythology, Áine (also Aillen) was a goddess of love, growth, cattle and the moon. She was the daughter of Egobail, and sister of Aillen and/or Fennen. In some versions of the myth, she is the wife of Gerold Iarla; in others, rather than being married, he raped her, and may have been subsequently killed by her; in yet other versions of her myth, she is the wife of Manannan mac Lir. The feast of Midsummer Night was held in her honor. In County Limerick, she was a fairy queen. She is sometimes equated with Danu. The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... In Irish mythology, Aillen or Áillen was a monster from Mag Mell, the underworld. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... In the study of mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the Moon: see Moon (mythology). ... In Irish mythology, Egobail was a foster son of Manannan mac Lir and father of Aine. ... In Irish mythology, Aillen or Áillen was a monster from Mag Mell, the underworld. ... In Irish mythology, Manannan mac Lir was a sea and weather god. ... Limerick (Luimneach in Irish) is an Irish county in the province of Munster, located in the Mid-west of Ireland with County Clare to the north, County Cork to the south and County Kerry to the west. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with insect-like wings. ... In Irish mythology, Danu or Dana was the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu), although little is recorded about her as a character. ...

Etymology & Fundamental Nature

The reconstructed lexis of the Proto-Celtic language as collated by the University of Wales [1] suggests that the name is likely to be ultimately derived from the Proto-Celtic *Anjā . This Proto-Celtic word connotes the semantics of ‘ring, annular thing.’ This apparent semantic connotation has led Dr. John Koch at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies to suggest that this personality may well personify “cyclicality ”. This theory, if it is correct, would account for the associations with the cyclicality inherent in the cycles of growth, of the moon, and of the apparent vicissitudes of love. This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Proto-Celtic, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ... In general, semantics (from the Greek semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ...

Parallels?

If the theory is correct that Aine is in fact a personification of ‘cyclicality’, this allow one to draw parallels with such beings as Arianrhod, Aericura. In Welsh mythology, Arianrhod (silver wheel) was a daughter of Beli and Don. ... In Celtic mythology, Aericura (Aeracura, Heracura) was an underworld goddess; she was originally an earth goddess, associated with Silvanus, the Rhine Valley and the cornucopia. ...

Bibliography

• Ellis, Peter Berresford, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press, (1994): ISBN 0195089618
• MacKillop, James. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0192801201.
• Wood, Juliette, The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art, Thorsons Publishers (2002): ISBN 0007640595

External Links

• Celtic Gods and their Associates
• Some major Celtic gods and goddesses
• Proto-Celtic — English lexicon