Fand is an early Irish sea goddess, later described as a "Queen of the Fairies". Her name is variously translated as "Pearl of Beauty" or "A Tear". She is seen as the most beautiful of goddesses, associated with the Other World islands of pleasure, youth and women. by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the Sídhe. ...

Fand appears in the Ulster Cycle tale, Serglige Con Culainn (The Sickbed of Cúchulainn) first as an otherworldly sea bird, and later as an avenging goddess (or "Woman of the Otherworld). In her sea bird form, she flies with a flock of enchanted birds, with each pair joined together by a silver chain. Fand, flying with her sister Lí Ban, stands out from the rest as they are connected by a gold chain. The Ulster Cycle, formerly the Red Branch Cycle, is a large body of prose and verse centering around the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster. ... The Sickbed of Cúchulainn (Irish: Serglige Con Culainn) is a narrative from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ... The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the Sídhe. ... Lí Ban was a minor sea goddess in Celtic mythology, probably originating from an ancient Manx deity. ...

The hero Cúchulainn hurls stones at the seabirds, one of which passes through Fand's wing feathers. Later, Fand and Lí Ban return in the form of "Otherworldly women" and confront him on the shore of the lake. They beat Cúchulainn with horsewhips until he falls ill and lies abed for a year, unable to rise. Cuchulain Slays the Hound of Culain, illustration by Stephen Reid from Eleanor Hulls The Boys Cuchulain, 1904 Cúchulainn ( ) (Irish Hound of Culann; also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or Cuchullain) is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well...

Cúchulainn eventually regains his health by the favor of Fand when, via negotiators (Lí Ban, and Cúchulainn's charioteer, Láeg), Cúchulainn reluctantly agrees to travel to the Fand's otherworld island and help her in a battle against her foes. Cúchulainn and Fand then become lovers. Láeg, or Lóeg, son of Riangabar, is the charioteer and constant companion of the hero Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. ...

The relationship does not last, as Cúchulainn's wife, Emer is very jealous and comes to attack the couple with a troop of women armed with knives. Fand sees that Emer is worthy of Cúchulainn, and obviously upset by their affair, so Fand chooses to leave him. She chants a poem, and then returns to her husband Manannán, who shakes his magical cloak of mists between Fand and Cúchulainn, that they may never meet again. Cúchulainn and Emer then drink a drink of forgetfulness, provided by the druids. In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Emer, it can also be spelt Eimear but it can also spelt Emer in modern Irish Emer, daughter of Forgall the Wily, was Cúchulainns wife. ... In Irish mythology, Manannán mac Lir was a sea and weather god. ... For other uses, see Druid (disambiguation). ...

Fand is also mentioned in the Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley). Táin Bó Cúailnge (the driving-off of cows of Cooley, more usually rendered The Cattle Raid of Cooley or The Táin) is the central tale in the Ulster Cycle, one of the four great cycles that make up the surviving corpus of Irish mythology. ...

The goddess or otherworldly woman, Niamh of the Golden Hair, is said to be a daughter of Manannán. As Niamh and Fand share some of the same characteristics, it is possible Niamh is also the daughter of Fand. Some sources mention another possible daughter of Manannán, Cliodna, but as Manannán is known to have partnered with a number of goddesses and mortal women, her connection with Fand is unclear. Niamh (pronounced or ) is an Irish female name. ...

A mons on Venus, Fand Mons (7.0°N 158.0°E), has been named in her honour. This is a list of montes (mountains, singular mons) on the planet Venus. ...

In 1916 the English composer Sir Arnold Bax completed an orchestral tone poem, The Garden of Fand, based on the story of Fand and Cúchulainn. Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Arnold Edward Trevor Bax (November 8, 1883 - October 3, 1953), composer, was born in Streatham, London, to prosperous upper-middle-class parents. ... A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in one movement in which some extra-musical programme provides a narrative or illustrative element. ...

Also the British progressive rock band The Enid included a side-long piece entitled Fand on their 1977 album Aerie Faerie Nonsense. The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. ...

Sources

• Serglige Con Culainn - Original text
• The Sick-Bed of Cuchulain - An English translation of the above
• The Only Jealousy of Emer

Coordinates: 7°N 158°E / 7, 158 Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...