Aed, or Aodh, is the prince of the Daoine Sidhe and a god of the underworld in

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

. He is known from inscriptions as the eldest son of

Lir Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...

, High King of the Tuatha de Dannan, and Aoibh, a daughter of Bodb Dearg. Aed is elsewhere described in the '' Dindsenchas'' as being the Dagda's son and brother of Cermait and

Aengus In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

killed by Corchenn of Cruach for seducing Corchenn's wife.

Etymology

Aed's name is derived from the Old Irish word for fire, derived from a Proto-Indo European verb meaning "to burn" or "to kindle". In the Dindsenchas, he is given the epithet "of the wind-swift horses" and called "Aed Luirgnech," meaning "big-shins".

Children of Lir

According to tradition, Aoibh died in childbirth after bearing Lir four children (two sets of twins): Fionnuala and Aodh were the first pair and Fiachra and Conn were the second. Aoife, the second wife of Lir, and in some versions of the story, the sister of Aobh, was very jealous of the children and conspired to kill them on a journey to see Bodb Dearg, the King of the Tuatha de Dannan. But for love of the

Children of Lir The ''Children of Lir'' () is a legend from Irish mythology. It is a tale from the post-Christianisation period that mixes magical elements such as druidic wands and spells with a Christian message of Christian faith bringing freedom from su ...

, the servants of Aoife would not slay the children, and so she cursed them to live as swans for 900 years: 300 upon Lough Derravaragh, 300 in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, and 300 on the Sea of Moyle. Legend says they kept their voices and learned all the songs and tales of Ireland, as well as the many languages brought by travelers from distant places. There are numerous variations on the culmination of the story after the breaking of Aoife's curse, and most are obviously influenced by stories from

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. For more on the story, see the article on the Children of Lir.

Son of the Dagda

As the son of the

Dagda The Dagda ( , ) is considered the great god of Irish mythology. He is the chief god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with the Dagda portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia''. ABC-CLIO ...

, Aed, described as "faultless" and a bright-faced youth, was reportedly killed on Benn Bain Baith by Corrgend of Cruach, and buried at Ailech of Imchell. Corrgend killed Aed for having an affair with Corrgend's wife Tethra. Corrgend is described as a hero swift of hand and every man's foe, who could not find rest and refuge in fields, wood, sea, or anywhere under the white sun after killing Aed. The Dagda cursed Corrgend, so that he could not remove Aed's body from his back until he found an appropriate stone to mark Aed's grave. The

, described as the king of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuatha Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic ...

, pursued Corggend until he was "storm-beaten", then forced Corggend to dig Aed's grave. Here Aed is explicitly described as son of the Dagda and brother of Aengus and Cermait.''The Metrical Dindsenchas''
poem 22 "Ailech I"

References

*Encyclopedia of Gods, Michael Jordan, Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002 {{Irish mythology (mythological) Irish gods

Etymology

Children of Lir

Son of the Dagda

See also

References