Aed, or
Aodh, is the prince of the Daoine Sidhe and a god of the underworld in
Irish mythologyThe 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 branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
. He is known from inscriptions as the eldest son of
LirLer or Lir 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 named Allód in early genealogies, and corresponds to the Llŷr of Welsh mythology...
, High King of the Tuatha de Dannan, and Aobh, a daughter of Bodb Dearg.
According to tradition, Aobh died in childbirth after bearing Lir four children (two sets of twins):
FionnualaIn Irish mythology, Finnguala was the daughter of Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann...
, Aodh, Fiachra, and
Conn of the hundred battlesConn Cétchathach , son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland, and the ancestor of the Connachta, and, through his descendant Niall Noígiallach, the Uí Néill dynasties, which dominated Ireland in the early middle ages, and...
.
AoifeAoife, earlier Aífe , is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish aoibh, meaning "beauty", "pleasure" or "radiant goddess", although the name has also be associated with the Gaulish goddess Esuvia. The name is sometimes Anglicised as Eva...
, 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 former King of the Tuatha de Dannan. But for love of the
Children of LirThe Children of Lir is an Irish legend. The original Irish title is Clann Lir or Leannaí Lir, but Lir is the genitive case of Lear. Lir is more often used as the name of the character in English...
, the servants of
AoifeAoife, earlier Aífe , is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish aoibh, meaning "beauty", "pleasure" or "radiant goddess", although the name has also be associated with the Gaulish goddess Esuvia. The name is sometimes Anglicised as Eva...
would not slay the children, and so she cursed them to live as swans for 900 years: 300 upon Lake Darvra, 300 in the
English ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, and 300 on the open sea.
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
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. For more on the story, see the article on the
Children of LirThe Children of Lir is an Irish legend. The original Irish title is Clann Lir or Leannaí Lir, but Lir is the genitive case of Lear. Lir is more often used as the name of the character in English...
.