A Who's Who of World Mythology : Aine


Aine is a Celtic fairy queen. Her name is a variation of Ana which is itself a variation of Danu, the goddess of the Tuatha de Danann. Aine’s activities center on the area of Cnoc Aine in Munster, County Limerick, Ireland.

Aine is the daughter of Eogabal of the Tuatha. She lived on Cnoc Aine in Munster. She was a fertility goddess. Her father was killed by Ferchess as he led his cattle to pasture outside their sidhe, and she was raped by Ailill Olum. She was so outraged; she struck Oilill hard enough to strip the flesh from his right ear, earning him the name of “bare ear.” She swore vengeance against Ferchess and Oilill and was later the indirect cause of the Battle of Magh Mucrime in which all seven of Oilill’s sons were killed.

In the fourteenth century, Lord Desmond is said to have captured her. She married him and had a son, but both she and the child disappeared. They continued to visit Lord Desmond however until he died at which time the son, Gerald, became the fourth earl of Desmond. Gerald later disappeared in 1398, but it is said he can be seen every seven years, riding around Loch Gur under whose waters he lives.