AINE
Real Name:
Aine
Occupation:
Goddess of earth, patron goddess of mothers
Legal Status:
Citizen of Otherworld
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Aine except as a mythological deity.
Other Aliases:
Anu, Ana (Celtic names), Don (Welsh name)
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Widowed
Known Relatives:
Delbaeth II (father, possibly deceased), Boann, Be Find (sisters), Oenghus
(nephew), Dagda
, Llyr, Gwydion
(uncles), Elathan
(paternal grandfather), Delbaeth I (paternal great-grandfather, deceased),
Codal (husband, deceased), Eriu, Banbha, Fodlha
(daughters), Bres
(grandson), Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, Mac Geine (sons-in-law, deceased),
Group Affiliations: The Tuatha de Danaan
Base of Operations:
Avalon, formerly Da Chich Nanann ("Paps of Anu") near Kerry, Ireland
First Appearance: Aine has yet to appear in the Marvel or DC Universes.
History: Aine is a member of an other-dimensional realm of beings known as the Tuatha de Danaan, a race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the Ancient Celts and Gaels of Western Europe. The Tuatha de Danaan are believed to be the descendants of the Fomore, the ancestral spirits of Eire, who were ruled by a number of kings, the latest was Elathan, also known as Belenus, who was worshipped as a god of the son. Elathan sired a number of children by the earth-goddess, Danu, known as Gaea to the Ancient Greeks. These children known as the Tuatha de Danaan were physically perfect and rose up to rebel against the Fomore, led by the gods known as Llyr and the Dagda, and were victorious, claiming Eire for themselves.
Aine was seduced by the Dagda, and gave birth to three daughters, Eriu, Banbha and Fodlha, who each had faerie characteristics. She became the wife of Codal, a Danaan chieftain, who raised her daughters as his own, but Eriu was seduced by Elathan and gave birth to Bres, who had Danaan and Fomore characteristics. As an adult, Bres surrendered Eire back to the returning Fomore and subjugated the Danaans. With the help of Lugh, the Danaans eventually ousted Bres and the Fomore from Earth once more, exiling them to another dimension. Lugh became king of Eire, leaving the Dagda as ruler of the Danaans, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Celts and Gaels. When Lugh retired from earthly rule, the Dagda split rule of Eire among his four sons. Aine's three daughters, eventually married Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Geine, the three sons of Cermat Coem, a son of Oghma, one of the sons of the Dagda. They shared joint rule of Eire after the sons of the Dagda departed Earth, but during their rule, Eire was invaded by the Milesians from Gaul. The Milesians promised to name the island after each of the daughters of Aine as they laid siege to each part of the island. Because Eriu was the last Danaan they faced in their dimension, it was her name for which they derived the name "Eire."
During the Milesian invasion, the Danaans were driven from Earth to the other-dimensional realm of Otherworld through underground portals hidden near numerous sidhs (fairy mounds) on Eire. Despite driven from Earth, the Danaans continued to be worshipped as gods by the Celts and Gaels and continued to traffic with mortal man until Christianity was introduced to the land. Aine took over the worship rites of Danu, known to the Greeks as Gaea.
In recent years, the Danaans came to a truce with the Norse
gods after years of hostility from the invasions of the Vikings and Saxons to
Eire and Britain and joined them in the defense of Asgard, home of the Norse
gods. They were victorious in expelling Seth,
the Egyptian god of death, from Asgard. Aine's current activities since are
unrevealed.
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 425 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black
Strength Level: Aine possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) 25 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Aine possesses the conventional physical
attributes of the Tuatha de Danaan or Celtic gods. Like all of the Danaans, she
is exceptionally long-lived, but she is not immortal like the Olympian
gods: she has aged at an exceptionally slow rate since reaching adulthood and
cannot die by any conventional means. She is immune to all Earthly diseases and
is resistant to conventional injury. If she were somehow wounded, her godly life
force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury
of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her bodily molecules to
cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of
significant power, such as the Dagda, Gwydion or Llyr or for a number of Celtic
gods of equal power working together to revive her. Aine also possesses
superhuman strength and her Danaan metabolism provides her with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Danaan flesh and bone is about
three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman
strength and weight of the Celtic gods.)
Aine also has a number of abilities to tap into and manipulate the ethereal energies of Earth, something akin to faerie-magic. She can cast spells, levitate objects, restore plants and cure sickness. She can alter her appearance to disguise herself from view, even changing herself to doves or insect, or just render herself invisible to mortals. The full range of her powers are unrevealed, but her level of power is not quite that of gods such as the Dagda or Llyr.
Pets: Aine owned a horse called Lair Derg ("red
mare") that could run faster than any other horse.
Comments: Aine has not yet appeared in Marvel or DC Comics.
Clarifications: Aine is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 09/24/08