RHIANNON
Real Name:
Epona (Rhiannon is her Briton name)
Occupation:
Queen of Tir Tairngiri (The Land of Promise), Goddess of horses,
Legal Status:
Citizen of Avalon
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Rhiannon except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases:
Rig Antona
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives:
The Dagda
(father), Morrigan
(mother), Gwydion,
Llyr (uncles),
Bodb, Oghma, Mider
(brothers), Oenghus, Diancecht (half-brothers), Badb,
Brigid, (sisters), Manannan (husband), Aoife, Cliodna, Etain, Curcog
(daughters), Lodan (son), Goibnui (nephew), Cernunnos
(cousin)
Group Affiliations: The Celtic Gods
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: (behind the scenes) Thor I #301
History: Rhiannon is the daughter of the Dagda, Ruler of the extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Tuatha da Danaan, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Celts, and his wife, Morrigan, the goddess of war and death. Rhiannon and her sisters, Badb and Brigid, often followed their mother into war against enemies of the Danaans, most notably against the Fomore, eternal enemies of the Danaans. Rhiannon was an expert charioteer and goddess of horses while Brigid relished the stragedy and movements of war as opposed to the reckless bloodshed and weaponry of Badb.
After the Fomore were finally ousted from Eire (modern Ireland), Rhiannon was taken as a wife by Manannan, the sea-god and son of Leir. He took her to the island of Tir Tairngiri (aka The Land of Promise), a paradise within the realm of Otherworld, the home of the Celtic Gods. She bore him several beautiful children; her daughters, however, often welcomed mortals to live with them. Among them, Bran the Blessed and Ciabhan, Lodan and Eolus of the Clan Fianna.
In modern years, Rhiannon was among the
Celtic goddesses who watched over the Young Gods destined to serve as pure
genetic perfection examples of humanity to the Fourth Host of the Celestials. The Celestials, however, ordered the Danaans to stop trafficking with mortals and revealed they were going to
return in a thousand years to judge whether humanity was worthy to
survive. During the Forth Host of the Celestial, Odin lead the life-forces of the Asgardian Gods to war against the Celestials and were destroyed. Rhiannon was present when the god Thor afterward came to Avalon to retrieve the life energies necessary to revive the Asgardians slain against the Celestials.
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 325 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Strength Level: Rhiannon possess superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) 25 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Rhiannon possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the Olympian gods. Like all Olympians, she is immortal: she has not aged 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 Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of
Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive her. Iris also possesses
superhuman strength and her Olympian metabolism provides her with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman
strength and weight.)
Epona has limited mystical skills to perform a few feats of
magic. She has a mystical rapport with animals, particularly with horses, mules
and donkeys. She can superficially control the elements, creating rain and
controlling the wind to fly. She can also alter her appearance to appearance as
mortals or appear in a gigantic nature on earth.
Comments: Rhiannon has not yet appeared in the Marvel or DC Universes
except possibly behind the scenes in the origins of the Young Gods.
Clarifications: Rhiannon is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 10/14/06