OENGHUS

Real Name: Oenghus mac ind Og ("He Alone Who is Powerful")

Occupation: God of love and youth, patron god of children

Legal Status: Citizen of Otherworld

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Oenghus except as a mythological deity.

Other Aliases: Angus (alternate spelling)

Place of Birth: Brugh na Boinne (modern New Grange, Ireland)

Marital Status: Married, Widowed Twice

Known Relatives: The Dagda (father), Boann (mother), Morrigan (step-mother), Nechtan (aka Elcmhaire) (step-father), Be Find, Aine (aunts), Fraoch (cousin), Mider (half-brother/foster father), Bodb, Oghma, Diancecht (half-brothers), Andraste, Badb, Bridget, Epona, Eriu, Fodhla, Bahbha (half-sisters), Arawn (nephew), Derbrenn (first wife, deceased), Caer (second wife, deceased), Numaisi (third wife), Nemanach (son), Maga (daughter), Diarmaid (foster-son, deceased), Dechtire (grand-daughter, deceased), Conchorbor (descendant, deceased)

Group Affiliations: The Tuatha de Danaan

Base of Operations: Avalon, formerly Brugh na Boinne (modern New Grange, Ireland)

First Appearance: Oenghus has not yet appeared in the Marvel or DC Unverse.

History: Oenghus is the son of the Dagda, ruler 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, and Boann, the goddess of the Boyne River of County Meath in Eire (modern Ireland). Boann was the wife of the water-god, Nechtan, who settled Brugh na Boinne after the defeat of the Fomore, the eternal enemies of the Danaans. As Chieftain of the Tuatha de Danaan, the Dagda sent Nechtan on a day long errand, and in his absence, seduced Boann. Using his mystical powers, the Dagda extended the day to last nine months so that Boann conceived and gave birth to Oenghus in a single day. Oenghus was given to his brother, Mider, to be raised to adulthood, but when Oenghus became an adult, Nechtan gave Brugh na Boinne to Oenghus, possibly seeing him as his only worthy heir.

The Tuatha de Dannan were worshipped as gods throughout Ireland, Britain and Western Europe with the Dagda as King of Eire and Oenghus taking his throne in his absence. However, when the Dagda retired from Earthly rule, he split Eire up among four counties among his sons with Oenghus acquiring Leinster, Mider receiving Connacht, Oghma receiving Ulster and his brother Bodb Derg receiving Munster. Bodb as the eldest son also acquired the title as King of Eire at Meath, kept separate from the other four counties. During the Milesian invasion, the Danaans departed Earth for the realm of Otherworld connected to the Earth's dimension by way of countless sidhs or faerie mounds throughout Eire. Oenghus's sidh was located at Brugh na Boinne. 

Oenghus took Derbrenn, the daughter of King Eochaidh Airem of Eire as his wife, but he eventually fell in love with Caer, the daughter of Ethal Anubal and grand-daughter of King Ailill and Medhbha of Connacht. Caer had appeared to him in a vision, and Oenghus turned to his older brother, Bodb, in order to identify and find the mystery woman in the vision. Using his spells, Bodb finally found Caer a year after the dream alongside the bank of a lake in Connacht with her numerous sisters. Oenghus approached Ethal Anubal for the right to court Caer. He learned that Caer was actually a mortal shapeshifter with her sisters, only able to live half a year on Earth in human form and the other half of the year as a swan. The reason for this spell is unrevealed, but Oenghus learned from King Ailill that the best way to court Caer was to take her as a swan and convince her to remain human. Following his instructions, Oenghus confronted Caer on the Feast of Samhain and followed her into the sky as she turned to a swan, becoming a swan himself. Enchanting a mystical spell to her in song, he finally encouraged her to fly away with him to Brugh na Boinne to live as his wife. After he out-lived her, he took a third wife, Nuamaisi.

In the First Century BC, Oenghus was sent in his capacity as a god of love to woo the Princess Edain of Ulster on Mider's behalf. In the Third Century AD, he adopted Diarmaid ua Duibhne, the son of a fallen Celtic lord. Oenghus placed a spell around Diarmaid to encourage women to fall in love with him. While he attended the wedding of Igraine, a princess of Eire to the aged warrior, Finn mac Cumhaill, Oenghus was noticed by Igraine, who fell in love with him and drugged her husband and guests to escape with Diarmaid and a otherwise potentially unhappy future. Igraine's father, King Cormac of Eire sent the Fianna to retrieve her, but Oenghus protected and sheltered the lovers for several years. (Igraine should not be confused with Igraine, the mother of King Arthur.)

In the Fifth Century AD, Christianity was introduced to Eire and the Celtic Gods retreated from Earth for the last time for the dimension of Otherworld which included the realms of Avalon and Tir Na Bhog. Oenghus left Brugh na Boinne to his mortal descendants. His modern day activities are unrevealed.

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 435 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

Strength Level: Oenghus possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) 40 tons under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Oenghus possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Tuatha de Danaan or Celtic gods. Like all of the Danaans, he is exceptionally long-lived, but he is not  immortal like the Olympian gods: he has aged at an exceptionally slow rate since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he 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 his bodily molecules to cause him 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 him. Oenghus also possesses superhuman strength and his Danaan metabolism provides him 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.)

Oenghus has several abilities of a mystical nature, such as his power to teleport himself, alter his form and appearance and to cast spells of love and attraction among mortals. These spells can entice members of the opposite sex to be automatically attracted to the subject of the spell; women would be irresistibly attracted to men under this spell and vice versa. Two members of the opposite sex under identical spells likewise would be attracted to only the person of their choosing. Oenghus can use this spell to overwhelm other spells and enchantments, such as when he encouraged Caer to remain human to be his wife.

Abilities: Oenghus is a very passionate, beneficent and charismatic deity.

Comments: Oenghus has yet to appear in either the Marvel or DC Universes.

Clarifications: Oenghus is not to be confused with:

Last updated: 09/27/08

 

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