Ethniu

Ethniu (Old Irish IPA|/ˈeθʲnʲu/, Eithne IPA|/ˈehnʲə/; also Ethliu, Ethlinn, and a variety of other spellings – see below), in Irish mythology, is the daughter of the Fomorian leader Balor, and the mother of Lugh.

Her union with Lugh's father, Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is presented in early texts as a simple dynastic marriage, [Whitley Stokes (ed. & trans), [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T300011.html "The Second Battle of Moytura"] , Revue Celtique 12, 1891, p. 59] but later folkore preserves a more involved tale, similar to the birth of Perseus in Greek mythology. A folktale recorded John O'Donovan in 1835 tells how Balor, in an attempt to avoid a druid's prophesy that he will be killed by his own grandson, imprisons Ethniu in a tower on Tory Island away from all contact with men. But a man called Mac Cinnfhaelaidh, whose magical cow Balor stole, gains access to Ethniu's tower, with the magical halp of the "leanan sídhe" Biróg and seduces her. Ethniu gives birth to triplets, but Balor gathers the them up in a sheet and sends a messenger to drown them in a whirlpool. The messenger drowns two of the babies, but unwittingly drops one in the harbour, where he is rescued by Biróg. She takes the child back to his father, who gives him to his brother, Gavida the smith, in fosterage. The boy grows up to kill Balor. [John O'Donovan (ed. & trans.), "Annala Rioghachta Eireann: Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters" Vol. 1, 1856, pp. 18-21, footnote "S"] By comparison with texts like "Cath Maige Tuired" and the "Lebor Gabála Érenn", the unnamed boy is evidently Lugh, and his father, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh, is a stand-in for Cian. [T. W. Rolleston, "Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race", 1911, pp. 109-112; Augusta, Lady Gregory, "Gods and Fighting Men", 1094, pp. 27-29]

In some traditions she is the daughter of Delbáeth, the mother of the Dagda and Ogma, and the wife of Nuada Airgetlám. In a variant version of the birth of Aengus, she is the wife of Elcmar who is seduced by the Dagda: as such she may be a double of Boann, who plays that role in the best-known version of the tale. [James MacKillop, "Dictionary of Celtic Mythology", 1998, p. 155] Although in most texts she is a female figure, there are some in which Ethniu is a male name. In the ancient text "Baile in Scáil" ("The Phantom's Ecstatic Vision"), Lugh is said to the son of "Ethliu son of Tigernmas", or the son of "Ethniu son of Smretha son of Tigernmas". James Bonwick [James Bonwick, "Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, 1894] identifies Tigernmas, the king who introduced the worship of Crom Cruach, with Balor. R. A. Stewart Macalister also suggests that Cethlenn is originally a variant of Ethlenn arising from the frequent identification of Lugh as Lugh Mac Ethlenn (thus "Mac Ethlenn" → "Mac Cethlenn"). [R. A. Stewart Macalister (ed. & trans.), "Lebor Gabála Érenn" Vol. 4]

Ethniu is a fine example of the difficulty of conducting research into Irish mythology. Her oldest version of her name is probably Ethliu or Ethniu, giving rise to the modern Irish name Eithne. However thanks to changes in the Irish language, the lack of standardised spelling for many centuries, and attempts to anglicise the name, variations have arisen. Linguistic ignorance has further confused the issue: the genitive form, as in "mac Ethlenn" ("Ethliu's son"), has often been taken for a nominative, or a mistaken nominative has been inferred. Such variations include: Ethlinn, Ethnea, Eithliu, Ethlend, Ethnen, Ethlenn, Ethnenn, Ethne, Aithne, Enya, Aine, Ena, Etney, Eithnenn, Eithlenn, Eithna, Ethni, Edlend, Edlenn.

References