Wkstkopp — Ancient Sanctuaries of Knockainey and Cloy her. 55 



were of the latter species. The grove of 'Aiue was clearly of the second 

 " tree." 



But who was 'Aiue ? The occurrence of the name of Aife at Gleneefy, and 

 the lost " Cenn Aife," not far from 'Aine's hill, suggests that the two ladies 

 may be the fairy goddesses 'Aine and Aife, 1 who, with Clidna and Aibinn, 2 

 figure so largely in Munster folk-lore. The first two are closely connected 

 with Manannan mac Lir, 3 the sea-god. The " Duanaire Finn " tells how the 

 lady Aife was transformed into a crane in his house, and how he killed 

 Fer Fidhail, 4 son of Eogabal, of Sid Cliath, who was his pupil, and bore a 

 forked javelin ( ? trident). Another tale iu the " Agallamh "' tells how 'Aine, 

 daughter of Eogabal, married him (Manannan) on condition that he gave his 

 wife to her brother Aillen. 5 Aife was wife of Cain, of Cenn Febrat slebe 

 Cain, evidently one of the group of mountain-gods in Cliu. 6 Others said the 

 ladies were daughters of the sea-god, aud 'Aine at least was a goddess of 

 fishers at Dunainey, on the coast. 7 This does not make the Aillen tale 

 impossible in the known laxity of pagan ideas, 9 for what was abysmal sin in 

 the law of Sinai and Galilee was sacrosanct among the kings of Persia, Peru, 

 and Egypt. In a late tale the sea-god's son, Etar, died of love for 'Aine, and 

 was buried (a late mark) on the peak of Edar 3 or Howth — the " Edros " of 

 Ptolemy. In the " Sleep Song of Grainne," 10 over Diarmait, we hear of " the 



1 O'Rahilly's Poems (Ir. Texts Soc, p. 203) place Aife's sidh in Sliab Eibhliun. 

 "Aife's cows" were rocks on a hillside (see Rev. Celt., vol. xiii, p. 378; and Metr. 

 Dind., vol. x, pp. 115, 231, and 499). Her name meant "hillside." For Aoife, wife of 

 Lir, who turned his children to swans, and was turned to an air-demon, see "Fate of 

 Children of Lir " (Atlantis, vol. iv, p. 119). Her father was reared in the god Bodb 

 Derg's sid-mound. 



2 Aibinn, or Aibhill. See Folk-Lore, vol. xxi, pp. 186-7. Aibinn's name, like that 

 of " Crom Dubh," or " the Daghda," is concealed under an epithet, the " pleasant " or 

 " lovely." 



3 The Dindshenchas says that Clidna, Aife, and Edain were daughters of his Ollamh 

 (under " Clidhna " and " Tuag Inbir"). There were probably Milesian attempts to 

 affiliate 'Aine to the Gaulish pantheon. The Eogabal legends may be the non-Milesian 

 element. 'Aine's foster-sister, Becuma, was seduced by Manannan's son (Eriu, vol. iii, 

 pp. 151, 163). She sought refuge in Eogabal's sidh. 



4 Rev. Celt., vol. xvi, p. 152 ; for the crane, see Duanaire Finn, p. 118. 



6 Pp. 225, 196. St. Patrick calls it " a complicated bit of romance " ! 



Metr. Dinds. , vol. x, p: 115. Deda was a lake-god at Killarney (Eriu, vol. i, 

 p. 1S4). His brother, Febra, also honoured at Genu Febrat, is probably divine, like him, 

 Aine and Aife. 



7 Roy. Soc. Antt. Ir., vol. ii, p. 36. 



8 For attempts to bowdlerize such tales see those of Clothra, Nes, Cairbre Muse, and 

 Duben (Silva Gad., vol. ii, p. 535 ; Roy. Soc. Antt. Ir., vol. xl, p. 184) ; Clothra in 

 Keating's Hist., vol. ii, p. 233 ; Nes, Rev. Celt., vol. xvi, p. 149. 



9 Dindsenchas, Rev. Celt., vol. xv, p. 331. 

 '" Duanaire Finn, p. 197. 



R.I.A. PROC, VOL, XXXIV, SECT. C. [9] 



