by Jess Howe

Created on: August 05, 2009   Last Updated: August 06, 2009

Ethlinn, mother of Lugh the god who can do anything, had to be a pretty powerful and fantastic goddess herself, right? Maybe, maybe not... In this article I'll explore who she actually was and how she was worshiped, as well as some stories regarding this one, in hopes that it'll help you understand her better.

WHO SHE WAS

Ethlinn was the daughter of Balor, lord of the Fomorians who came before the Irish gods - like the Titans who came before the Greek gods of Mt. Olympus. There are many stories among the Irish gods of a grandson killing a father or grandfather, and one of them involves Ethlinn: apparently it was prophesied that Lugh would grow up to kill Balor. So Balor shut Ethlinn away in a tower, keeping her from any contact with men, but of course someone (Cian, of the Tuatha de Dannan) managed to sneak in and impregnate her, allowing for Lugh's birth, and Balor's subsequent death (in a duel which took out one of his eyes).

Ethlinn's name has been spelled many different ways, but they end up being pronounced the same most of the time. Eithne, Enya, and Eithlinn are three that show up.

HOW SHE WAS WORSHIPED/MYTHOLOGY ABOUT HER

Ethlinn doesn't appear to have been worshiped at all. However, a couple of tales about her have survived. such as the one involving Balor and Lugh. Ethlinn is almost entirely stuck in as a footnote, though; "Lugh's mother," is how most authors refer to her. She appears very briefly in the Celtic sagas as such, for instance the "Moytura," or the "Great Battle of Mag Tuireadh," in which she simply is called beautiful and is given away in marriage.

It's hard in this case to separate the stories from the lady herself. Ethlinn doesn't appear to have been a goddess at all, making things more difficult perhaps. Ironically, if she were one, all that would have been required to find information about her would be a simple search using her name. But like much of actual Irish history, she is mixed up half in myth and legend and half in some version of reality. The Christians didn't even bother with her, as they painstakingly did with Aine, Brigit and other actual goddesses of the Celts; rather Ethlinn is left by the wayside.

HOW SHE IS REMEMBERED NOW

One of the biggest ways Ethlinn is remembered now is via the New Age singer Enya, who took a version of Ethlinn's name (which is actually pronounced "Enya").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethniu

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Ethlinn

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/gafm/gafm07.htm

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