The Children of Lir.

   Lir, one of the Tuatha De Danann who has become familiar with the sea (and his son Manannan later even more), already had four children when he wedded Aoife, the sister of his first wife. He had one daughter, named Fionuala -the Maid of the Fair Shoulder- and three sons, named Aod, Fiachra and Conn. Lir intensely loved his children, this made Aoife very jealous. She wanted him to spend more time with her and less with his children. Her jealousy grew and the feeling hollowed her out till she could not stand it anymore. She decided to have the children out of her way, to have them killed. With this in mind, she went on a trip with the children to the castle of the neighbouring king, Bov the Red. Accompanied by some attendants, they arrived at Lake Derryveragh, Westmeath. Aoife had hoped that the attendants would have helped her, but they refused and so, Aoife decided to make an end to the cause of her mysery herself. But then her womanhood overcame her and she did not kill the innocent children but used her magic to change them into four snowwhite swans. Together with that, she laid on them the following curse: they had to remain 300 years in the waters of Lake Derryvarragh, 300 years on the Straits of Moyle (between Ireland and Scotland) and another 300 years on the Atlantic, near Ennis and Inishglory. The spell would not be broken, untill the woman of the south mated the man of the north.
   When Aoife returned to Bov’s castle without the children, the crime was soon discovered, and she was turned into a demon of the air by Bov the Red, and flew away shrieking. Lir and Bov now searched the children, and finally found them at Lake Derryvaragh. The children were transformed into swans, but still were able to speak and they still posessed the gift of music, like many of the Tuatha De Danann. During the 300 years on Lake Derryvaragh, they would speak with other of the Tuatha De, and when they sang, all of the Tuatha De that were near, listened and fell silent for the beauty and sadness of their song. During the time they were at Lake Derryvaragh, there was peace on the land.
   But time passed, and when 300 years had gone through the cicle of months, the children had to leave the peaceful lake and go to the Straits of Moyle. There, they knew many times of hardship and loneliness. They were forbidden to land and were drifted apart by stormes, and soaked by heavy rains. In the winters their feathers would freeze. The only way to get warm in the winters was to be very close to each other, and Fionuala cared for her brothers as a mother, and she would spread her wings tenderly over her younger brothers. In Fionuala’s words:

‘Cruel to us was Aoife
Who played her magic upon us,
And drove us out on the water-
Four wonderful snow-white swans.
Our bath is the frothing brine,
In bays red rocks guarded;
For mead at our father’s table
We drink of the salt blue sea.
Three sons and a single daughter,
In clefts of the cold rocks dwelling,
The hard rocks, cruel to mortals-
We are full of keening to-night’*

   And when another 300 years had passed, they went to the Atlantic, near Erris and Innishglory. Their they also knew hardship. A Milesian farmer saw them, and slowly gained their friendship and trust. He cared for them and listened to their story. He is said to have it written down.
The children of Lir were unaware of the changes that had happened since the coming of the Milesians, into Ireland, while they were in the Straits of Moyle. So when the last threehundred years had passed, they tried to return to the palace of their father, at the Hill of the White Field, Armagh. But they only saw green mounds where once had been their home. It still was there, but the children were unable to see it, because it was not their destiny to return to the Land of Youth.
   On Erris Bay, they heard the sound of a Christian bell, which they found at first sound thin and dreadful. They found a christian hermit, who had made himself at home near,and befriend him. He told to them about God the Father and Heaven, and the swans listened to him and sang the offices of the Church.
Now it happened that a woman named Deoca of Munster married to Lairgnen of Connacht, and she had heard of the famous singing swans. She asked Lairgnen to bring these famous swans as a wedding gift, and Lairgnen took the swans with him. This is their last trial.
When brought before Deoca, the swans immediately changed into four old and snowy haired humans, who were to die soon. The hermit baptises them.
   ‘Lay us in one grave,’ Fionuala said, ’with Conn at my right hand and Fiachra at my left, and Hugh before my face, like in the many long and cold winters we spent together.’ They were burried and went to heaven, and the hermit mourned for them untill he died.

*Celtic -myths and legends- by T. W. Rolleston

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