Etain : The Shining One !

Have you ever felt a sense of magic in the air? That titillating sense of excitement that can't quite be put into words? Or, have you ever felt that you have been dragged through the mire almost to the point of complete hopelessness and despair, when suddenly, you break through, a new day dawns and you find your soul soaring to new heights? This is the wonder of Etain. This is the magic and the beauty that She brings into our lives.

Etain (pronounce Ay-deen) is a Celtic Goddess whose name means "Shining One". A Goddess of beauty and grace, She is also one of the White Ladies of the Fae. She is associated with the sun, dawn, the sea, rain, water, healing, medicine, earth, fertility, horses, butterflies, apple blossoms, swans, music, fragrance and the transmigration of souls. It is said that the land goes dormant when Etain is not around and the flowers bloom when she comes near. Her stone, the emerald, signifies the greening of the earth that She brings about. Her trees are ash and elder. She belongs to the Hare Moon of April/May.

Etain's story is called "The Wooing of Etain". It begins with a king of Ireland named Eochaid Ollathair(also called the Dagda, or the 'good god') having a desire to lay with Eithne (or Boand) who was the wife of Elcmar. So the Dagda sends Elcmar away on a journey and works all manner of spells to keep him from returning early and thus discovering that the Dagda had been with his wife. Eithne conceives and bears a child names Aengus Mac Oc, the God of Love. The Dagda takes his son to Bri Leith in Tethba to be fostered by Midhir, King of the Fae. There Aengus was raised for nine years, thinking Midhir was his father. Finally, after a spat with another youth, Aengus comes to know his true parentage. He and Midhir set out to ask the Dagda for land to be given to Aengus as is his right, being the King's son. Through some conniving and trickery on the parts of all three, Aengus ends up with the land once owned by Elcmar.

After a time, Midhir comes to visit Aengus Mac Oc, and a quarrel breaks out between some youths. Midhir goes down to the playing field to break it up, and in the process, loses an eye. Aengus brings the great Tuatha De Daanan physician, Dian Cecht, to restore Midhir's eye, and then promises him a reward. One of the many things that Midhir asks for as a reward is "the maiden that surpasses all the maidens in Ireland in form", who is Etain, daughter of Ailill. She is described as the dearest and gentlest and loveliest in Ireland. Aengus goes to Ailill and asks for Etain. He is declined unless he does a series of impossible tasks, which he performs with the help of the Dagda. Finally Ailill asks for Etain's weight in silver and gold. She was placed on the floor in Ailill's house and her weight of gold and silver was given to him, and Aengus brings Etain home to Midhir.

Etain and Midhir remained with Aengus for a year, and then left for Midhir's castle. Midhir's first wife, Fuanmach, was a jealous and powerful woman, who had been raised by a wizard. Immediately upon seeing Etain, she wished her ill and turned her into a pool of water, which changed in to a worm and then into a purple fly (butterfly).

http://www.geocities.co/Heartland/Pointe/5577/F/Btflygirl

But alas, Fuanmach finds out where Etain is, and blows up another wind. This time, Etain is tossed around for a thousand years, until finally, she falls into the drinking cup of the wife of Etar, who becomes impregnated with her and gives birth to her again, naming the girl child Etain. From the time she is a young girl, Midhir finds her and comes visiting, but she doesn't recognize him. She grows up and marries Eochaid, king of Ireland. It is then that Midhir challenges Eochaid to a game of chess. They play a few games for stakes and Eochaid wins. Midhir gives him what he asks for. Finally, Midhir wins, and asks for a kiss from Etain. Eochaid could not turn down the request and retain his honorability, so he arranges for the kiss to take place on a certain night.

http://members.aol.com/lstbjn/bufly3/index

However, on that night, he places guards all around and through-out his kingdom, to keep Midhir out. Midhir appears out of nowhere in the midst of the dining hall, takes Etain in his arms and the two of them change into swans, linked together by a golden chain, and then they fly off to his castle in Bri Leith.
Etain was bartered and sold. She was mistreated, hated, and changed into a lowly fly. It was one thousand and twelve years from the time of her first incarnation as the daughter of Ailill, to the time of her incarnation as the daughter of Etar. During that time she knew hunger, weariness, and hopelessness, yet she did not give up. She continued on, and in the end remembered who she was and was reunited with the love of her life.

This is what Etain teaches us. No matter what comes our way, no matter how the storms of life toss us around, no matter if the entire world hates us and scorns us, there is still hope. We WILL be transformed, balanced and made whole. She reminds us that we too will shine like Her, and be reborn, both physically and spiritually. Nothing that happens to us can change our inner essence.
The butterfly is significant in Etain's story because of it's symbolism of transformation, rebirth and resurrection. Butterflies are not born butterflies. They must go through a series of stages. These stages are egg, larvae, cocoon, and finally emerging as butterfly We, too, go through these stages. Not only in our physical bodies and spiritual lives, but also in various projects we have in life. We can use these stages to determine exactly where we are. For example, do we have an idea? Then we are in the egg stage. We are in the larvae stage when we decide to act on our idea; the cocoon stage when we begin doing something to make it a reality; and the butterfly stage when we bring our idea out into the open and share it with others. All four of these stages are necessary steps that must be undertaken in order to arrive at transformation. All four of these stages are necessary steps on the road to rebirth.

http://www.enya.com

The swan is also very symbolic in the story of Etain. Swans are symbols of love, beauty, transitions, spiritual evolution and faithfulness. Swan teaches us that by knowing ourselves and remaining faithful to who we truly are, we will be transformed from the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan. Swan teaches about surrendering to the spiritual flow in our lives and letting our true beauty shine forth.

Call on Etain when you are weary, she will answer. Call on Etain when you have forgotten who you are and she will remind you. Call on Etain when the only strength you have left is that of speaking her name and she will come to you and bring the beauty back into your life with her power of transformation. Call on Etain. Her loveliness will surround you and take you home.



	Begin this journey with some deep breathing, relaxing your body a little more with each breath. Centering.....relaxing......relaxing...more and more. Surround yourself with white light. Now open your inner eye and find yourself on the shore of a lake. There is fog all around you, but you know you are on a shore because you can hear the waves lapping, gently. You can vaguely make out the presence of a forest behind you, but that is all. All other sounds are muted in the silence of the fog. Suddenly, a barge appears in front of you, and you step into it. The barge begins moving forward and now you are completely wrapped in the fog and cannot see anything but the barge under your feet and your own body. You hear the waves lapping up against the wood of the barge, and even though you do not know where you are being taken, you know you are safe and you feel peaceful. Suddenly, the fog lifts and you realize that you are on the opposite shore of the lake. Standing before you is a horse and atop the horse is a man. He has long golden hair and is wearing a green mantle with a red embroidered tunic. He has a silver shield with a rim of gold around it slung over his back and a five pronged spear in his hand. He smiles at you and beckons for you to get on the horse with him. You do and the two of you begin riding into the woods. Ahead of you is a mountain with a rock face. The two of you ride directly into the rock and emerge in a beautiful banquet hall within the mountain. All around in the hall are people. Some are laughing, eating. Others are dancing.
Moon petal image used with permission from Jessica Galbreth Butterfly images in above graphic used with permission.
There is a sense of gaiety coursing through-out the hall. Over to your right, you notice three thrones. Two are empty. But on the third, sits Etain. She is golden-haired with lily white skin, blue-black eyebrows, hyacinth blue eyes, pearly teeth and berry lips. She wears a hooded green silk tunic embroidered with gold and a purple mantle. She stands as you and the man approach. The man goes to her and kisses her, and you realize that he is Midhir. Then Etain approaches you and places a circlet of roses on your head, whispering to you "Welcome home". She motions for you to sit and you do. The three of you sit for a while and watch the gaiety going on around you. You notice that everywhere there are butterflies. And even though you are inside a mountain, there is sunlight streaming in from an unseen opening giving everything a golden hue. All around you is beauty and gentleness. Finally, Etain claps her hands, and the people begin filing out of the banquet hall. The three of you are alone. Etain rises and takes your hand and leads you to a pool that you didn't even notice before. She tells you to sit at the edge of the pool and gaze into the water, and then she leaves you alone. You sit gazing into the water, and suddenly, there are all different kinds of bright lights all around your head. You keep looking, trying to catch the lights, but every time, they dance just out of reach of your eyes. It is then that your eyes stop on the reflection of your face. You see yourself as you truly are. All the beauty, gentleness, love, and divinity within you. You realize that you are beautiful. Etain sits down beside you and whispers something to you. Remember what she says. This is for you, it is her gift to you. Now it is time to go. Midhir brings three horses, and the three of you ride back out of the mountain......through the woods.....and down to the shore where the barge is waiting to take you back. Everyone dismounts and you exchange hugs. While Etain hugs you, she whispers in your ears "Remember", and slips you a gift in your hand. You step onto the barge and go back into the fog, coming out on the opposite shore, where you now return to your body......stretching.....slowly opening your eyes.

	Original embroidery by Morgana Ravenwings
		Back to Gallery Join a School
Bibliography 1. http://www.shee-eire.com 2. http://www.draeconin.com 3. http://www.marthascottage.com 4. http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Clipart/zoo.html 5. http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~tomshoemaker/celtic/Etain.html 6. Sams, Jamie and Carson, David, "Medicine Cards" ; St. Martins Press/New York; 1999 7. Rolleston, T.W., "Celtic Myths and Legends", Dover Publications/New York; 1990. 8. Monaghan, Patricia, "The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines", Llewellyn Publications/St. Paul; 2000.




Have you ever felt a sense of magic in the air? That titillating sense of excitement that can't quite be put into words? Or, have you ever felt that you have been dragged through the mire almost to the point of complete hopelessness and despair, when suddenly, you break through, a new day dawns and you find your soul soaring to new heights? This is the wonder of Etain. This is the magic and the beauty that She brings into our lives. Etain (pronounce Ay-deen) is a Celtic Goddess whose name means "Shining One". A Goddess of beauty and grace, She is also one of the White Ladies of the Fae. She is associated with the sun, dawn, the sea, rain, water, healing, medicine, earth, fertility, horses, butterflies, apple blossoms, swans, music, fragrance and the transmigration of souls. It is said that the land goes dormant when Etain is not around and the flowers bloom when she comes near. Her stone, the emerald, signifies the greening of the earth that She brings about. Her trees are ash and elder. She belongs to the Hare Moon of April/May. Etain's story is called "The Wooing of Etain". It begins with a king of Ireland named Eochaid Ollathair(also called the Dagda, or the 'good god') having a desire to lay with Eithne (or Boand) who was the wife of Elcmar. So the Dagda sends Elcmar away on a journey and works all manner of spells to keep him from returning early and thus discovering that the Dagda had been with his wife. Eithne conceives and bears a child names Aengus Mac Oc, the God of Love. The Dagda takes his son to Bri Leith in Tethba to be fostered by Midhir, King of the Fae. There Aengus was raised for nine years, thinking Midhir was his father. Finally, after a spat with another youth, Aengus comes to know his true parentage. He and Midhir set out to ask the Dagda for land to be given to Aengus as is his right, being the King's son. Through some conniving and trickery on the parts of all three, Aengus ends up with the land once owned by Elcmar.
			After a time, Midhir comes to visit Aengus Mac Oc, and a quarrel breaks out between some youths. Midhir goes down to the playing field to break it up, and in the process, loses an eye. Aengus brings the great Tuatha De Daanan physician, Dian Cecht, to restore Midhir's eye, and then promises him a reward. One of the many things that Midhir asks for as a reward is "the maiden that surpasses all the maidens in Ireland in form", who is Etain, daughter of Ailill. She is described as the dearest and gentlest and loveliest in Ireland. Aengus goes to Ailill and asks for Etain. He is declined unless he does a series of impossible tasks, which he performs with the help of the Dagda. Finally Ailill asks for Etain's weight in silver and gold. She was placed on the floor in Ailill's house and her weight of gold and silver was given to him, and Aengus brings Etain home to Midhir. Etain and Midhir remained with Aengus for a year, and then left for Midhir's castle. Midhir's first wife, Fuanmach, was a jealous and powerful woman, who had been raised by a wizard. Immediately upon seeing Etain, she wished her ill and turned her into a pool of water, which changed in to a worm and then into a purple fly (butterfly).
http://www.geocities.co/Heartland/Pointe/5577/F/Btflygirl
http://www.geocities.co/Heartland/Pointe/5577/F/Btflygirl
But alas, Fuanmach finds out where Etain is, and blows up another wind. This time, Etain is tossed around for a thousand years, until finally, she falls into the drinking cup of the wife of Etar, who becomes impregnated with her and gives birth to her again, naming the girl child Etain. From the time she is a young girl, Midhir finds her and comes visiting, but she doesn't recognize him. She grows up and marries Eochaid, king of Ireland. It is then that Midhir challenges Eochaid to a game of chess. They play a few games for stakes and Eochaid wins. Midhir gives him what he asks for. Finally, Midhir wins, and asks for a kiss from Etain. Eochaid could not turn down the request and retain his honorability, so he arranges for the kiss to take place on a certain night.
				http://members.aol.com/lstbjn/bufly3/index
However, on that night, he places guards all around and through-out his kingdom, to keep Midhir out. Midhir appears out of nowhere in the midst of the dining hall, takes Etain in his arms and the two of them change into swans, linked together by a golden chain, and then they fly off to his castle in Bri Leith. Etain was bartered and sold. She was mistreated, hated, and changed into a lowly fly. It was one thousand and twelve years from the time of her first incarnation as the daughter of Ailill, to the time of her incarnation as the daughter of Etar. During that time she knew hunger, weariness, and hopelessness, yet she did not give up. She continued on, and in the end remembered who she was and was reunited with the love of her life.
		This is what Etain teaches us. No matter what comes our way, no matter how the storms of life toss us around, no matter if the entire world hates us and scorns us, there is still hope. We WILL be transformed, balanced and made whole. She reminds us that we too will shine like Her, and be reborn, both physically and spiritually. Nothing that happens to us can change our inner essence. The butterfly is significant in Etain's story because of it's symbolism of transformation, rebirth and resurrection. Butterflies are not born butterflies. They must go through a series of stages. These stages are egg, larvae, cocoon, and finally emerging as butterfly We, too, go through these stages. Not only in our physical bodies and spiritual lives, but also in various projects we have in life. We can use these stages to determine exactly where we are. For example, do we have an idea? Then we are in the egg stage. We are in the larvae stage when we decide to act on our idea; the cocoon stage when we begin doing something to make it a reality; and the butterfly stage when we bring our idea out into the open and share it with others. All four of these stages are necessary steps that must be undertaken in order to arrive at transformation. All four of these stages are necessary steps on the road to rebirth.
	http://www.enya.com
The swan is also very symbolic in the story of Etain. Swans are symbols of love, beauty, transitions, spiritual evolution and faithfulness. Swan teaches us that by knowing ourselves and remaining faithful to who we truly are, we will be transformed from the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan. Swan teaches about surrendering to the spiritual flow in our lives and letting our true beauty shine forth. Call on Etain when you are weary, she will answer. Call on Etain when you have forgotten who you are and she will remind you. Call on Etain when the only strength you have left is that of speaking her name and she will come to you and bring the beauty back into your life with her power of transformation. Call on Etain. Her loveliness will surround you and take you home.