#Knockainey Hill

[stairnaheireann]

Áine, Celtic Goddess

Water had a special magic for the Celts as a symbol of vitality and inspiration. The fact that it could capture lights (for example, a reflection of the setting sun) could not be rationally explained and was taken as proof of supernatural properties. Wells and springs were charged with magic powers. Lakes and rivers were the dwelling-places of otherworldly beings, like the Lady of the Lake in…

[valkyries-things]

ÁINE // IRISH GODDESS OF SUMMER, WEALTH & SOVEREIGNTY

“She is an Irish goddess of summer, wealth, and sovereignty. She is associated with midsummer and the sun, and is sometimes represented by a red mare. She is the daughter of Egobail, the sister of Aillen and/or Fennen, and is claimed as an ancestor by multiple Irish families. As the goddess associated with fertility, she has command over crops and animals and is also associated with agriculture. Áine is associated with County Limerick, where the hill of Knockainey (Irish: Cnoc Áine) is named after her.”

[witchwood-inn]

Midsummer in Ireland

The Summer Solstice is coming up soon so here's some Irish traditions regarding this holiday!   In Ireland this holiday is known as Midsummer or Midsummer's night. It was also known as St. John's Eve to Christians or sometimes Bonfire Night. (Litha is the Wiccan name for this holiday but that name isn't used in irish tradition) This holiday marks the longest day of the year, the height of the sun's strength and the middle of summer on the Celtic calendarAs gaeilge (In irish): Solstice = Grianstad "Happy Solstice to you" = "Grianstad sona duit" Pronounced: Gree-an-stad hunna ditch Summer Solstice = Grianstad an tsamhraidh Traditions: Bonfires were lit just after sundown to celebrate the occasion. Usually every home would have a bonfire lit outside, but larger bonfires were lit on the hills where people would gather. People would also bless their crops with homemade torches by getting a bag that they dip in oil and tie it to a seasoned piece of fir. The young people walk from one cultivated field to another and  make the sign of the cross on each field hoping that God would bless their crops. One would think that it was the fairies that were moving about through the fields at times.When the crops are blessed they return to their own bonfire. The family sit in a circle around the fire and there are cheers, feasting and celebrations. After a while the fires die out and the young people go to the large fire on the neighbouring hillside. They dance and sing around the fire. Sometimes they go from one bonfire to another, and they play their music along the way. When the embers are dying out they jump over it to have luck for the year. Then they bring a cow and make her jump it to have an increase in her milk in the future. They then return home at break of day. https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428287/4391915 https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428287/4391916 https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428287/4391917 https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4921989/4915790/4945870 Superstitions: If the weather is good up to midsummer they believe that the weather will now change and that a bad harvest will follow. If it had been bad weather up until Midsummer the people will wait anxiously for a change at midsummer because they think they will then have a good, dry, harvest. Food: Goody was sometimes made at Midsummer, it was a pudding made with bread, milk, sugar and spices. Here's a recipe: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-irish.../ https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4649684/4646590 Irish pagan deities who are associated with Midsummer are: Áine, Goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. She is associated with midsummer and the sun, and is sometimes represented by a red mare. Áine is strongly associated with County Limerick. The hill of Knockainey (Irish: Cnoc Áine) is named after her and was site of rites in her honour, involving fire and the blessing of the land, usually at Midsummer.  Due to Áine's connection with midsummer rites, it is possible that Áine and Grian (Her sister) may share a dual-goddess, seasonal function with the two sisters representing the "two suns" of the year: Áine representing the light half of the year and the bright summer sun (an ghrian mhór), and Grian the dark half of the year and the pale winter sun (an ghrian bheag). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ine Manannán mac Lir ("son of the sea") is a warrior and king of the Otherworld in Irish mythology who is associated with the sea and often interpreted as a sea god. Although also an Irish deity, in Manx folklore he was said to be the first ruler of Isle of Man (and so was named after him) and he protected the land by keeping it covered in a veil of mist. To thank Manannán for this protection, the people of the island would "Pay the rents" to him at Midsummer every year to throwing bundles of green rushes into the sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manann%C3%A1n_mac_Lir You can also honor any deities associated with summer during this time such as Brigid, The Dagda, Lugh etcThanks for reading!

[circe-poetica]

One of the most beautiful, feminine, and powerful Celtic goddesses was the goddess of love, light, and fertility Aine. She is one of the many goddesses that the Christian monks sought to do away with, mostly because of her many relations with men. Because of this Aine is not heard much of in the bardic literature, but she is still very prominent in the folk-lore of the neighborhood. She is known in some parts of Ireland as the Fairy Queen of Munster. Aine's name comes from the word 'an', meaning bright'. She is considered one of the sdhe (pronounced shee) and more formally known as the Leanan Sidhe (Sweetheart of the Sidhe). She is also called Ain Cli, Ain Cliach, Ain of the light, Aine N'Chliar, and Ain Cliar, the Bright. Her name has been pronounced as [awn-ya], [aw-nu] and [aw-nay]. Her home is in the hills of Cnoc Aine near an enchanted lake. In County Limerick there is a stone circle dedicated to her called The Grange'. She is often linked with Anu, Danu, Brigid and the Morrigan. It is also possible that Aine and another goddess, Grainne, alternated positions for the waning and waxing solar year, changing places at the solstices. As is often the case with gods and goddesses, Aine is the subject of some controversy regarding her lineage. Some believe she was the daughter of King Egobagal. Some believe that she was in fact the daughter of the dark sea god, Manannan Mac Lir. The most common theories are that she is the foster-daughter of Egobagal, king of the Tuatha de Danann, and the daughter of Manannan. Aine's sister was Finnen or Fenne or Fennel, named the same as the sacred herb which wards off evil spirits, bestows strength, courage, and prolongs life. She also had another sister named Miluchrach. Aine rules agriculture, fertility, crops, and cattle. She is in several tales strongly associated with the Yew tree which shows her as a Goddess of Life and Death. In the Ogham, the Yew is said to be tied to her and her aspects. She is also associated with one of the sacred herbs of Druids, meadow-sweet. Like many goddesses, Aine had different aspects to her personality and was associated with several different things. She was connected to both the sun and the moon at different times in her life though now she is known primarily as a moon deity from her connection to the Faefolk. It is said that she even sometimes took animal form, as a red mare (Lair Derg) that no one could outrun, in order to walk among her people. Aine can be seen in a triple aspect by the powers attributed to her. Firstly, as the Maiden, in her ability to reward her devotees with the gift of poetry or with unfortunate madness. There was a stone, Cathair Aine that belonged to her and if anyone sat on the stone, depending on whether they had offended her or not, they could be in danger of losing their wits, sit there three times and they would lose them forever. Aine was very revengeful, and it was not a safe thing to offend her. Also, it was said that all the mad dogs in Ireland would congregate around this stone. It is not hard with her connection with poetry and hounds to see her Maiden aspects to be those of the Goddess Bride, who in the form of a Maiden was the muse of poetry and had the name Cu Gorm (grey hound). Next, as a Mother deity Aine is associated with lakes and wells with great powers of healing. Tobar-Na-Aine (Well of Aine) was credited with life-restoring powers. Also, in the Irish legends we find in her son Earl an archetype of Lancelot in the later Arthurian legends, while Aine Herself is the Lady of the Lake. In all her aspects it is clearly shown that Aine was no deity to offend, for in spite of all her beneficent attributes, if crossed she could have coined the phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". There are many tales of her revenge and her infinite patience in its pursuit. The attribute of Aine which made her a great enemy of the early Church was undoubtedly her sexuality. If ever a Goddess was depicted as the Arch Rival of the institute of matrimony then it was surely Aine, whose promiscuity and freedom of spirit could not be encompassed by man, thus a threat to the self denial of chastity of these womanless monks. Finally, in her third aspect of the dark Goddess, she has the ability to appear to mortal men as a woman of great beauty known as the leannan sdhe, which means "Fairy Lover". In this form her chosen subject would be totally spellbound into what could only be described as a fatal attraction, as the outcome was almost certain to result in the death of the chosen one. There are many stories associated with Aine and her various escapades. Aine liked humans and often mated with men, producing faery children. She possesses a magical ring that can reveal faeries. In the tale Cath Maige Mucrama (Battle of Mag Mucrama), her father was Egabal, whom Ailill Aulomm (son of Egan Mr) killed. Ailill then abused her, and she conceived Egan. Eogan later became the king of Munster, and was the founder of the famous dynasty - the Eganacht. She used her magick to kill Aillil Olom, the King of Munster, after he committed his offense against her. In one story she was offended by an Irish High King whereupon she caused a great battle to ensue in which he was killed. It was said that at his death her mocking laughter could be heard over the din of battle. Many believe that the goddess actually married one of her human lovers Gerald, the Earl of Desmond. However, there is much disagreement about how the marriage came about. One says Gerald came across her bathing in a river and fell in love with her at first site. He stole her cloak and refused to return it until she agreed to marry him. In another version he found Aine combing her hair beside the river, and used her own cloak to capture her.

In yet another version, Aine enchanted the Earl, who then married her. In any case, they had a son, Geroid Iarla, Earl Fitzgerald, who was called The Magician (some theorize that this might be Merlin). Gerald who was under a taboo to never show that he was surprised by anything their son did, but he broke his taboo by exclaiming loudly when Geroid jumped in and out of a bottle. The Magician then turned into a wild goose, and flew away. Disgusted with her human husband, Aine disappeared into Knock Aine. Geroid is said to live beneath a lake, but will return one day to expel all foreigners from Ireland. Others say that Geroid rides forth every seven years, as a phantom upon a spectral white horse that is shod in silver shoes. Many of the aristocratic families of Munster claimed descent from this union. At the bidding of her son, Earl Geroid, she planted all Knockainey with Pease in a single night. She was, and is, worshipped on Midsummer Eve. Those who honour her carry torches of hay and straw, tied on poles and lighted, round her hill at night. Afterwards they dispersed themselves among their cultivated fields and pastures, waving the torches over the crops and the cattle to bring luck and increase for the following year. Wisps of straw are burned in her honour on St. John's Eve. She once made a magickal vow to never sleep with a gray-haired man. Aine kept this vow even after her jealous sister Miluchrach used enchantment to turn her beloved Fionnis hair that color. She escaped the trap by plucking the hair out of Fionnis' hair before sleeping with him. Breaking an oath, especially when Aine is involved, can get you into a whole lot of trouble. Aine is a great protector of women and especially her devotees. When called upon for their behalf, Aine is a force to be reckoned with. Do not anger her if it can be avoided. Invoke Aine for love spells, fertility, faery magick, abundance, prosperity, punishing love crimes, keeping magickal vows, revealing faeries, bearing magickal children, and leaving unsuitable mates. The Sun and Moon are her planets, South West is her direction, and Air is her element. The red mare, rabbit, and swan are her sacred animals. The first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Lughnassagh are also her sacred days. http://tansyfiredragon.blogspot.com/

[minus-moscow]

Celtic Goddesses Collection

Áine – is a Celtic goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. So too as a goddess of love and fertility, she rules crops and animals and is also associated with agriculture. In Ireland, she is strongly associated with County Limerick. The hill of Knockainey (Irish: Cnoc Áine) is named after her, and midsummer rites in her honour, involving fire and the blessing of the land, recorded as recently as 1879, were held there. Another mysterious goddess, Grian (translation: sun) appears to be her sister, possibly sharing a dual-goddess, seasonal function (in parallel to Cailleach and Bridhid) with the two sisters representing the "two suns" of the year: Áine is the light half of the year and the bright summer sun (an ghrian mhór), and Grian the dark half of the year and the pale winter sun (an ghrian bheag).

[phynxrizng]

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Litha History - Celebrating the Summer Solstice

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Celebrants still visit Stonehenge each year for the summer solstice. Alan Copson / Getty Images

by

Patti Wigington

Updated April 03, 2019

An Ancient Solar Celebration

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date–usually around June 21 or 22 (or December 21/22 in the southern hemisphere)–the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.

Did You Know?

Early European traditions celebrated midsummer by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water.

The Romans honored this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth; her name gives us the month of June.

The word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.”

Ali Mejjad / EyeEm / Getty Images

Traveling the Heavens

Although few primary sources are available detailing the practices of the ancient Celts, some information can be found in the chronicles kept by early Christian monks. Some of these writings, combined with surviving folklore, indicate that Midsummer was celebrated with hilltop bonfires and that it was a time to honor the space between earth and the heavens.

Angela at A Silver Voice says that midsummer, or St. John's Eve, was often celebrated in Ireland with the lighting of huge bonfire. She points out that this is an ancient custom rooted in a Celtic tradition of lighting fires in honor of Áine, the Queen of Munster,

Festivals in her honour took place in the village of Knockainey, County Limerick (Cnoc Aine = Hill of Aine ). Áine was the Celtic equivalent of Aphrodite and Venus and as is often the case, the festival was ‘christianised’ and continued to be celebrated down the ages. It was the custom for the cinders from the fires to be thrown on fields as an ‘offering’ to protect the crops.

Fire and Water

Mhmd Halabi / Getty Images

In addition to the polarity between land and sky, Litha is a time to find a balance between fire and water. According to Ceisiwr Serith, in his book The Pagan Family, European traditions celebrated this time of year by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water. He suggests that this may be because this is when the sun is at its strongest yet also the day at which it begins to weaken. Another possibility is that the water mitigates the heat of the sun, and subordinating the sun wheel to water may prevent drought.

Jason Mankey says, over at Patheos,

Christians have chronicled the rolling of flaming (solar) wheels since the Fourth Century of the Common Era. By the 1400’s the custom was specifically associated with the Summer Solstice, and there it has resided ever since (and most likely long before)... The custom was apparently common throughout Northern Europe and was practiced in many places until the beginning of the Twentieth Century.

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter.

Roman Festivals

wjarek / Getty Images

The Romans, who had a festival for anything and everything, celebrated this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth. She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings. This time of year was also sacred to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The matrons of Rome entered her temple on Midsummer and made offerings of salted meal for eight days, in hopes that she would confer her blessings upon their homes.

Midsummer for Modern Pagans

Matt Cardy / Getty Images

Litha has often been a source of contention among modern Pagan and Wiccan groups, because there's always been a question about whether or not Midsummer was truly celebrated by the ancients. While there's scholarly evidence to indicate that it was indeed observed, there were suggestions made by Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, that the solar festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) were actually added later and imported from the Middle East. Regardless of the origins, many modern Wiccans and other Pagans do choose to celebrate Litha every year in June.

In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.

This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun, but may require water to keep them alive. The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life.

For contemporary Pagans, this is a day of inner power and brightness. Find yourself a quiet spot and meditate on the darkness and the light both in the world and in your personal life. Celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year with fire and water, night and day, and other symbols of the opposition of light and dark.

Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors if you have children. Take them swimming or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbecue at the end of the day. Let them stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is also an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting, since June is the month of marriages and family.

Celebrating Litha, the Summer Solstice

Customs and Traditions of Litha, the Summer Solstice

Setting Up Your Litha Altar for the Summer Solstice

Simple Prayers to Celebrate Litha, the Summer Solstice

10 Gods and Goddesses of the Summer Solstice

Legends of Litha, the Summer Solstice

History of the Pagan Imbolc Celebration

Why Do We Celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice?

The Legend of the Holly King and the Oak King

10 Great Ways to Celebrate Litha

What are Quarter Days and Cross-Quarter Days?

12 Simple Prayers for the Winter Solstice

History of the Pagan Beltane Celebration

The Wheel of the Year: Celebrating the 8 Pagan Sabbats

Hold This Yule Ritual to Welcome Back the Sun

Pagan Rituals to Celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice

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POSTED HERE BY PHYNXRIZNG

[stairnaheireann]

Áine, Celtic Goddess

Water had a special magic for the Celts as a symbol of vitality and inspiration. The fact that it could capture lights (for example, a reflection of the setting sun) could not be rationally explained and was taken as proof of supernatural properties. Wells and springs were charged with magic powers. Lakes and rivers were the dwelling-places of otherworldly beings, like the Lady of the Lake in…

[stairnaheireann]

Áine, Celtic Goddess

Water had a special magic for the Celts as a symbol of vitality and inspiration. The fact that it could capture lights (for example, a reflection of the setting sun) could not be rationally explained and was taken as proof of supernatural properties. Wells and springs were charged with magic powers. Lakes and rivers were the dwelling-places of otherworldly beings, like the Lady of the Lake in…

[themodernsouthernpolytheist]

Ah, I also forgot to mention that crystals aren’t really my jam, so other than the fact I love amethyst and moonstone, that’s all I got, lol.

Plants I’ve got a little more. Snowdrops are associated with Brighid, representing her first footsteps of spring. Wells could be said to sacred to her (though probably other deities, too) and she does have several sacred ones across Ireland, especially the one at Kildare. She’s a poet, smith, and healer, as well as associated with the hearth, so I associate her with fire and how that relates to the the 3 associations above (inspiration, forging, warmth, respectively).

Áine has a sacred hill, Cnoc Áine/Knockainey/Áine’s Hill, in County Limerick. She’s also associated with yellow flowers (that may be deeply engrained UPG?) and red horses (lair derg in Irish). Personally, i associate her with bees, too.

hi!! someone pointed me to your blog to ask about some irish polytheism stuff i’m half irish and have always had an incredible love for the mythology and folktales and the culture itself, but recently i went there and visited some of the pre-christian religious sites and learnt even more about it, and now i’m looking to expand from the hellenic polytheism i’ve been practicing, which you may have noticed has LOADS of resources, to irish polytheism - (continue in the next ask, too long apparently)

(cont) which has hardly any resources. i really want to build a connection with aine and brighid, whom i’ve always had particular interest in, but i can’t even find a place to start. i’ve found a couple of bits of info on brighid, and nothing on aine except her basic reigns. if you could give me any pointers to good resources about their correspondences with crystals/herbs/places/anything for offerings, communication and devotion, i’d be so so grateful. sorry for the long message, and thank you!

Sorry this took me so long to get to! I got surprised by havin to turn in and defend my thesis prospectus before classes even start, so that’s been fun, lol.

As for resources, there simply isn’t the wealth of knowledge that there is for Hellenic practices for a variety of reasons you sound like you’re already familiar with. The rest of this I’ll answer from a personal perspective, but as always, I encourage others to weigh in.

Primarily, I rely on the lore. MaryJones.us has a ton of this that can be sorted and searched in a variety of ways. We know it was written down from oral tradition by Christian monks, so we go into even that knowing it’s not The Original™️.

Some elements we can see are Christianized, some less so, but it’s all been touched. And that’s not necessarily a horrible thing because, like it or not, Christianity is part of Gaelic heritage. Follow up to that would be sources like Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica that contains Scottish charms and incantations collected during the 18th century in the Scottish Highlands. Things like this offer insights into worldview.

For more modern sources, I recommend authors like Lora O’Brien, who is Irish and a priestess of An Mórríghan; Erynn Rowan Laurie, who has written several books across several topics; Morgan Daimler, a treasure who has written extensively and may be helpful for Áine sources considering her connections to The Fair Folk; and I’m sure a few others I’ll think of later (so keep an eye out for reblogs of this. There’s also Clann Bhride and Brigid’s Flame on Facebook, both of which are associated with a modern organization that act as flame-tenders for Brighid ( @bogganbeliefs can probably give you more on that specifically).

On a more personal level, I encourage reaching out to both of them. That’s how I’ve gained a lot of my knowledge and it would be disingenuous to say that it isn’t loaded with UPG, especially for Áine because we have such little information. You can also glance through @brighid-nam-bratta and @lairderg, but they’re very image heavy, so I’m not sure how helpful they may be.

If there’s something more specific, fee free to shoot me another ask, but I hope this is helpful!

[stairnaheireann]

Áine, Celtic Goddess

Water had a special magic for the Celts as a symbol of vitality and inspiration. The fact that it could capture lights (for example, a reflection of the setting sun) could not be rationally explained and was taken as proof of supernatural properties. Wells and springs were charged with magic powers. Lakes and rivers were the dwelling-places of otherworldly beings, like the Lady of the Lake in…