Gods and Fighting Men
Aine
And as to Aine, that some said was a daughter of Manannan, but some said was
the Morrigu herself, there was a stone belonging to her that was called Cathair
Aine. And if any one would sit on that stone he would be in danger of losing his
wits, and any one that would sit on it three times would lose them for ever. And
people whose wits were astray would make their way to it, and mad dogs would
come from all parts of the country, and would flock around it, and then they
would go into the sea to Aine's place there. But those that did cures by herbs
said she had power over the whole body; and she used to give gifts of poetry and
of music, and she often gave her love to men, and they called her the Leanan
Sidhe, the Sweetheart of the Sidhe.
And it was no safe thing to offend Aine, for she was very revengeful. Oilioll
Oluim, a king of Ireland, killed her brother one time, and it is what she did,
she made a great yew-tree by enchantment beside the river Maigh in Luimnech, and
she put a little man in it, playing sweet music on a harp. And Oilioli's son was
passing the river with his step-brother, and they saw the tree and heard the
sweet music from it. And first they quarrelled as to which of them would have
the little harper, and then they quarrelled about the tree, and they asked a
judgment from Ollioll, and he gave it for his own son. And it was the bad
feeling about that judgment that led to the battle of Magh Mucruimhe, and
Oilioll and his seven sons were killed there, and so Aine got her revenge.

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