Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Angus Óg/Aengus

In Irish mythology, Óengus (Old Irish), Áengus (Middle Irish), Aengus or Aonghus (Modern Irish) is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. He was said to have four birds symbolizing kisses flying about his head (whence, it is believed, the xxxx's symbolizing kisses at the end of lovers' letters come from).

He is also called Aengus Óg ("Aengus the young"), Mac ind Óg ("son of the young"), Mac Óg ("young son") or Maccan.

His parents were the Dagda and Boann. He was said to have lived at Newgrange by the river Boyne.

The Dagda had an affair with Boann, wife of Nechtan. In order to hide their affair, the Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months; therefore, Aengus was conceived, gestated and born in one day. Midir was his foster-father.

When he came of age Aengus dispossessed the Dagda of his home, the Brú na Bóinne (an area of the Boyne River Valley that contains the Passage tombs Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth). He arrived after the Dagda had shared out his land among his children, and there was nothing left for Aengus, so Aengus asked his father if he could live in the Brú for a day and a night, and the Dagda agreed. But Irish has no indefinite article, so "a day and a night" is the same as "day and night", which covers all time, and so Aengus took possession of the Brú permanently. In a different version of this story, appearing in "The Wooing of Étaín", Aengus uses the same ploy to trick Elcmar out of Brú na Bóinne, with the Dagda's connivance. In this version, Midir is Aengus's foster-father, while Elcmar is the husband of Boann cuckolded by the Dagda.

According to the Death Tales of the Tuatha de Danaan, Aengus killed his step father Elcmar for killing Midir.

Aengus also slew the poet of Lugh Lamfada for lying about his brother Ogma an Cermait. The poet claimed that Ogma was having an affair with one of Lugh's wives. Aenghus killed the poet in front of Midir.

In the Wooing of Etain, Aengus was able to partially lift Fuamnach's spell against Etain, the horse goddess he had won for his brother Midir.

Fuamnach in a jealous rage had turned the girl into a butterfly. Turning her into a woman at night, Aengus made her his lover until Fuamnach found out about it and drove her away. Aengus killed his foster mother for her treachery.

In the Tale of the Two Pails, a sidhe woman and foster daughter of Aengus gets lost and winds up in the company of St. Patrick. The girl converts to Christianity, and Aengus can not win her back. He leaves, and she dies of grief a few weeks later.

In the Battle of Ventry Aengus helped defend the battle weary men of Finn mac Cumaill against Roman invaders.

Aengus fell in love with a girl he had seen in his dreams. His mother, Boann, searched Ireland for an entire year. Then his father, the Dagda, did the same. Finally, King Bodb Dearg of Munster found her after a year.

Aengus went to the lake of the Dragon's Mouth and found 150 girls chained up in pairs. He found his girl, Caer Ibormeith. On November 1, Caer and the other girls would turn into swans for one year, every second Samhain. Aengus was told he could marry Caer if he could identify her as a swan. Aengus succeeded. He turned himself into a swan and they flew away, singing beautiful music that put all its listeners asleep for three days and nights.

Aengus was the foster-father and protector of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Fianna. He rescued Diarmuid and Gráinne from one or two tight spots during their pursuit by the Fianna.

He owned a sword named Moralltach, the Great Fury, given to him by Manannan mac Lir. This sword he gave to his foster-son Diarmuid. There was also a sword named the Little Fury and two spears of great power that he gave to Diarmuid. When the young man died, Aengus took his body back to the Brugh where he breathed life into it whenever he wanted to have a chat.

There are other legends that he was able to repair broken bodies and return life to them.

The Old Irish name Óengus is attested in Adomnan's Life of St. Columba as Oinogus(s)ius, showing that its etymology is from the Proto-Celtic roots *oino- "one" and *guss- "choice".

It is also thought to have stemmed from 'Aon'- "true or one" 'guth'- "voice".
The Old Irish spelling of the name was Óengus. Middle Irish spellings included Óengus and Áengus. The Early modern (classical) Irish form was Aonghus.

Modern Irish spellings are Aengus and Aonghus (Óengus is very rare).

From: Wiki
The god of love and youth. Angus (Oengus) was the son of Dagda and Boann. He was known as Angus the Young or Mac Óc. Angus lived at Brugh na Bóinne.

Angus appeared as Mac Oc in the Book of Invasions and the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, where his wisdom saved Dagda from starving to death. See Tyranny of Bres.

The best known story about Angus was the Aislinge Oenguso (Dream of Angus). Angus fell in love with a beautiful maiden that he had seen in his dream, near a lake, surrounded by fifty companions. He became ill with his longing for this unknown girl. His parents were concern with his health, sought the identity of the girl.


Her name was Caer Iborméith (Caer Ibormeith), daughter of Ethal Anbúail, the Danann king in Connacht. Angus found out that Caer could take on the form of swan in one moment and human shape the next. Angus went to lake, to declare his love for her. He was transformed into a swan, where they flew off together. Obviously, Caer accepted his love.

In the Fenian Cycle, Angus was the foster father of the Fenian hero, Díarmait, who was the son of Don and the friend of Finn Mac Cumhaill. Twice when Diarmait and Grainne were trapped by Finn's men, twice Angus had spirited Gráinne away, while Diarmait made his escape on his own heroic skills. However, in the end, Angus couldn't save his foster son, when Diarmait was mortally wounded by a wild boar, as the prophecy or geis had predicted. Angus took body away with him, where it was preserved from decay, and would occasionally talk to Angus.

From: Angus Óg
ANDas to Angus Og, son of the Dagda, sometimes be would come from Brugh na Boinne and let himself be seen upon the earth.

It was a long time after the coming of the Gael that he was seen by Cormac, King of Teamhair, and this is the account he gave of him.

He was by himself one day in his Hall of Judgment, for he used to be often reading the laws and thinking how he could best carry them out. And on a sudden he saw a stranger, a very comely young man, at the end of the hall; and he knew on the moment it was Angus Og, for he had often heard his people talking of him, but he himself used to be saying he did not believe there was any such person at all. And when his people came back to the hall, he told them how he had seen Angus himself, and had talked with him, and Angus had told him his name, and had foretold what would happen to him in the future. "And he was a beautiful young man," he said, "with high looks, and his appearance was more beautiful than all beauty, and there were ornaments of gold on his dress; in his hand he held a silver harp with strings of red gold, and the sound of its strings was sweeter than all music under the sky; and over the harp were two birds that seemed to be playing on it. He sat beside me pleasantly and played his sweet music to me, and in the end he foretold things that put drunkenness on my wits."

The birds, now, that used to be with Angus were four of his kisses that turned into birds and that used to be coming about the young men of Ireland, and crying after them. "Come, come," two of them would say, and "I go, I go," the other two would say, and it was hard to get free of them. But as to Angus, even when he was in his young youth, he used to be called the Frightener, or the Disturber; for the plough teams of the world, and every sort of cattle that is used by men, would make away in terror before him. And one time he appeared in the shape of a landholder to two men, Ribh and Eocho, that were looking for a place to settle in. The first place they chose was near Bregia on a plain that was belonging to Angus; and it was then he came to them, leading his horse in his hand, and told them they should not stop there. And they said they could not carry away their goods without horses. Then he gave them his horse, and bade them to put all they had a mind to on that horse and he would carry it, and so he did. But the next place they chose was Magh Find, the Fine Plain, that was the playing ground of Angus and of Midhir. And that time Midhir caine to them in the same way and gave them a horse to put their goods on, and he went on with them as far as Magh Dairbthenn.

And there were many women loved Angus, and there was one Enghi, daughter of Elcmair, loved him though she had not seen him. And she went one time looking for him to the gathering for games between Cletech and Sidhe in Broga; and the bright troops of the Sidhe used to come to that gathering every Samhain evening, bringing a moderate share of food with them, that is, a nut. And the sons of Derc came from the north, out of Sidhe Findabrach, and they went round about the young men and women without their knowledge and they brought away Elcmair's daughter. There were great lamentations made then, and the name the place got was Cnoguba, the Nut Lamentation, from the crying there was at that gathering.

And Derbrenn, Eochaid Fedlech's daughter, was another that was loved by Angus, and she bad six fosterlings, three boys and three girls. But the mother of the boys, Daib Garb, the Rough, put a spell on them she made from a gathering of the nuts of Caill Ochuid, that turned them into swine.
And Angus gave them into the care of Buichet, the Hospitaller of Leinster, and they stopped a year with him. But at the end of that time there came a longing on Buichet's wife to eat a bit of the flesh of one of them. So she gathered a hundred armed men and a hundred hounds to take them. But the pigs made away, and went to Brugh na Boinne, to Angus, and he bade them welcome, and they asked him to give them his help. But he said he could not do that till they had shaken the Tree of Tarbga, and eaten the salmon of Inver Umaill.

So they went to Glascarn, and stopped a year in hidingwith Derbrenn. And then they shook the Tree of Tarbga, and they went on towards Inver Umaill. But Maeve gathered the men of Connacht to hunt them, and they all fell but one, and their heads were put in a mound, and it got the name of Duma Selga, the Mound of the Hunting.

And it was in the time of Maeve of Cruachan that Angus set his love on Caer Ormaith, of the Province of Connacht, and brought her away to Brugh na Boinne.

From: Part I Book IV: Angus Og
Also known as "Angus the young", he was considered the Irish god of love. He was a young handsome god that had four birds flying about his head -- some say they symbolize kisses -- who inspired love in all who heard them. He was the son of Dagda and Boann ('the wife of Elcmar').

Once, Aengus was troubled by the dream of a young maiden, He instantly fell in love with her and became love sick. He told his mother Boann and she searched the whole of Ireland for the maiden, but after a year she still had not found the maiden. Then Dagda was called and he searched Ireland for a year, and still did not find the maiden. Finally Bov the Red, king of the Dananns in Munster and Dagda's aide, was called to search and after a year he found the maiden.

Aengus was taken to the lake of the Dragon's Mouth, and there he saw 150 maidens all chained with gold into pairs. He spied her at once and her name was Caer, the daughter of Ethal and Anubal, a prince of the Dananns of Connact. On November first she and all the other maidens are transformed into swans for a year. He was told if he could identify her as a swan he could marry her. On November 1 Aengus went out to the lake and called to his love, and once he had found her he then turned in to a swan himself and joined her. They flew off together singing such a beautiful song that all who heard them fell asleep for three days and nights.

Aengus had a son called, "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne" or Diarmuid of the Love Spot. One night while hunting Diarmuid met a maiden who made a magic love spot appear on his head, and from then on no woman ever looked upon him with out falling in love with him.

His palace was Brugh na Boinne on the River Boyne (modern New Grange).

From: Pantheon.org
Aongas Óg
Name: Aongas-Og, (Aongas the Young)/ Aengus Óg/ Oenghus / Angus Mac Ind Oc
Properties: God of Love
Race: The Tuatha Dé Danann
Father: Dagda, Father God of The Celts.
Mother: Boand, the Boyne river Goddess.
Foster Father: Midhir of Brí Léith
Half-Brothers: Bodb Dearg
Cermat Coem
Midhir (also his foster father)
Finnbheara Aed
Consorts: Caer Ibormeith (Yew-Berry) Derbrenn daughter of Eochaid Airem
Nuamaisi
Son: Nemanach
Foster Son: Diarmuid O'Duibhne
Grand-daughter: Dechtire
Associated Sites: Brugh Na Boinne / Newgrange
Head Stewart: Roc Diocain
Friends: Ailill and Medb of Connaught
Associated Herbs: Love : Balm Catnip Chamomile
Chickweed Coltsfoot Dog-Rose
Lady's Mantle Lavender
Mallow Meadowsweet Mistletoe
Sword: The Mór Alltach 'The Big Fierce One'

Aongas-Og was the child of Dagda and Boand. Boand was the wife of Elcmar and they were supposedly the first inhabitants of the mystic mound Newgrange. Dagda gained access to Newgrange by sending Elcmar on a day-long errand, which stretched to nine months due to Dagda's magical mastery over time. While Elcmar was absent, Dadga seduced his wife Boand who conceived and bore their son Aongas also known as Aongas the Young because he was conceived and born on the same day. Aongas later came to take the Brugh from Elcmar aided by his father the Dagda.

He fostered Diarmuid Ui Duibhne when his father Donn was banished from the Fianna and took him to Brugh Na Boinne to rear as his own. He also reared a son of his steward's whose mother was Crochnuit therefore he was a half-brother of Diarmuid. He protected Diarmuid when he was on the run from Fionn and the Fianna after the elopement with Gráinne.

From: Here
Other Sites:
A mythological view of Aengus, the poet god of love, romance, and meaning
Myths associated with him
Angus mac Og

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