Aífe
Aífe (Modern
Irish Aoife ) is the name of several characters from
Irish mythology:
1. Aífe, daughter of Ardgeimm, was a female warrior from
Alba. She was a rival of
Scathach the Amazon for the leadership of the female warriors. While he was a student of Scathach,
Cúchulainn defeated Aífe and forced her to submit and make peace with Scathach. Aífe and Cuchulainn became lovers, and had one son. He was given the name
Connla or Conlaoch by his father.
Aífe gave Cuchulainn his spear,
Gae Bulg.
Cuchulainn eventually used this great spear to kill both his greatest friend,
Ferdiad, and his son, Connla.
2. Aífe was the stepmother of the
Children of Lir, whom, out of jealousy of their father's love for them, she turned into
swans.
The
LÉ Aoife (P22), a ship in the
Irish Naval Service, is named after her.
Squire, Charles. "Celtic Myth and Legend." Newcastle Publishing Co., USA, 1975. Reprinted from the first edition in 1905, Great Britain. ISBN 0-87877-029-1.James MacKillop (1998),
Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
