Lir
In
Irish mythology,
Lir or
Ler ("the sea") was the god of the sea, father of
Manannan mac Lir, and a son of
Elatha. In early genealogies, he is named Allód, and corresponds to
Llŷr in
Welsh mythology.
Lir is a key character in the well-known mythological story
Oidheadh Chlainne Lir; however, it is not definitely established whether this is the same person as Manannán's father or a different Lir. The Lir in this story was the rival of
Bodb Dearg for the kingship of the Tuatha Dé Danann after their retreat into the
fairy mounds. In order to appease Lir, Bodb gave one of his daughters to marry him, Aeb. She bore him four children, one girl,
Fionnuala, and three sons, Aed and twins, Fiachra and Conn.Aeb died and, not wanting the children to remain motherless, Bodb sent another of his daughters, Aoife, to marry Ler.Aoife grew jealous of the children and cursed them to live as swans for 900 years.
Children of Lir
