jjfanagh

If you chance to stray into the Golden Vale of Ireland, you'll find soon that the gravity there is different, as are the cardinal directions. Over there in North Munster, things are a bit twisted 'round.

Not the least of it, is that the centre of it all is very particular lake, which encircled and sheltered an island - Knockadoon/Cnoc a Dúin - Hill of the People.  The lake is called Ghuir... "nurturing place" or "warm nest."  Lough Gur in what is now County Limerick.    

And holding it in place, to the extremes of view in the cardinal directions are four hills, the hills of Donn Fírinne (Truth/Lord of Death & Storms) - Lugh (the Multi-Skilled) - Grían (the Nurturing Sun) - and Áine (Leaper/Changer).

Áine - An or Anu (that is, of the Tuath Dé Danann... Tribe of the Children of An) and once heart-mother of the Danube River.  She is the shape-shifter, swift-mover, slider between the visible and invisible, seer of all things and blesser/healer bringing together diverse elements of magic and knowledge.  Libra-like energy... or perhaps Green Tara.

And Áine's Hill - Cnoc Áine - recorded by Westropp as the former ancient home of a pillared "temple of the law" is also annual site of the multi-millenia old Blessing of Cattle.   And here, also, the ancient North Munster kings came hoping to win a tryst with Áine - knowing that only those chosen by her could rule with authority in Ireland.   Here, indeed, it is rumoured that the Stone of Fál was first set... the stone which cried out in recognition when stepped upon by a true king.

Áine - Queen of May - blessing the cattle at Béltaine starting at dusk, walking anonymously out among the people and surreptiously choosing (often enough) a human mate.   Áine... lovely to behold, powerful to embrace, terrible to betray or take by force... embued with liveliness and the ability to slip between the worlds.

She can glamour you away, or invite you of your own free will.  Queen of May, Maker of Kings, Healer, Blesser, Truth-Seer, Leaper-Jumper.

Áine