| Lir | |
|---|---|
 Lêr and the Swans by H.R. Millar's (1905) | |
|
Other Names |
Ler, Allód |
|
First Appearance |
Irish Mythology |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; Ler and Lir are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is named Allód in early genealogies, and corresponds to the Llŷr of Welsh mythology. Lir is chiefly an ancestor figure, and is the father of the god Manannán mac Lir, who appears frequently in medieval Irish literature. Lir appears as the eponymous king in the tale The Children of Lir.
Lir, like his Welsh counterpart Llŷr, is a god of the sea, though in the case of the Gaelic myths his son Manannán mac Lir seems to take over his position and so features more prominently. It is probable that more myths referring to Lir which are now lost to us existed and that his popularity was greater, especially considering the number of figures called 'son of Lir'.
Lir is a key character in the mythological story The Children of 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. The couple had four children, one girl, Fionnuala, and three sons, Aed and twins, Fiachra and Conn.
Aebh died and, not wanting the children to remain motherless, Bodb sent another of his daughters, Aoife, to marry Lir. Aoife grew jealous of the children and cursed them to live as swans for 900 years.
As Allod the "all-famous," Lir is listed as the father of Crofhind the Chaste in the Metrical Dindshenchas.
In the poem "Baile Suthain Sith Eamhain" Midir is named as the father of Lir and grandfather of Manannan. A son of Lir is named as Lodan in The Adventures of Art son of Conn.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Lir from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Children of Lir
- Metrical Dindshenchas
- Baile Suthain Sith Eamhain
- Adventures of Art son of Conn