AINE
ATTRIBUTES: LOVE FERTILITY
DESIRE PROTECTING HUMANS FROM ILLNESS
AGRICULTURE ANIMALS COMPASSION FLOWERS
GREIF/SADNESS LIGHT ATTRACTING LOVE
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE SOLAR MAGICK
Magical arts pleasure poetry healing from rape
Retribution the sun
Color: red green purple silver
Element: water fire
Wheel of the year: Beltane litha
Animal: horse cow
Planet: the sun direction: south
Aine (pronounced “awn-ya) is the Irish goddess of love, desire and fertility, and protects humans from illnesses. She is a beautiful queen of the fairies as well. She was a powerful goddess, much loved in Ireland. She is said to live in a castle at cnoc aine, near munster’s lough gur. She has been known to manifest as a red mare, or a beautiful woman to seduce human men. She can also be in the form of an old woman.
IT IS SAID THAT CHRISTIAN MONKS MADE HER INTO A FAIRY RATHER THAN A GODDESS BECAUSE ALTHOUGH THEY DISAPPROVED OF HER SEXUALITY AND WORSHIP, THEY COULDN’T GET RID OF HER. SHE WAS SAID TO SEDUCE MORTAL MEN AND GIVE BIRTH TO FAIRIES. MOST OF THE MEN SHE SEDUCED DIED; THIS IS POSSIBLY SOMETHING THE MONKS STARTED TO ENCOURAGE MONOGOMY RATHER THAN AINE’S FREE LOVE.
She can bestow on you a gift for writing poetry, but if you displease her in this, or in anything, she can take the gift back and leave you with madness.
The summer solstice is her day. People light torches and waved over crops and cattle. In this aspect, she is believed to have gifted the human race with grain.
Although she is a sun goddess, she is also seen as a moon goddess. In her dark maiden aspect, she defends scorn lovers and seeks revenge on those she feels are unsuitable mates.
In her stories, she is said to have been raped by a human whom she then turned into a goose. Others say that she killed her rapist. She is therefore a great goddess to turn to for healing for rapes and sexual assaults.
Messages from aine:
“magic is afoot. Find a way to encourage it.” (from goddess inspiration oracle cards)
“take a risk, and put your hearts desire into action.’ (FROM GODDESS GUIDANCE ORACLE CARDS)
A PRAYER TO AINE
YOU WHO ARE AS BRIGHT AS THE SUN
AND AS GLOWING AS THE MOON
THANK YOU FOR THE JOY YOU GIVE TO US
YOUR CHILDREN.
PLEASE BLESS US THIS SOLSTICE,
BESTOW UPON US YOUR JOY, LOVE AND FERTILITY.
WITH YOUR WINGS, YOU SOAR OVER US
SHOWERING US WITH YOUR LOVE AND LIGHT.
WE HONOR YOU WITH FIRE AND LAUGHTER
FEASTING AND REMEMBERING
FOR WITHOUT YOU
OUR BODIES AND OUR SOULS WOULD NOT
BE NOURISHED.
BLESSED BE TO YOU,
QUEEN OF THE FAE.
(AN AMY ORIGINAL)
