Aengus Óg vs Midir

The ever-young god of love and poetic inspiration, whose kisses become birds that hover around young lovers' heads, whispering sweet nothings.

Aengus is the son of **the Dagda** and **Boann**, goddess of the River Boyne. Their union was an affair: Boann was married to Elcmar (or Nechtan), so the Dagda sent Elcmar away on a journey and caused nine months to pass as a single day. Thus Aengus was conceived and born before Elcmar returned. Aengus was fostered by **Midir** at Brí Léith, unaware of his parentage. When he came of age, he learned his true heritage and cleverly won the **Brú na Bóinne** (Newgrange) from his father through a word-trick: he asked to stay "a day and a night," but in Irish idiom this means "forever."

Aengus Óg, the "Young Son" or "Youthful Strength", is the Irish god of love, youth, and poetic inspiration. Forever young and beautiful, he represents the eternal renewal of passion and creativity. His four magical birds, said to be kisses transformed, fly above lovers' heads, inspiring tender words.

Lord of the Otherworld at Brí Léith, whose love for the mortal woman Étaín sparked wars between the fairy realms and the High King of Ireland.

Midir is a son of **the Dagda** and a lord of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He rules the síd of **Brí Léith** (near modern Ardagh in County Longford), one of the greatest fairy mounds of Ireland. He fostered **Aengus Óg** and helped him win Brú na Bóinne from the Dagda. Midir's own great tale is his love for **Étaín**: his first wife Fuamnach, jealous of Étaín's beauty, transformed her into a fly and drove her from the Otherworld. After a thousand years and several rebirths, Étaín became a mortal queen of Ireland. Midir found her, won her back through a game of fidchell, and carried her away to the síd, sparking war between the fairy realm and the High King.

Midir the Proud is one of the great lords of the Tuatha Dé Danann, master of the síd at **Brí Léith** and central figure in one of the most romantic tales in Irish mythology. His love for **Étaín** spans centuries and the boundaries between worlds.