In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love, summer and poetic inspiration. The son of The Dagda and Boann, Aengus is also known as Macan Óc ("the young boy" or "young son"), and corresponds to the Welsh mythical figure Mabon and the Celtic god Maponos. He plays a central role in five Irish myths.
Name
In Old Irish his name is Óengus or Oíngus , a name attested in Adomnán's Life of St Columba as Oinogus(s)ius. This is believed to come from a Proto-Celtic name meaning "true vigour". The medieval Dindsenchas derives it from "one desire", explaining that Boann gave him the name because her union with the Dagda had been her only desire. In Middle Irish this became Áengus, and in Modern Irish Aonghus , .
He is also known as Óengus Óc/Aengus Óg ("Aengus the young"), Mac ind Óc ("son of the young"), Maccan/Macán, or Mac Óc/Mac Óg ("young son").
According to Celticists John T. Koch and Kenneth H. Jackson, Aengus is also cognate to the Pictish Onuist/Unuist and Old Welsh Unust.
Family
Aengus' parents were The Dagda and Boann, and his foster-father was variously Elcmar or Midir. He was said to have lived at Newgrange by the River Boyne, where he raised Manannán's blonde-haired daughter Curcog as his foster. In the folklore of Scotland, Angus is the husband of Brigid and son of Beira, the Fairy Queen of Winter. His siblings include Aed, Cermait, Bodb Derg, and Brigid. Aengus is the foster-father and protector of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Fianna. He rescues Diarmuid and Gráinne during their pursuit by the Fianna; after Diarmuid's death, Aengus takes his body back to the Brú na Bóinne where he breathes life into it when he wishes to speak with Diarmuid. According to Death Tales of the Tuatha de Danann, Aengus kills his stepfather Elcmar in retaliation for killing Midir. Aengus has a son named Nemhannach who is mentioned in the Battle of Ventry.
Physical description
In a late folktale recorded in Scotland, the following physical description is provided: "Then Angus mounted his white steed and rode eastward...He was clad in raiment of shining gold, and from his shoulders hung his royal robe of crimson which the wind uplifted and spread out in gleaming splendour athwart the sky."
Then a bard composed the following song about Angus: Angus hath come - the young the fair, The blue-eyed god with golden hair, The god who to the world doth bring, This morn the promise of the spring.
In Irish myths, Aengus is variously described in the following terms: expert in arms horseman sailor son of the Dagda of the many exploits of the battle squadrons (along with Aed and Cermait) red armed mighty and stern
Mythology
Irish mythology
The Dagda has an affair with Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. She lives at Brú na Bóinne with her husband Elcmar. The Dagda impregnates her after sending Elcmar away on a one-day errand. To hide the pregnancy from Elcmar, the Dagda casts a spell on him, making "the sun stand still" so he will not notice the passing of time. Meanwhile, Boann gives birth to Aengus. Eventually, Aengus learns that the Dagda is his true father and asks him for a portion of land. In some versions of the tale—probably the original, from The Wooing of Etain—the Dagda helps Aengus take ownership of the Brú from Elcmar. Aengus asks and is given the Brú for láa ocus aidche; because in Old Irish this could mean either "a day and a night" or "day and night", Aengus claims it forever. Other versions have Aengus taking over the Brú from the Dagda himself by using the same trick. The Brú is then named Brug maic ind Óig after him. In The Wooing of Etain version, Midir is Aengus's foster-father.
It has been suggested that this tale represents the winter solstice illumination of Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne, during which the sunbeam (the Dagda) enters the inner chamber (the womb of Boann) when the sun's path stands still. The word solstice (Irish grianstad) means sun-standstill. The conception of Aengus may represent the 'rebirth' of the sun at the winter solstice, him taking over the Brú from an older god representing the growing sun taking over from the waning sun. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin suggested the tale probably dramatizes the idea "that the blooming of youth denies the process of aging - at the youthful stage of life time passes slowly and vitality seems to be permanent".