Celtic Mythology 8, the Dream of Angus, the Irish god of Love

Celtic Mythology 8, the Dream of Angus, the Irish god of Love

The god of love Angus himself was not immune to the effects of love. One story relates how, every night for a year, he dreamed of a beautiful woman. She would appear, beckon to him, then disappear as he reached out to her. Angus became listless and lost his appetite.

Doctors were summoned but Angus was too embarrassed to admit that he was in love with a dream. Finally, one of the best doctors of the Tuatha de Danann, Fergne, diagnosed his problem.


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Angus’s uncle, Bobd Dearg, was enlisted to find his nephew’s dream woman. After a year’s searching, he finally reported success. The woman, named Caer, was the daughter of Danaan god and lived by a lake in Connacht. Angus’s father, the Dagda, spoke to King Ailill and Queen Maeve of Connacht on his son’s behalf, and Ailill summoned Caer’s father, Ethal.

He refused to come, however, so Ailill’s warriors destroyed the god’s home. Even so, Ethal still refused to hand over his daughter. When questioned, he replied that she had powers greater than his. On every day of one year she appeared as a human, but on every day of the next year she took the shape of a bird. In the end Ethal conceded that if Angus really wanted her, he must arrange to be at the lake on the Feast of Samhain of the following year.

Angus did as he was asked and found the lake covered with 150 swans, among them Caer. He called to her from the shore but she said that she would come only if Angus allowed her to return to the water as a swan. Angus agreed and turned himself into a swan so that he could join her.

The couple embraced and swam around the lake three times, consummating their love as they did so. Then they flew away to Angus’s home at Newgrange. Once there, they re-gained human form and held a great feast, at which they both sang so beautifully that all their guests were lulled to sleep for three days and nights.

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celtic mythology, irish gods, irish god of love, angus god of love, aengus,oengus, angus and caer, king ailill, queen maeve, irish folklore, celtic romance,