Aster's Pictures

The Story of Angus Og and Caer Ibormeith: Once there was a young man named Angus Og, who was surpassingly handsome, and so he was light-hearted and carefree when it came to "wooing" all the girls. He had many titillating romantic affairs, since he was completely confident that he deserved the most attractive girls and that they were just lucky to be with him. One night he has a dream in which he sees the most beautiful woman imaginable. She vanished when he put out his arms to embrace her. He wakes up stunned, and suddenly all the local girls seem dull and dim-witted in comparison to the woman in his dreams. The next night, he dreams of the beautiful maiden again, and she sings to him a song of such sweetness that it could have soothed whole kingdoms to sleep. He sees that her wild, silky feathery hair, and she wears tiny golden chains adorned with bells all about her, draped around her waist and wrists and throat a vision of pure beauty. He awakes the next morning having fallen completely in love with this dream-maiden, and yet he is intimidated. For the first time in his life, he finds himself full of doubt, him the god of young love doubtful. He falls very ill, he had held onto his love holding it inside, and for a year and a day, he lays weak and feverish in bed, refusing to see anyone or seek any help, out of embarrassment for his lovesickness. Every night, the maiden invades his dreams, and her songs soothe him until his fever subsides. Finally, Angus Og's mother convinces him to speak to his father, the Dagda. The Dagda advises his son to go and seek this dream-maiden, to see if she is real and if he can win her affections. Angus Og decides to take his father's advice. For another year, he goes off searching the far corners of their world, to find his dream-maiden and to prove his love for her. When all seemed hopeless--and Angus Og's obsession had not abated in the least--his brother, Bodb the Red, finally finds a woman who fits the description. Bodb brings Angus Og to the side of a lake called The Dragon's Mouth to see the maiden. And there she is, just as beautiful and strange as Angus Og first dreamed, breath taking beautiful. There bathing on the shore of the lake among one hundred and fifty other girls, who are her servants and handmaids. For it turns out, she is Caer Ibormeith, the daughter of Ethal Anubail, Faery King of Connacht. As is always the custom, Angus Og travels to Caer’s father, the Ethal Anubail, to ask his permission to pursue Caer in courtship. The King responds, in short, “She is willful and wild, more powerful than I am. I cannot bid her to do or not do anything she has not already decided for herself. You're welcome to try your chance... But one thing," the King says, "Caer every autumn, she transforms herself into a swan, along with her one hundred and fifty handmaids, and they all fly off somewhere for the winter. The only chance you'll have of wooing Caer is if you go to the shore of The Dragon's Mouth on the morning of her transformation, and call to her by name. For she will be leaving soon and this will be where you will find her." Angus Og, mystified by her actions, but still overwhelmed with love, is willing to try anything. He travels to the lake at dawn on that autumn day. This time, instead of the many girls bathing on the shore near this lake, he sees one hundred and fifty swans gliding serenely across the glassy surface. While still in the form of a maiden, Caer was by far the most beautiful and easily stood out in a crowd, not least because of the golden bells she wore--but now, as swans, all the girls look almost exactly alike. For a moment, Angus Og panics, sure that he'll never be able to tell which of the swans is Caer, that he'll never be able to call to her by name and so win her love. Trembling with uncertainty, he closes his eyes and tries to remember the dreams in which he first saw the lovely swan-maiden, listening for the song she sang to him as he slept. For a moment, he imagines that he hears that same song drifting across the lake, and in a burst of eager self-forgetfulness, he calls out, "Caer! Caer!" When he opens his eyes, he sees a swan gliding slowly towards, even as a swan he knew that it was Caer, her gracefulness and her magnificence shown through her silky feathers. As the swan it reaches the shore, she form melts away to reveal Caer in all her beauty, still wrapped in a cloak of white swan feathers. Caer smiles at Angus Og and asks him why he took so long to answer her call, why almost three years had passed since she first sang to him in dream. She remembered him from her visits for she had seen him when she was flying south for the winter and his handsomeness had caught her eye. He admits that he, who had always been so casual and indifferent about pretty girls, had been embarrassed by the sudden sincerity of his love, and that it took a long time to overcome his doubts and seek her earnestly in the place where she dwelt in waking life. For so long, he had been content to dream. Angus Og speaking from his heart, passionately, swooned his dream maiden, nothing being as powerful as true love. Caer agreed to be his wife and lover, but only if he will transform himself into a swan and fly away with her. He agrees whole-heartedly, and together they spread out their long, white wings and take flight across the lake, singing a song so sweet, wild, magical and beautiful that the whole kingdom fell into a peaceful sleep for three days and three nights. Being that most of their magic came from their voice, they made an outstanding couple. After this feathery honeymoon, according to Celtic mythology, they both transform back into human form and live "happily ever after" as the handsome god of love, and the beautiful goddess of purity and dream.