Another thing I didn't have room for in yesterday's issue was to build upon the "Grain Goddesses" angle I proposed for Brighid/Mórrígan/Éiriú in the preceding issue, with respect to Édaín:
https://buttondown.com/godsandcroziers/archive/may-6th-morrigan-queen-summer-inghean-bhuidhe-crobh-dearg/
Taliesin's Map found that the "choosing test" is a conserved part of the "Lunar Cycle", and in most cases it's a choice of the groom, by the heroine. In the Irish it's reversed, and Eochaid Airem (~"Horse-Ploughman") is instead presented with 50 identical women who look like Étaín, and must choose his wife. Instead, he chooses his daughter (which actually sets the stage for a future cycle, the Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel).
Now this is a choice of his wife from a large number of identical copies of her. And Étaín aligns well with Persephone, who is pretty well understood as a "Grain Goddess" as well as the underworld goddess and the Moon.
So, are these the fruit of the grain? The identical copies, from which the ploughman must choose the best example, to be next year's seed, wife, and mother of the harvest? It seems to be a #Gaelic innovation on this mytheme, but it's very congruent with interpreting Étaín-as-Persephone.
#Mythology #Irish #celtic