Eithne

Mother of Lugh. Eithne was sometimes spelt Ethlinn or Ethniu.

Eithne was a daughter of Balor, leader of the Fomorians.

Balor knew of a prophecy that if he was to have a grandson, he would die. So like the Argive king Acrisius who locked away his daughter Danae to keep men away from her, Balor locked Eithne away in a tower in Tory Island, hoping to stop his doom from being fulfilled.

Eithne fell in love with Cian, one of the Danann leaders. But Cian, with the help of Danann druidess Birog, managed to spirit him to visit the Fomorian princess. Eithne became pregnant with triplets. Balor, learning of this, tried to have his grandsons killed by tossing them from the tower into a whirlpool. Two of Eithne's sons died, but the youngest of the triplets survived, and was taken away by Cian and Birog. Cian named their son Lugh, or Lug.

Confusedly, Eithne was also said to be the mother of Dagda, Ogma and Allod (father of Manannan), by Elatha. And in another version in the Book of Invasions, she was not only the mother of Lugh and the Dagda, but also Nuada, Dian Cecht, Goihhniu, Credne and Luchta.

According to the Duanaire Finn, after the death of her father, Lugh arranged Eithne to marry Tadg, son of Nuada. Eithne became the mother of Muirenn (Muirne).