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Excerpt from The Story of Fand – retold by Susie Fox from "Rituals and the British Goddess".

Fand –ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý - Is a beautiful sea goddess, known for her beauty, seductive charms and her love, on the Isle of Man, and the North of Ireland.

She is married to the Sea God Manan Mac Lir, the Sea God after whom the Isle of Man is named.

However, maybe he was a little older than Fand.Ìý Maybe he was a little staid, a little sensible, staunch and reliable, the perfect husband – well not quite, because we are talking about Sea Gods and Goddesses here –

- but Fand's life lacked adventure and romance and she noticed a mortal, a warrior, a handsome, strong, flirtatious and highly attractive mortal called Cuchulain.Ìý Manan Mac Lir was sent packing, and Fand made herself available for the next conquest.

Now Cuchulain was married to Emer.Ìý Emer had borne him children, tended his house and land when he went on conquests, a homely faithful woman whose pride lay in her family and children.Ìý She had turned a blind eye for years to Cuchulain's romantic conquests, and focussed on keeping her family on the straight and narrow. A pillar of goodness in the community, looked up to, and revered.

This did not stop Fand.Ìý She set Cuchulain a task: to rid her fairy kingdom of three sea demons that were attacking it, and Cuchulain did not resist – he defeated them and moved into her house, and bed.

But, mortal and fairy cannot live together.Ìý A mortal in fairyland becomes sick, and a fairy living in the mortal world will fade and die.Ìý So, after a month and a day, Cuchulain was wasting away and a shadow of his former self. He was sent off in a rowing boat back to the mortal world with the instructions to meet Fand, in one month, at the Yew on the Sea Shore.

Emer was furious when she heard about the tryst.Ìý To have affairs with human women was bad enough, but with a Fairy Queen!! Disgrace!Ìý She, and fifty of her retinue of women took to their chariots, knives between their teeth and with bloodthirsty murder in their eyes and galloped their horses down to the Yew on the Sea Shore.

But, when Emer arrived she looked at Fand, she looked at Cuchulain, and knew, deep in her heart, that Cuchulain and Fand were truly in love.Ìý

Fand looked at Emer, saw the knives and chariots, and the emotional cost of her affair written on Emer's face, and knew, deep in her heart, that Cuculain was Emer's.Ìý

"I will give him up, he is rightfully yours," said Fand.

"No, no, I will give him up, you love him most," said Emer.Ìý And so they argued back and forth as to who would have Cuchulain.

But, un-be-known to the mortals, Manan Mac Lir had arrived. He spoke to Fand in a conversation that no-one could hear, except Fand herself.Ìý He would take Fand back, if she would release Cuchulain.

Fand agreed to disappear out of Cuchulain's life, leaving him to sort his marriage out.Ìý She could not say goodbye, it was too painful, all she could do was fade away and return to her Fairy Kingdom with Manan Mac Lir.Ìý Her heart was broken.Ìý Manan Mac Lir drew his magical cloak between the two lovers to separate them forever.

Poem - The Breaking of Fand

I fade away,
Through cloud and foam,
Through mist so thin, and gossamer light,
A bride's veil, translucent,
Pulled between.

Backwards glancing,
Feel my heart wrench and moan,
Between parted lips,
I let my last breath drain away,
A sigh so deep it rocks my soul.

Deep buried pain,
The cutting knife slices my heart,
Wield it mercilessly to cut,
The cords of love, that bound us tight
Impossible unity of fae and flesh.

Relinquished to mortality,
To human law of birth and life
To love another; she who has the greater right,
Passionate anger, righteous rage,
Emer: wife.

Our lives cannot combine,
Mortal-faery, fatal state -
Ah, that I could meet you, one more time
....hold...me...I linger -Ìý
Dance my last dance on the water.

He draws the cobweb veil between us,
Sea fret encroaches,Ìý white-waves tumble,
Drift out of time and place,
Drift away from humankind,
Out of sight.

Seashell voices, and sea-salt spray,
Caresses in the breeze
The refraction of light,
Water on sand,
Reaching out -

I cannot …
ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý …See you.
S J Fox c.2008