In Irish mythology, Ériu, daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic word land. Since Ériu is represented as goddess of Ireland, she is often interpreted as a modern-day personification of Ireland, although since the name "Ériu" is the older Irish form of the word Ireland, her modern name is often modified to "Éire" or "Erin" to suit a modern form.
Role and mythical portrayal
With her sisters, Banba and Fódla, she was part of a triumvirate of goddesses. When the Milesians arrived from Galicia, each of the three sisters asked that their name be given to the country. This was granted to them, although Ériu became the chief name in use. Ériu was said to have been the wife of Mac Gréine, a grandson of Dagda. Ériu, Banba and Fódla are interpreted as goddesses of sovereignty. According to the 17th-century Irish historian Geoffrey Keating, the three sovereignty goddesses associated with Éire, Banbha and Fódla were Badb, Macha and The Morrígan. Different texts have attributed different personal relationships to Ériu. Her husband has been named as Mac Gréine. She has also been portrayed as the lover of Elatha, a prince of the Fomorians, with whom she had a son Bres, and as the mistress of the hero Lugh. Both Elatha and Ériu are described in some sources as the children of Delbaeth, indicating they may be half-siblings. Her foster-father in the Rennes Dindsenchas was Codal the Roundbreasted, whose feeding Eriu caused the land in Ireland to heave toward the sky.
Name and etymology
The University of Wales' reconstructedProto-Celtic lexicon gives *Φīwerjon- as the Proto-Celtic etymology of this name. This Celtic form implies Proto-Indo-European*piHwerjon-, likely related to the adjectival stem *piHwer- "fat" hence meaning "fat land" or "land of abundance", applied at an early date to the island of Ireland. The Proto-Celtic form became *īweriū in Q-Celtic. From a similar or somewhat later form were also borrowed Greek Ἰέρνη Iernē and Ἰουερνία Iouernia; the latter form was converted into LatinHibernia.
