Marfóir-Mother
“These are three essential aspects of the mother: her cherishing and nourishing goodness, her orgiastic emotionality, and her Stygian depths.” —Carl Jung.
Lá Bealtaine is most commonly held on 1 May, the beginning of Celtic Summer and a time for renewal and lighting of a holy bonfire. It is, therefore, timely to speak about the story Marfóir and the summer goddess. The Fairy Queen Áine represents the archetype of the Mother…she is goddess and witch. She is good, but she has special powers of sight which align her with the literal witches of the story. She can see the Night-Hag, aka the Morrigan, a supernatural power—a force of creation and a mirror of Áine herself, only hinting at her hidden powers.
Áine is on a journey of self-discovery as she pursues her lost family, her own maternal instincts driving her to find them against all odds. But she has secret depths and needs…her sexual appetite makes her irresistible to those who pursue her and she is thwarted at every turn, tempted by forces that she can only sense are trying to mislead her. In turn, she must become a warrior…a killer—the Marfóir, in order to defeat that which threatens her loved ones.
As a mother, this was a most exhilarating story to write, it let me be my truest self…helping me explore my deepest fears and secret desires. As women, Áine is all of us…mysterious, loving, powerful and above all uniquely terrifying!