Midir
Intention: Honor patient devotion across great obstacles
Offerings & Symbols
- A chessboard or game piece (he wins Etain back through a game)
- Gold
- A love token kept long-term
Culture: Irish (Celtic) Domain: The Otherworld, patient romantic pursuit
Midir is an Otherworldly lord whose wife Etain is reborn as a mortal after being transformed and lost for a thousand years; he eventually locates her, wins her back from her mortal husband through a rigged game of chess (fidchell), and the two depart together as swans, a striking image of devotion outlasting enormous obstacles.
Associations
Patient devotion, the Otherworld, long-delayed reunion, clever persistence.
Ways people honor him (modern)
- Honor patience in love or any long-term goal
- Play a strategy game mindfully as a small devotional act
- Read the full Tochmarc Étaíne for his side of the story
- Reflect on what you have pursued patiently over a very long time
Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.
