Eimear facts for kids

Emer, in modern Irish Éimhear, or, Eimhear or Éimear, is the wife of the hero Cú Chulainn in Irish mythology. She is the daughter of Forgall Monach.

Emer was a very common name for girls around the Midlands of Ireland. The name means that she has the "Six Gifts of Womanhood" – "beauty, a gentle voice, sweet words, wisdom, needlework and chastity".Eimear is known to be caring but also a fierce warrior

As a child, She was to one day be married to the warrior Cuchulainn. They loved each other very much. But Cuchulainn was attracted to many women. Emer accepted this. She believed that "everything new is fair." But, when he loved Fand, wife of the sea god Manannan, Emer had to say something. After seeing how much Fand love him, Emer said she would leave him and let them be together. Fand felt this showed that Emer thought more of others than she did of herself. Fand left Cuchulainn to be with Emer and went back to the sea. When Cuchulainn died, Emer spoke lovingly at his graveside.

Images for kids

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  Emer rebuking Cú Chulainn. (1905 illustration by H. R. Millar.)

See also

In Spanish: Emer para niños