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Cliodna Ceibfhionn (KLEE-nah KEEV-un), whose name means the Shapely One of the the Fair Locks, is a queen among the Irish gods-turned-faeries, the Tuatha De Danaan. She is sometimes said to be the daughter of the sea god Manannan mac Lir, and sometimes the offspring of the druid Geban. Either way, she is a beautiful and magical lady, queen of Tir Tairnagiri, the Land of Promise. One of the many Celtic otherworlds, the Land of Promise lies over the sea and is a place of rest and healing. Cliodna herself is said to possess three birds who can sing anyone into a magical, healing sleep--reminiscent of the Welsh "Birds of Rhiannon". It is also said that she can transform into a wren or a sea-bird herself.
Cliodna is most famous for her interactions with the human world. The first time she touched humanity, it was with her first love, Ciabhan of the Curling Locks. Ciabhan had been banished from his home because he was so gorgeous that all the women were fighting over him! When Cliodna went walking in Ireland, she saw him, and she too fell in love with him. They lived in happy isolation for a time. But one morning, Ciabhan went off to hunt, and Manannan showed his overprotective side. Music suddenly wafted from the sea and put Cliodna to sleep. (Music from her own birds, perhaps?) The ocean then rose up and carried her on its waves back to Tir Tairnagiri. Cliodna was associated, ever since, with the ninth wave of any series, which is said to be the highest and strongest. This wave has mystical significance--it is the boundary between the known world and the unknown, which we know by the fact that those who were exiled from Ireland were said to be "beyond the ninth wave". In Tennyson's version of the King Arthur story, the famous king himself was supposed to be born of such a wave, rather than a human mother.
Some versions of the legend say that Cliodna remained in the Land of Promise forever, but there are several stories of her continued involvement in human affairs. She is said to be the one who enchanted the Blarney Stone, endowing it with the power to grant eloquent speech, when an attorney in the 15th century called upon her aid. Tales also say that Cliodna never lost her love for human men. In one instance, the man's human sweetheart Caitileen Og followed Cliodna all the way back to Tir Tairnagiri, giving Cliodna a sound tongue-lashing for taking the man away. Cliodna considered giving him up, but in the end kept him.Cliodna is also tied to a particular Irish family, the O'Keeffes, and some say she is their ancestress. She is their family BeanSidhe, keening at their ancestral home whenever an O'Keeffe passes away.
She is said to be the faery queen of Munster, and is particularly associated with County Cork. There, she has as dwelling-places the hill Carrig Cliodna, and a white palace in Loch Dearg. It is said that one can see Cliodna's wave, Tonn Cliodna, off the coast of Cork.
