Niamh (), also known as Niamh Cinn-ÃÂir ("Golden-headed Niamh" or "Golden-haired Niamh") is the lover or spouse of OisÃÂn, son of Fionn mac Cumhail, in the Fianna Cycle of Irish mythology.
In the story of Niamh, she was an otherworldly woman who fell in love with an Irish man named OisÃÂn and carried him away to live with her in her domain of TÃÂr na nÃÂg, the Land of Youth. She had two sons and a daughter with OisÃÂn. After more than 300 years of living together, Niamh reluctantly allowed OisÃÂn to visit Ireland, imposing on him a taboo not to touch the ground there, and once he did, he turned old and was unable to go back to see Niamh ever again.
In the medieval version, Niamh was a mortal princess of Munster who eloped with OisÃÂn to Ulster but committed suicide when her father's army arrived in pursuit.
The familiar story of Niamh of TÃÂr na nÃÂg was described in a poem around 1750 attributed to MÃÂcheál CoimÃÂn (1676âÂÂ1760), and summarized as follows:
This entire story of Niamh is told within the frame story of OisÃÂn's dialogue with Saint Patrick.
The only Irish text preserved from the past which contains the story of OisÃÂn and Niamh in TÃÂr na nÃÂg is the poem Laoi[á¸Â] OisÃÂn A[i]r ṪÃÂr Na N-ÃÂg "The Lay of Oisin in the Land of the Youth", composed around 1750 and attributed to MÃÂcheál CoimÃÂn (Michael Comyn, 1676âÂÂ1760). The poem may have been based on lost traditional material, although the opposite may be true, and the poet may have largely invented the story working from very basic hints about Oisin and CaÃÂlte's journeys to the fairy mounds (sÃÂdhe), as described in the Acallam na Senórach. It has even been suggested that the folktale the poet borrowed from may not necessarily be Irish, since foreign tales of the same theme are numerous and widespread.
The story of OisÃÂn's disappearance to Niamh's fairyland is regarded as one of several tales told to explain why OisÃÂn was not killed in the Battle of Gabhra in which the Fianna were annihilated, and how he lived to tell his tale many centuries later.
In the oldest text, Niamh, daughter of Aengus TÃÂrech, king of Munster, eloped with OisÃÂn to Ulster, spending six weeks there, until the king arrived in pursuit with a great host. She thereby killed herself by burying her face in the ground, alongside thirty women. The spot was named the Well of the Women (tipra an bhantrachta), and it was on the edge of the Lake of the Red Stag (loch and daimh dheirg). The account is given in the Acallam na Senórach.