Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, Lén was the craftsman of Síd Buidb, the ' sídhe of Bodb'.Section 18
of the Bodleian ''Dindshenchas''. The son of Ban Bolgach son of Bannach, he was said to reside under a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

near

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

named Loch Léin after him. The ''

Dindsenchas ''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Ir ...

'' relate that Loch Léin was where he would make bright vessels for Fand the Long-Haired, the daughter of

Flidais Flidas or Flidais (modern spelling: Fliodhas, Fliodhais) is a female figure in Irish Mythology, known by the epithet ''Foltchaín'' ("beautiful hair"). She is believed to have been a goddess of cattle and fertility. Mythology Flidas is mentioned ...

. Every night, after finishing his work, it is written that he used to fling his anvil away to a nearby hill called the ''Indeoin na nDési'' or 'Anvil of the Dési' and the showers that came from the back of the hill were said to be pearls off his anvil as it was flung. Whether the name ''Lén'' can be philologically related to the Romano-Celtic god

Lenus Lenus ( grc, Ληνός) was a Celtic healing god worshipped mainly in eastern Gaul, where he was almost always identified with the Roman god Mars. Name The theonym ''Lenos'' may derive from a stem ''lēno''-, which could mean 'wood, bocage' (c ...

is disputable. While the meaning of the name is uncertain, the

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

words ''lén'' 'defeat, misfortune' and ''lénaid'' 'injure, wound' and the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

''llwyn'' 'grove, bush, shrub'Entry for ''llwyn''
in the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

' online

dictionary. may offer some basis for comparison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Len Tuatha Dé Danann