Editing Midir (section)

===''Tochmarc Étaíne''===
Midir is one of the leading characters in the [[Old Irish]] saga ''[[Tochmarc Étaíne]]'' ("The Wooing of Étaín"), which makes leaps through time from the age of the Túatha Dé Danann to the time of [[Eochaid Airem]], [[High King of Ireland]]. Midir is the husband of [[Fúamnach]] but falls in love with [[Étaín]], and receives the help of his foster-son [[Aengus]] (also '''Oengus''') to make her his new bride. Fuamnach's vengeance is provoked against the young new wife, causing her a number of disgraces until after several transformations (including water, a worm, and a fly) Étaín fell into the drink of another woman and is reborn.

Étaín later marries [[Eochaid Airem]], at that time the High King of Ireland. Far from giving up, Midir makes an attempt to bring his lover back home, going to see the king and challenging him to many games of [[fidchell]] or chess; Midir's chessboard is described as being silver with golden men and jeweled corners.<ref name=Lecan /> Eochaid wins all but the last game, and Midir gives him fifty horses with red, spotted heads, fifty boars, a vat of blackthorn, fifty gold hilted swords, fifty ivory hilted swords, fifty red eared cows with white eared calves, and fifty red-headed rams with three horns and three heads each.<ref name=Lecan /> However, Midir wins the final game and requests a [[kiss]] from Étaín as his prize.

After defending his home against Midir, who effortlessly enters, Eochaid reluctantly allows Midir his kiss, but Midir turns himself and Étaín into swans who fly out of the royal residence. Eochaid refuses to accept the loss of his wife and pursues Midir to the elfmounds. When Eochaid finally begins excavating Bri Leith,  Midir confronts him and offers him another game. Midir uses his power to make fifty women look like Étaín and offers the king the opportunity to choose only one. Eochaid incorrectly chooses his own daughter and loses Étaín forever, also fathering a daughter upon his own daughter in the process.<ref>''Tochmarc Étaíne''.</ref>