In Irish mythology

Irish mythology

The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...

, Lén was the craftsman of Síd Buidb, the 'sídhe

Sídhe

The aos sí are a supernatural race in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology are comparable to the fairies or elves. They are said to live underground in the fairy mounds, across the western sea, or in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans...

 of Bodb

Bodb Derg

In Irish mythology, Bodb Derg or Bodhbh Dearg was a son of Eochaid Garb or the Dagda, and the Dagda's successor as King of the Tuatha Dé Danann....

'. The son of Ban Bolgach son of Bannach, he was said to reside under a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 near Killarney

Killarney

Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...

 named Loch Léin

Lakes of Killarney

The Lakes of Killarney are a renowned scenic attraction located near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane, Muckross Lake and Upper Lake.Lough Leane is the largest of the three lakes...

 after him. The Dindsenchas

Dindsenchas

Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas , meaning "lore of places" is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associates with the places in question...

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

Fand

Fand is an early Irish sea goddess, later described as a "Queen of the Fairies". Her name is variously translated as "Pearl of Beauty" or "A Tear"...

, the daughter of Flidais

Flidais

Flidais is a female mythological figure in early Irish literature, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Metrical Dindsenchas and the Ulster Cycle...

. 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 'The Anvil of the Dési

Desi

Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...

' 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

Lén

In Irish mythology, Lén was the craftsman of Síd Buidb, the 'sídhe of Bodb'. The son of Ban Bolgach son of Bannach, he was said to reside under a lake near Killarney named Loch Léin after him. The Dindsenchas relate that Loch Léin was where he would make bright vessels for Fand the Long-Haired, the...

 can be philologically

Philology

Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...

 related to the Romano-Celtic god Lenus

Lenus

Lenus was a Celtic healing god worshipped mainly in eastern Gaul, where he was almost always identified with the Roman god Mars. He was an important god of the Treveri tribe, who had large sanctuaries at medicinal springs at Trier and the Martberg by Pommern in what is now Germany. Two dedications...

 is disputable. While the meaning of the name is uncertain, the Old Irish words lén 'defeat, misfortune' and lénaid 'injure, wound' and the Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

llwyn 'grove, bush, shrub' may offer some basis for comparison.