Niamh Chinn Óir

Origin and Youth

Niamh Chinn Óir ("Niamh of the Golden Hair") was the daughter of the Tuatha de Danaan (Celtic god) Sea God Mannanan and of the faerie Fand. It is unknown where she was born, though it is presumed to have been in Otherworld.

During her youth, Niamh was given by her father a magical horse, named Enbarr, that could run across air and on water.

Middle Ages

Upon reaching adulthood, Niamh made her home under the waters of Dozmary Pool (in modern-day Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, United Kingdom).

After King Ban of Benwick was killed by Frankish King Claudas, Niamh raised Ban's son Lancelot as her own.

She gave Lancelot an enchanted ring that protected him from magic. Lancelot then went on to serve King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, as one of his knights.

She later came into possession of Excalibur after Beowulf used it to seal away Grendel's Mother. She later gave it to King Arthur and has distributed it as needed.

When Makluans threatened Camelot, she sent the Sir Percy of Scandia, the Black Knight, forward in time to possess his descendant and Black Knight successor Dane Whitman, and enlist the help of the British team Excalibur.

Modern Age

Niamh bestowed Excalibur upon Dane Whitman when the Black Knight's Ebony Blade was (temporarily) destroyed by the Iron Ogre.

Under guidance from Niamh, Adam Crown stole a priceless Iron Age sword from the Museum of Pagan Antiquities (secretly housed over Mys-Tech Central) and cast it into a canal in East London. Niamh surfaced holding Caliburn, which Adam would hold as one of the Knights of Pendragon, each bonded to a spirit of Camelot, his being King Arthur.

During the Secret Invasion the Skrulls were able to invade Otherworld, and Niamh ended up being killed by them. She was later restored to life thanks to Pete Wisdom.

When the industrial entities known as the Manchester Gods materialized in Otherworld and began assimilating the landscape, an informal summit was held between Master Wilson of the Manchester Gods and the various rulers of Otherworld: Niamh, the the Dagda, King Arthur, Merlyn, and Captain Britain. However, no compromise was reached, as Master Wilson demanded that gods should no longer rule Otherworld, and the two sides went to war. Later, Niamh, the Dagda, Merlyn, Captain Britain, and other denizens of Otherworld were assembled in Camelot by King Arthur to rally the alliance of factions for battle against the Manchester Gods. At that time, the Asgardian trickster god Loki (who had been sent to Otherworld by the Asgardian All-Mother to assist in the efforts against the Manchester Gods), requested that Niamh show him the Holy Grail that she protected, as the Asgardian death goddess Hela required its magic waters to heal the wounds inflicted upon her by the Dísir; however, the skeptical Niamh denied Loki's request. As the war raged on, Niamh, Merlyn, Captain Britain, and King Arthur conducted battle strategy from within Camelot. But when Loki became sympathetic to the cause of the Manchester Gods and detonated several symbolic locations which empowered the traditional gods and lords of Otherworld, the battle shifted in favor of the Manchester Gods, at which time they pressured their enemies into signing a treaty under terms favorable to them. Niamh, the Dagda, Merlyn, Captain Britain, and King Arthur were present at the signing of the armistice with Master Wilson that brought an end to the war with the Manchester Gods and established Otherworld as a parliamentary democracy rather than a monarchy. In return for Loki's assistance in the Manchester Gods' victory, Master Wilson distracted Niamh with masses of paperwork so that Loki could sneak Hela to the Holy Grail and heal her wounds.