The Black Swan of Lir

'The Children of Lir' is one of the most famous of Irish legend.
It tells the story of the widowed King Lir, forced by the High King of Ireland to marry his late wife's sister, a druid witch named Aoife.
The King's love for his four children drove her so mad with jealousy, she cast a spell upon the children and cursed them to brave storm and sea for thousands of years as swans.
But was the druid witch so wicked?