Etain is at once human and divine, royal and "common," beautiful always; never losing her shining nature in the face of impossible odds. Metaphorically, her story speaks to all of us, as we are all Etain. We all endure many transformations in our lives that we may view as hardships, but even so, our inner core remains shining. Accessing that inner core, I believe, is the key to regaining and retaining a sense of our true self.