n ā, f. By Zimmer (
ZDA
1891, 1 ff
.) derived from ON fiandi `enemy' (see
RC xii
295
;
405
); by D'A. de Jubainville,
RC xxviii 249
, and
Thurneysen,
ZCP xv 262
, connected with the people-name
Féni; by Loth,
RC xiii 507
, with `fine.' Acc. to Meyer,
Fianaig. vi ff
. it is from an abstr. meaning `
driving, pursuing, hunting
,' which has in Irish taken a concrete meaning
and denotes `a band of warriors on the warpath
.' Compare
the mediaeval etymologists:
fianna a venatione .i. on
tseilg dognidis isberthi fianna friu; no fianna .i. finedha,
ar is ina finib ┐ ina n-aicmibh nobidis ... no fianna .i. feinnedha rígh Erenn iat,
Cóir Anm. 222
. Connected by Wagner,
Celtica xi 265
, to fén. The people-name
Féni is sometimes liable to be confused with the gen. of
fian from which it is not always clearly distinguishable,
e.g.
airiseom óc féne,
LU 5089
. Cf.
bearla na feinei `the
fians Irish'
Eg. Gl. 522
. Archaic n
p.
féna for Fid,
The Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh 176.1
,
Peritia iii 316
.
(a) a band of roving men whose
principal occupations were hunting and war, also a troop
of professional fighting-men under a leader. In later application esp. the warrior-bands
under Finn son of Cumall,
who are described as constituting a military caste:
is e
ropa thaiseach teglaig ┐ ropa cheand deorad ┐ amhus ┐
cech ceithirne ar chena la Cormac Find mac Cumaill, conad
friusin atberat in daescarsluag `fianna Find',
YBL 325a10 ff
.
ro hindarbad Finn ... ┐ ro sgaraid na fiano fris. ar ba hiad-sein cetherna ┐ teglach in rig Cormaic. Is de ad-bertaei
fíana friu, ar ba siad fenidi ┐ milid in ri īad,
Tochm. Ailbe 1
.
See
Fianaig. ix ff
.,
Keat. ii p. 324 ff
. Traditions of Finn
and his
fianna
are abundant in Irish and Scottish folklore.
In Keating's time cromlechs were called by the people
leapthacha na Féine `the beds of the Fian'. In
Metr. Dinds.
iii 280.49
: bátar fo diamair ... ic fiannaib, ic fomurib
(of
the chief roads of Ireland), and
Cog. 114.28
: i folach fo
thalmain inā fá dhiamhraibh díchealta ag fianaibh no ag
sithcuiraibh
, the
fíana
appear as belonging to a remote
past and coupled with semi-mythological beings. Cf.
opening pp. of Acall., where Finn's fíana are pictured as
giants of other days.
fian .i. ceithearn,
Stowe Gl. 406
.
Lec. Gl. M 114
.
cona fein húathmair (of David's followers)
SR 6283
.
cona féin, cona fairaind [ = foirind],
6356
.
nech
dabur feind ná dabur foirind,
Acall. 5142
.
for formnu féne
Forainn (of Pharaoh's host)
SR 3992
.
iugulavit me fian
maicc Maicc Con,
Ardm. 14a2
(
Thes. ii 267.38
.
Trip. 324
).
arna guin do fianaib Maic Con,
Corm. Y 883
.
Fiachra
Fobrecc fein co ngairg `with a fierce band of warriors'
Hail Brigit § 13
(
LL 49b45
).
Find cona fein,
Corm. Y 1018
(feind, Bodl.).
docer la féin Cind tíre; la féin Luagne
aided Find,
RC xxiii 310 § 29
.
fianna Find ... brecctais
rinne | ... fianna Fothaid Canainne,
ZCP viii 119 § 35
(
Rawl.
88b
).
Find mac Cumaill ... in cētFinn ro tinoil fiana ar tús
i nErinn,
LL 379a38
.
eter ḟiannaib fer nAlban,
261b3
.
fíanna
fer nÉrend ┐ Alban,
BDD 144
(of reavers).
fianna Eirenn,
Acall. 5284
.
fianna feochra,
TBC-LL1 5683
.
comérgid ... a
fianna; arise, warriors (leader addressing a band of reavers)
BDD 141
.
mesir fiana iarna ngaluibh estimate warriors
by their fighting (or valor)
Ériu xiii 41.33
(
O'Dav. 1037
).
as mo thigh ro gab [Oisin] feind ┐ foirind (= took command
of a company, became leader of a `fían
')
Acall. 2467
. Finn's
followers as a military caste are distinguished from the
agricultural class, the settled population:
doronad crandchar idir in bhFéinn ┐ aes na treabaire cia dhíbh da roised
tūs do thabairt an chatha dona hallmharchaib,
Acall. 1290
(`between the Fianna and the settled [i.e. non-nomadic] folk
lots were cast'
SG ii 132
).
Buanand mumi na fian ... i.
daghmathair ac foircetal gaiscid do fianuib,
Corm. Y 104
.
fiana bātar i nEmain, | ir-Rāith Chruachan, i Temair,
RC
xxiii 304 § 1
(beginning an account of the deaths of famous
champions).
Temair Berg, baile na fían,
Ériu iv 92.2
.
se fichet findscél na fiann,
LL 145a49
.
for ḟíana rochalma
ḟer nÉorpa,
TTr.2 1691
.
fiana ferrdha ... Franc,
CCath.
5363
.
d'ḟianaibh Fódla, d'amhsain Ile,
TD 16.55
.
fian
Ghréagach `the soldiery of Greece' (i.e. the Fitzgeralds)
17.10
. see fénnid and fíanas . Here possibly belongs óc
féne one of a roving band, a `fian'-warrior
(?): g
p.
airiseom
óc féne
a resting place of fian-warriors
LU 5089
. n
p.
inn
óic ḟéinne
,
TBC-LL1 4950
.
(b) in wider sense a company, number
of persons:
rioghraid Laighen ... f.¤ mholuim,
LL 394.1
.
deich mic oile anba an ḟian
ib. 4
.
rī tarcai cech fēin,
SR
7163
.
fian sceith (sciath v.l.)
shield-bearers (?)
Ériu vi 135.45
.
foḟuair féin fessaig findgil | im Chessair ingin Betha,
LL
5b5
. Of pieces in a game, chessmen:
imat fian fidhcelda,
Anecd. ii 58.13
(cf. fíanchlár below).
mar ḟéin na mbranán
TD ii 199.1
.
(c)
a warrior (late and rare):
righḟeinnidh,
f.¤
`a General
' Kirk =
Eg. Gl. 523
.
sir Sémus ... an fiann,
O'Gr. Cat. (1700) 584.28
.
In
BColm. 94.8
: a fían a saert[h]a ar cach cath
; Plummer
suggests reading fiach = in payment of their exemption from
military service, making the preceding sent. (ar is ... ann)
parenthetical.
Compds.
¤bla:
fri f. fechta `
warrior-shout of fighting'
(? field of fight)
Leb. Gab.(i) i 68
=
fri fianna fecta,
LL 6a6
=
re fiannaib fearta,
BB 24b46
.
¤both a hunting-bothy
.
a hut of branches or similar construction in a forest or wild
spot, an improvised shelter:
fogeib in fianboith ┐ in mac ina
codlad innti,
RC v 199.3
.
rosfuc leis dochum na fianboithi,
ib. 13
.
d'iarraid ḟianbothe,
RC vii 296.96
(
LL 206b49
).
dognitis fianbotha folachta foslongpuirt acci i ndairib,
Cog. 60.10
.
i ffianboith folachtae i ccuas cairrgi,
AFM v 1794.1
.
tógaibh fian-bhoith fíréandachta do chumhdach do choguais,
TSh. 2304
. Cf.
ro ghabhsat longport fairsing fianbhothaigh
an encampment of huts (?)
AFM vi 2168.11
. See 2 fulacht .
¤chara a comrade in arms; `a mutual friend, one who
protects and is protected'
O'Don. Suppl.
, from
Eg. 88 f. 54d
(
O'Curry 2639
) : dot fiancarait .i. fear snāidhes ┐ sṅāidithar
fear aile i n adhaigh [ = ina aghaidh ?] ┐ amail carait claochmoig iat ó dénait comairce a céile
(cf. compact between Cú
Chulainn and Conall Cernach :
ciped chia dib nomarbtha ar
tús a digail dia cheiliu,
LL 122a8
).
nimrumart-sa mo f. Cú
Chulainn,
LL 125b10
(
Ériu v 210.60
, where the speaker is a
woman).
¤chlár
a board for (chess-)men:
mó a clārḟiacail ...
anda f. fidchille,
LL 210a56
(
Metr. Dinds. iv 138
).
¤chluiche (para)military game (
Celtica viii 151
):
In
Laws v 150.11 ff
. a distinction is made between `fian-chluichi' and `ruidles-chluichi,' the latter being apparently
games proper for children.
nocha uil ruidhles cluithi do
codhnacha ┐ nochan uil col cluithi do macaib bega. Ruidhles
cluithi na mac mbec is fiancluithi do codhnacha ┐ f. c. na
mac mbec is col cluithi do codhnacha,
Eg. 88 f. 28c
(
O'Curry
2368
).
slán d'fir in eich na huile neiche ... acht a riagail
re fiancluichi in codnaig uil uirre,
Laws iii 182.1
(on injuries
caused by a steed).
fiach fianchluichi a fine for f.c.
192 20
Comm
. (referring to a dog-fight) ;
250.27
;
252.4
(ref. to
boating mishaps, where it is transld. `foul-play').
¤choscur
hunting-slaughter, killing game:
a foraim, a fomsigi, a fíanchoscur (accomplishments of Cú Chulainn)
LU 4847
.
8453
(
FB 30
).
tairnic
leo a bhfiadach ┐ a bhfianchoscar do dhénam,
Acall. 187
.
selg ┐ ḟíanchosgur,
Fianaig. 54.26
.
ac seilg ┐ ac fianchoṡcur
56.24
.
ag fiadach ┐ ag fianchosgur,
ZCP vi 38.13
.
comus
ḟiadaig ┐ ḟiannchoscair Fiann Eirenn,
Acall 5281
.
¤deisel ?
fochloch f. (text doubtful)
ZCP v 499 § 7
.
¤ēirghe
rising of
warriors to battle ; a raid:
Anecd. ii 73.12
.
¤erred
warlike
accoutrements:
LU 6384
=
TBC-LL1 2525
.
¤flescach a hunting
booth of osiers:
na fianḟlescaig fo thuga `the roofed hunting-booths of osier'
Metr. Dinds. iii 112.31
(=
tech,
Dinds. 29
).
¤gaisced 'fian'-valor:
a[c] congbail in ḟiangaiscid,
Acall.
5208
.
¤gal : (as pred.)
f. Find Find brave as warrior-bands
Ält. Ir. Dicht. ii 20.5
. As npr. m.
Fianghal,
Caithr. CC
§ 33
,
§ 41
; g
s.
Fianghail, —uil,
§ 85
. Cf. nom.
Fiangaile,
Rawl. 160b40
.
Fiangaile
gen.
160b32
.
¤galach
valiant: g
p.
m.
fer
ngablach fíangalach
,
BDD 32
. As npr. m.
AU 737
.
754
.
799
.
AFM 732
.
750
. gen.
Fiangalaich,
Rawl. 144c14
,
150a19
.
¤glas `fian'-bolt, a pole, pike or spear (?) :
tucait fianglasa
┐ airechra ochta ... risin luingsin ica cur ó chrích ... na
Greci,
LL 219b28
(
TTr. 188
).
acc srainedh araill da naimtib
uad ... do sonnaib ┐ d'fianglassaib sithremra cona n-irellaib
iairn imma cennaib,
CCath. 3591
.
foscerditís d'a ḟianglasaib
isna tendtib flung (the serpents) from their pike-staffs (?)
Alex. 714
.
¤rí (?) :
Ält. Ir. Dichtg. 28.10
.
¤sruth `f.¤
-stream', fian-lore (`Fiannica', Stern,
ZCP i 471
) :
fianṡruth Find,
Metr. Dinds. iii 20.1
=
fianruth,
LL 216a19
. See
ZCP i 471
.
fiandsroth fian Find u Baiscne,
YBL 119a36
=
fianruth fiand [sic] in so,
325a0
marg. (prefixed to a list of
Finn's captains).