eDIL - Irish Language Dictionary

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).