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| Do/rd Fionn ~ for fallen warriors |
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Do/rd Fionn
The chant for fallen comrades
Ta/ se/ ag dul as
Ta/ se/ ag dul as
TAW shay ag DJUHL ahsh
He is fading away
He is fading away
Gone is our brother
Gone from his fian
Chuaigh se/ an cnoc
Chuaigh se/ an cnoc
KOOAH shay ahn nock
He went over the hill
He went over the hill
No more to the green fields,
No more to the sea,
No more to the mountains,
No more to the streams.
Leis Fanacht
Leis Fanacht
Lesh fahnacht
Tell him to wait
Tell him to wait
Ta/ an la/ ag imeacht
Ta/ an la/ ag imeacht
TAW an law ag ihmacht
The day is passing
The day is passing
http://www.shee-eire.com/Magic&Mythology/Myths/FinnMacCool/Death/Page1.htm
Stories, Myths & Legends
The Death of Fionn
The time came when Cormac Mac Art died and his son Cairpre became High King
of Ireland in his place. Cairpre did not like the Fianna and their power
and plotted daily to find ways to destroy Fionn and his men.
Cairpre had a daughter Sgeimh Solais who was getting married and a great
banquet was being held. It was customary for the High King to give the
Fianna twenty bars of gold as an extra fee for protecting Ireland and for
them to send their youngest member to collect this tribute. This time it
was a young man named Ferdia who went to collect the tribute. Although
Fionn and his men waited all day outside the walls of Tara for Ferdia to
return there was no sign of him until at last he arrived as a corpse flung
over the walls of Tara with the mocking words of Cairpre 'The Fianna have
demanded from the Kings of Tara for too long, this will be their only answer
from now on. Fionn was thoroughly enraged and strode up to the walls of
Tara shouting 'Cairpre Mac Cormac you have just sealed your fate with this
action beware the next time we meet!'
Then he and all his men returned to Allmu to prepare for war. There were
those in the Fianna who preferred to remain loyal to the High King and would
not join with Fionn. In the end he only had his own clan Bascna, and those
of Leinster under the Captaincy of his grandson Oscar, and the army of King
Feircobh of Munster. This was 3500 men in all.
Cairpre on the other hand had all the warriors of Tara at his side as well
as the clan of Morna, for although Goll remained true to him the rest of his
clan hated Fionn for ousting Goll from the chieftainship of the Fianna.
These were 2000 men led by Fear-Taigh and Fear-Ligh Mac Morna the younger
brothers of Goll. Then Cairpre also had a 1000 men each from the tribes of
Ulster and Connaught. From The men of the Snows, and the Men of the Green
Swords and the Men of the Green Lion, he also had a thousand each. Each
company led by one of the sons of Urgriu. In all it was a company of 10,000
men that Fionn had to meet with his own small force. The meeting place was
at Gabhra which lay to the west of Tara.
It was a terrible battle with many losses on either side. There was none
who fought more bravely than Oscar son of Oisín, so that men said it was his
day. He slew 100 of the men of the Green Swords and 140 of the Men of the
Lion. Until at last he came face to face with Cairpre himself. He cast his
spear at Cairpre, which passed right through his body to the other side but
Cairpre struck out at Oscar with his final gasp of strength which almost
killed him. Yet when he saw that Cairpre's men had set his helmet on a
pillar so that it might seem that he was still alive, Oscar drew upon his
last bit of strength to fling a small stone which struck the helm and broke
it in pieces. Unfortunately he himself fell down dead with the effort.
Then Caoilte Mac Ronan and Conan Maol lamented the death of the great
Fenian, and together they lifted and carried him to where Fionn stood.
There amid the tumult of battle Fionn gave a great cry of anguish and raised
the Diord Fionn the cry of the Fianna. He said a few words over the body of
his grandson before he again plunged into the thick of battle. He was still
a strong man though his hair and beard were white as flax, and in his
shining war coat and helmet of gold he was an awesome figure to all his
enemies.
He killed Fear-Taigh and Fear-Ligh Mac Morna and many dozens of warriors
from the men of Connaught and the men of Ulster. Then at last he had to
face the five sons of Urgriu when Fionn saw them he let his shield fall
which was all hacked to pieces and went to meet them with his great sword
grasped in both hands. There he perished that day at the Battle of Gabhra
and that was the end of the might of the Fianna for never again did they
hunt at Cnoc Fianna, or Ben Bulben or Slieve Cua or Slieve Crot.
___________________________________________________
http://www.answers.com/topic/fianna
Fian (sing.), Fiana, Féinn, Fiantaichean (ScG.), Fenians, Fena, Fingallians
[pl. of fian, warrior band; a band of (six?) warriors on the warpath; cf.
Latin venatio, hunting; not related to finn/fionn, fair or Féni, the early
people]
When capitalized, this group of words refers to the band of warriors and
hunters led by the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill; this body may also be
known as the Fianna Éireann and, less often, the Leinster Fianna. Not
capitalized, the words may denote any bands of roving men whose principal
occupations were hunting and war, or troops of professional fighting men
under a leader, the rígfhéinnid [fian-king]; the Brehon Laws indicate that
bodies of non-subject, landless men, who were not foreigners, did exist.
They stood apart from the rest of society and were charged to defend the
sovereignty of Ireland against external enemies, both natural and
supernatural. These enemies may include the Norse, whose depredations in the
8th and 9th centuries deeply affect Irish literature. The fianna's
responsibility seems to pre-date the Norse, but does not extend to the
12th-century Normans.
Perceptions about the nature of an early Irish fianna have shifted widely
since the beginning of Celtic studies in the mid-19th century. These range
from being chivalrous benefactors, i.e. Gaelic equivalents of the Knights of
the Round Table or of the samurai, to being parasitic marauders, like the
warlords of pre-Maoist China. An antecedent body may be the Gaulish gaesatae
from the Upper Rhone as described by the Greek historian Polybius (2nd cent.
BC). Because they were not a part of the Celtic settlements they defended,
Polybius glossed their name as 'mercenaries', but a more likely translation
is 'spearmen'; cf. Old Irish gáe, 'spear'; Scottish Gaelic gath; Welsh
gwayw. Irish chronicles indicate that the first fianna were approximately
contemporary with the gaesatae, as when they protected the ard rí [high
king] Fiachach. The influential theories of Georges Dumézil (1898-1986)
perceive a high status for the fianna. Dumézil sought to explicate much of
European mythology against a threefold structure of early Indo-European
society. In Alwyn and Brinley Rees's cogent application of Dumézil, Celtic
Heritage (London, 1961), the fianna occupy Function III.
Membership in a fianna was exclusive but not hereditary. Applicants
underwent rigorous initiatory ordeals requiring exceptional prowess and
dexterity. In one a novice would stand in a waist-deep hole armed only with
a shield and a hazel stick while nine warriors cast their spears at him; to
suffer a wound was to fail. In another his hair was braided after which he
was pursued through the forest by the other warriors; if overtaken or
wounded he failed. He would also be rejected if his weapons quivered in his
hands, if his hair was disturbed by hanging branches, or if a dead branch
cracked under his foot. He was also expected to make a running leap over a
bough the height of his brow, to pass under one as low as his knee, and to
be able to pull a thorn from his foot without slowing down. Additionally, he
must be a prime poet versed in the twelve books of poesy.
Within the Fenian Cycle, Fionn mac Cumhaill's men were first known as the
Leinster Fianna, part of the Clan Baíscne. Their rivals were the Connacht
Fianna and the Clan Morna, led by Goll mac Morna. After many skirmishes, the
rivals joined to form the Fianna Éireann with Fionn as chief; in much of
Irish literature Fianna and Fianna Éireann are virtually synonymous,
Although centred around the Hill of Allen in what is now Co. Kildare, the
Fianna are described as wandering over all parts of Ireland and Gaelic
Scotland. Among the leading members are Fionn's son Oisín and grandson Oscar
and Fionn's love rival Diarmait ua Duibne. The great runner Caílte mac
Rýnáin survives with Oisín until Christian times to tell later generations
of the greatness of the Fianna. Búanann was the 'mother of the Fianna'.
Fergus Fínbél was the most important poet, but it enjoyed several musicians,
including Aicher, Cnú Deireýil, and Dáire (4). Borabu was the horn of the
Fianna, and Dord Fian its war-chant.
A full membership list of the Fianna would fill pages, but some names appear
more often than others. At least ten are named Ailill or Crimthann, several
are Illann/Iollann, and dozens are named Fáelán. Important women include:
Bébinn (2), the giantess; Creidne, a female champion; Erc (3); and Étan (3).
Notable warriors are: Ailbe; Angus mac Airt; Cáel; Ciabhán; Coil Crýda;
Conán mac Lia; Conán mac Morna, a Falstaffian comic figure; Conn (2); Dian
(2); Diorruing, the faithful attendant; Fáelán mac Finn; Fáelchu; Faltlaba;
Fatha; Febal; Ferdoman; Fiachna (5); Foltor; Fothad Canainne; Garaid;
Labraid Lámderg [red hand]; Liagan, another swift runner; Mac Lughach,
Fionn's lazy nephew, Maine (10). The celebrated judge Fíthel may have been a
member.
Heroic and romantic portrayals of the Fianna began in Anglo-Irish and
English literature as early as 1800, giving rise to the neologism Fenian.
Nineteenth-century writers like Sir Samuel Ferguson, Standish James O'Grady,
and especially Lady Gregory in her Gods and Fighting Men (London, 1904) did
much to enhance the chivalric identity of the Fianna. The name appears
frequently in modern Irish contexts, such as the nationalist boy scouts
founded by Countess Markievicz and Fianna Fáil, one of the Republic of
Ireland's principal political parties. See Eoin MacNeill, 'Military Service
in Medieval Ireland', Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological
Society, 46 (1941), 6-15; Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Dublin,
1988). See also CEITHERN [Irish, fighting men].
__________________________________________________
from WIKIPEDIA
For other uses, see Fianna (disambiguation).
In early Ireland, fianna (singular fian) were small, semi-independent
warrior bands who lived apart from society in the forests as mercenaries,
bandits and hunters, but could be called upon by kings in times of
war[citation needed]. They appear in Irish mythology, most notably in the
stories of the Fenian Cycle, where they are led by Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Contents [hide]
a.. 1 Descriptions
b.. 2 Training
c.. 3 War cry and mottos
d.. 4 Notable fénnid
e.. 5 Later use of the term
f.. 6 References
Descriptions
The historical institution of the fian is known from references in early
medieval Irish law tracts. A fian was made up of landless young men, often
young aristocrats who had not yet come into their inheritance of land.[1] A
member of a fian was called a fénnid; the leader of a fian was a rígfénnid
(literally "king-fénnid).[2] Geoffrey Keating, in his 17th century History
of Ireland, says that during the winter the fianna were quartered and fed by
the nobility, during which time they would keep order on their behalf, but
during the summer, from Beltaine to Samhain, they were obliged to live by
hunting for food and for pelts to sell.[3] Keating's History is more a
compilation of traditions than a reliable history, but in this case scholars
point to references in early Irish poetry and the existence of a closed
hunting season for deer and wild boar between Samhain and Beltaine in
medieval Scotland as corroboration.[4]
Some legendary depictions of fianna seem to conform to this historical
reality: for example, in the Ulster Cycle the druid Cathbad leads a fian of
twenty-seven men which fights against other fianna and kills the twelve
foster-fathers of the Ulster princess Ness. Ness, in response, leads her own
fian of twenty-seven in pursuit of Cathbad.[5]
However, the stories of the Fiannaíocht, set around the time of Cormac mac
Airt, depict the fianna as a single standing army in the service of the High
King, although it contains two rival factions, the Clann Baíscne of
Leinster, led by Fionn mac Cumhaill, and the Clann Morna of Connacht, led by
Goll mac Morna, and lives apart from society, surviving by hunting.
Training
Membership was subject to rigorous tests. In one such test the applicant
would stand in a waist-deep hole armed with a shield while nine warriors
threw spears at him; if he was wounded, he failed. In another his hair would
be braided, and he would be pursued through the forest; he would fail if he
was caught, if a branch cracked under his feet, or if the braids in his hair
were disturbed. He would have to be able to leap over a branch the height of
his forehead, pass under one as low as his knee, and pull a thorn from his
foot without slowing down. He also needed to be a skilled poet.
War cry and mottos
The Diord Fionn was the war-cry of the Fianna, and they frequently employed
its use prior to and amid battle, either as a mode of communication or to
put fear into their enemies. In the legend "The Death of Fionn", Fionn
raises the Diord Fionn when he sees his grandson Oscar fall in battle
(Battle of Gabhra) against the armies of Cairbre Lifechair, and proceeds to
strike back at the enemy with great furiosity killing many dozens of
warriors.[6] The Battle of Gabhra also marked the demise of the Fianna.
They had three mottoes:
a.. Glaine ár g-croí (Purity of our hearts)
b.. Neart ár n-géag (Strength of our limbs)
c.. Beart de réir ár m-briathar (Action to match our speech)
Notable fénnid
a.. Fionn mac Cumhaill: last leader of the Fianna
b.. Cumhall: Fionn's father, the former leader
c.. Goll mac Morna
d.. Caílte mac Rýnáin
e.. Conán mac Morna
f.. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne: a warrior of the Fianna who ran off with Fionn's
intended bride Grainne and was finally killed by a giant boar on the heath
of Benn Gulbain. Foster son of Aengus.
g.. Lughaid Stronghand: sorcerous warrior, nephew of Fionn mac Cumhaill,
one of the four who could have untied the knots Diarmuid bound the seakings
with, but refused to do so. Lover of Aife, daughter of Manannan
h.. Oisín, son of Fionn mac Cumhaill: (Macpherson's Ossian)
i.. Oscar, son of Oisín
Later use of the term
In more recent history, the name Fianna Éireann has been used by a number of
Irish Republican scouting organisations[citation needed]. Fianna Fáil ("the
Fianna of Ireland"; sometimes rendered "the soldiers of destiny") has been
used as a sobriquet for the Irish Volunteers; on the cap badge of the Irish
Army; in the opening line of the Irish-language version of the Irish
national anthem; and as the name of the Fianna Fáil political party, the
largest in the Republic of Ireland.[7]
References
1.. ^ Dáibhí Ó Crýinín, Early Medieval Ireland, Longman, 1995, p. 88
2.. ^ Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish
Academy, 1990, pp. 299, 507
3.. ^ Geoffrey Keating, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn 2.45
4.. ^ Nerys Patterson, Cattle Lords and Clansmen: the Social Structure of
Early Ireland, University of Notre Dame Press, 1994, p. 122-123
5.. ^ Kuno Meyer, "Anecdota from the Stowe MS. No. 992", Revue Celtique 6,
1884, pp. 173-186
6.. ^ Augusta, Lady Gregory - Gods and Fighting Men (1904) Chapter - The
Death of Fionn
7.. ^ Lord Longford; Thomas P. O'Neill (1970). Éamon de Valera. Dublin.
chapter 21. ISBN 978-0-09-104660-6.
For other uses, see Fianna (disambiguation).
In early Ireland, fianna (singular fian) were small, semi-independent
warrior bands who lived apart from society in the forests as mercenaries,
bandits and hunters, but could be called upon by kings in times of
war[citation needed]. They appear in Irish mythology, most notably in the
stories of the Fenian Cycle, where they are led by Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Contents [hide]
a.. 1 Descriptions
b.. 2 Training
c.. 3 War cry and mottos
d.. 4 Notable fénnid
e.. 5 Later use of the term
f.. 6 References
Descriptions
The historical institution of the fian is known from references in early
medieval Irish law tracts. A fian was made up of landless young men, often
young aristocrats who had not yet come into their inheritance of land.[1] A
member of a fian was called a fénnid; the leader of a fian was a rígfénnid
(literally "king-fénnid).[2] Geoffrey Keating, in his 17th century History
of Ireland, says that during the winter the fianna were quartered and fed by
the nobility, during which time they would keep order on their behalf, but
during the summer, from Beltaine to Samhain, they were obliged to live by
hunting for food and for pelts to sell.[3] Keating's History is more a
compilation of traditions than a reliable history, but in this case scholars
point to references in early Irish poetry and the existence of a closed
hunting season for deer and wild boar between Samhain and Beltaine in
medieval Scotland as corroboration.[4]
Some legendary depictions of fianna seem to conform to this historical
reality: for example, in the Ulster Cycle the druid Cathbad leads a fian of
twenty-seven men which fights against other fianna and kills the twelve
foster-fathers of the Ulster princess Ness. Ness, in response, leads her own
fian of twenty-seven in pursuit of Cathbad.[5]
However, the stories of the Fiannaíocht, set around the time of Cormac mac
Airt, depict the fianna as a single standing army in the service of the High
King, although it contains two rival factions, the Clann Baíscne of
Leinster, led by Fionn mac Cumhaill, and the Clann Morna of Connacht, led by
Goll mac Morna, and lives apart from society, surviving by hunting.
Training
Membership was subject to rigorous tests. In one such test the applicant
would stand in a waist-deep hole armed with a shield while nine warriors
threw spears at him; if he was wounded, he failed. In another his hair would
be braided, and he would be pursued through the forest; he would fail if he
was caught, if a branch cracked under his feet, or if the braids in his hair
were disturbed. He would have to be able to leap over a branch the height of
his forehead, pass under one as low as his knee, and pull a thorn from his
foot without slowing down. He also needed to be a skilled poet.
War cry and mottos
The Diord Fionn was the war-cry of the Fianna, and they frequently employed
its use prior to and amid battle, either as a mode of communication or to
put fear into their enemies. In the legend "The Death of Fionn", Fionn
raises the Diord Fionn when he sees his grandson Oscar fall in battle
(Battle of Gabhra) against the armies of Cairbre Lifechair, and proceeds to
strike back at the enemy with great furiosity killing many dozens of
warriors.[6] The Battle of Gabhra also marked the demise of the Fianna.
They had three mottoes:
a.. Glaine ár g-croí (Purity of our hearts)
b.. Neart ár n-géag (Strength of our limbs)
c.. Beart de réir ár m-briathar (Action to match our speech)
Notable fénnid
a.. Fionn mac Cumhaill: last leader of the Fianna
b.. Cumhall: Fionn's father, the former leader
c.. Goll mac Morna
d.. Caílte mac Rýnáin
e.. Conán mac Morna
f.. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne: a warrior of the Fianna who ran off with Fionn's
intended bride Grainne and was finally killed by a giant boar on the heath
of Benn Gulbain. Foster son of Aengus.
g.. Lughaid Stronghand: sorcerous warrior, nephew of Fionn mac Cumhaill,
one of the four who could have untied the knots Diarmuid bound the seakings
with, but refused to do so. Lover of Aife, daughter of Manannan
h.. Oisín, son of Fionn mac Cumhaill: (Macpherson's Ossian)
i.. Oscar, son of Oisín
Later use of the term
In more recent history, the name Fianna Éireann has been used by a number of
Irish Republican scouting organisations[citation needed]. Fianna Fáil ("the
Fianna of Ireland"; sometimes rendered "the soldiers of destiny") has been
used as a sobriquet for the Irish Volunteers; on the cap badge of the Irish
Army; in the opening line of the Irish-language version of the Irish
national anthem; and as the name of the Fianna Fáil political party, the
largest in the Republic of Ireland.[7]
References
1.. ^ Dáibhí Ó Crýinín, Early Medieval Ireland, Longman, 1995, p. 88
2.. ^ Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish
Academy, 1990, pp. 299, 507
3.. ^ Geoffrey Keating, Foras Feasa ar Éirinn 2.45
4.. ^ Nerys Patterson, Cattle Lords and Clansmen: the Social Structure of
Early Ireland, University of Notre Dame Press, 1994, p. 122-123
5.. ^ Kuno Meyer, "Anecdota from the Stowe MS. No. 992", Revue Celtique 6,
1884, pp. 173-186
6.. ^ Augusta, Lady Gregory - Gods and Fighting Men (1904) Chapter - The
Death of Fionn
7.. ^ Lord Longford; Thomas P. O'Neill (1970). Éamon de Valera. Dublin.
chapter 21. ISBN 978-0-09-104660-6.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It
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