Editing Fianna

{{Short description|Celtic warrior bands of legend}}
{{other uses}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Irishfairytales01step 0219.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Fionn mac Cumhaill|Fionn]] and [[Goll mac Morna|Goll]] seated in a banquet hall as their rival bands of Fianna fight. Illustration by [[Arthur Rackham]] in ''[[Irish Fairy Tales]]'' (1920).]]
'''''Fianna''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|iː|ə|n|ə}} {{respell|FEE|ə|nə}}, {{IPA|ga|ˈfʲiən̪ˠə|lang}}; singular '''''Fian''''';<ref>[http://www.dil.ie/search?q=fian&search_in=headword eDIL: Fian]</ref> {{langx|gd|Fèinne}} {{IPA|gd|ˈfeːɲə|}}) were small warrior-hunter bands in [[Gaelic Ireland]] during the [[Prehistoric Ireland#Iron Age (500 BC – AD 400)|Iron Age]] and [[History of Ireland (400–800)|early Middle Ages]]. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young men, often from the [[Gaelic nobility of Ireland]], "who had left [[fosterage]] but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of the ''[[túath]]''". For most of the year they lived in the wild, hunting, [[cattle raiding]] other [[Irish clan]]s, training, and fighting as mercenaries. Scholars believe the ''fian'' was a [[rite of passage]] into manhood, and have linked ''fianna'' with [[Kóryos|similar young warrior bands]] in other early European cultures.

They are featured in a body of [[Irish mythology|Irish legends]] known as the [[Fenian Cycle|'Fianna Cycle' or 'Fenian Cycle']], which focuses on the adventures and heroic deeds of the ''fian'' leader [[Fionn mac Cumhaill]] and his band. In later tales, the ''fianna'' are more often depicted as household troops of the [[High King of Ireland|High Kings]].

The [[Fenian Brotherhood]] of the 19th-century and the ''[[Fianna Éireann]]'', an [[Irish nationalist]] youth organisation of the 20th century, are named after them.

==Historicity==
The historical institution of the ''fían'' is known from references in [[Brehon Laws|early medieval Irish law tracts]]. A ''fían'' (plural ''fíana'' or ''fianna'') was a small band of roving hunter-warriors.<ref name="Nagy">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Fían |encyclopedia=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |year=2006 |last=Nagy |first=Joseph |editor=John T. Koch |publisher=ABC-CLIO |pages=743–744}}</ref> It was made up of landless young men of free birth, often young [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocrat]]s,<ref>, similar to the original three motto's of the Fianna. Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, ''Early Medieval Ireland'', Longman, 1995, p. 88</ref> "who had left [[fosterage]] but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of the ''[[túath]]''".<ref name="McCone 1990">McCone, Kim. ''Pagan Past and Christian Present in Early Irish Literature''. 1990. p205.</ref> A member of a ''fían'' was called a ''fénnid''; the leader of a ''fían'' was a ''rígfénnid'' (literally "king-''fénnid''").<ref>''[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]'', Compact Edition, [[Royal Irish Academy]], 1990, pp. 299, 507</ref> The ''fían'' way of life was called ''fíanaigecht'' and involved living in the wild, hunting, raiding, martial and athletic training, and even training in poetry.<ref name="Nagy"/> They also served as mercenaries.<ref name="Nagy"/> Wild animals, particularly the wolf and the deer, seem to have been ''fían'' mascots.<ref name="Nagy"/> Some sources associate ''fianna'' with the outdoor cooking pits known as ''[[fulacht fiadh]]''.<ref name="Nagy"/>

Many of the first mentions of ''fianna'' are connected with ''[[Scoti]]'' raids in [[End of Roman rule in Britain|Britain during the end of the Roman rule]].<ref name="Acallam">Harry Roe, Ann Dooley (editors). ''[[Acallam na Senórach|Tales of the Elders of Ireland]]''. Oxford University Press, 1999. pp.xi - xiii</ref>

[[Geoffrey Keating]], in his 17th-century ''[[Foras Feasa ar Éirinn|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/autumn, from [[Beltaine]] to [[Samhain]], they were obliged to live by hunting for food and for pelts to sell.<ref>[[Geoffrey Keating]], ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' [http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100054/text055.html 2.45]</ref> Keating's ''History'' is more a compilation of traditions than a reliable history, but in this case scholars point to references in early Irish literature and the existence of a closed hunting season for deer and wild boar between Samhain and Beltaine in medieval [[Scotland]] as corroboration.<ref>Nerys Patterson, ''Cattle Lords and Clansmen: the Social Structure of Early Ireland'', University of Notre Dame Press, 1994, p. 122-123</ref> [[Hubert Thomas Knox]] (1908) likened the ''fianna'' to "bodies of [[Gallowglass]]es such as appeared in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but then under command of adventurers who were not inhabitants of the province, Free Companies who sold their services to any one who could raise their wages".<ref>Hubert Thomas Knox, 'The history of the county of Mayo to the close of the sixteenth century', 1908, p. 13</ref>

Joseph Nagy writes that the ''fían'' seemingly "served a vital function in siphoning off undesirable elements [...] providing an outlet for rambunctious behaviour", and was a [[rite of passage]] that prepared young men for adult life.<ref name="Nagy"/> Katharine Simms writes that "While most members eventually inherited land, married and settled down, some passed their lives as professional champions, employed by the rest of the population to avenge their wrongs, collect debts, enforce order at feasts and so forth".<ref name="Simms">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Gaelic warfare in the middle ages |encyclopedia=A Military History of Ireland |year=1997 |last=Simms |first=Katharine |editor=Thomas Bartlett |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=101–102}}</ref>

The ''fían'' was a tolerated institution in early Irish secular society, and secular literature continued to endorse it down to the 12th century. However, the institution was not favoured by the church, and it is likely the church was key in the demise of the ''fían''.<ref name="Acallam"/> Churchmen sometimes referred to them as ''díberga'' (which came to mean 'marauders') and ''maicc báis'' ('sons of death'),<ref name="Nagy"/><ref name="Simms"/> and several [[hagiographies]] tell of saints converting them from their "non-Christian and destructive ways".<ref name="Nagy"/>

They are described as having a ''cúlán'' hairstyle: long at the back, with the scalp partly shaved.<ref name="Simms"/> Some are also described as having strange or 'devilish' marks on their head; this has been taken to mean [[tattoo]]s.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Insular Celtic tattooing |encyclopedia=Written on the Body: The Tattoo in European and American History |year=2000 |last=MacQuarrie |first=Charles |editor=Jane Caplan |publisher=Princeton University Press |pages=42–44}}</ref>

===Origins===
Scholars have linked the ''fianna'' with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures, and suggest they all derive from the *''[[kóryos]]'' which is thought to have existed in [[Proto-Indo-European society]].<ref name="McCone 1990"/>

Linguist [[Ranko Matasović]], author of the ''Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic'', derives the name ''fíana'' from reconstructed [[Proto-Celtic language|Proto-Celtic]] ''*wēnā'' (a [[troop]]), from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] ''*weyh'' (to chase, pursue), and says the Irish ethnic name ''[[Gaels#Ethnonyms|Féni]]'' is probably related.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=wēnā |encyclopedia=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic |year=2009 |last=Matasović |first=Ranko |author-link=Ranko Matasović |publisher=Brill Academic Publishers |page=412}}</ref> Kim McCone derives it from Proto-Celtic ''*wēnnā'' < ''*wēd-nā'' (wild ones).<ref>McCone, Kim (2013). "The Celts: questions of nomenclature and identity", in ''Ireland and its Contacts''. [[University of Lausanne]]. p.26</ref>

[[Heinrich Zimmer (Celticist)|Heinrich Zimmer]] (1891), however, suggested that the ''fianna'' tales come from the heritage of the [[Norse-Gaels]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Zimmer |first=Heinrich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M6tJAAAAYAAJ&dq=fianna+zimmer+fiandr&pg=PA15 |title=Keltische Beiträge III, in: Zeitschrift für deutsches Alterthum und deutsche Litteratur |date=1891 |publisher=Weidmannsche Buchhandlung |pages=15ff |language=de}}</ref> He derived the name ''fianna'' from an Irish rendering of Old Norse ''fiandr'' "enemies" > "brave enemies" > "brave warriors".<ref name=":0" /> He also noted Fionn's [[Fionn mac Cumhaill#Thumb of Knowledge|Thumb of Knowledge]] is similar to the Norse tale of [[Sigurðr]] tasting [[Fáfnir]]'s heart.<ref>{{citation|last=Scowcroft |first=Richard Mark |title=Abstract Narrative in Ireland |journal=Ériu |volume=46 |year=1995 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mspAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Finn%22 |pages=121–158 |jstor=30007878}}{{rp|155}}</ref><ref>Scott, Robert D. (1930), ''{{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=-WDYAAAAMAAJ&q=Sigurd|2=The thumb of knowledge in legends of Finn, Sigurd, and Taliesin}}'', New York: Institute of French Studies</ref>

==Legendary depiction==
[[File:Myths and legends; the Celtic race (1910) (14760479206).jpg|thumb|"The Fianna raised a pillar stone with her name in [[Ogham]] letters" - illustration by [[Stephen Reid (artist)|Stephen Reid]] in ''Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race'' (1911)]]
{{main|Fianna Cycle}}
The ''fianna'' are the focus of a body of [[Irish mythology|Irish legends]] known as the [[Fenian Cycle|''Fíanaigecht'', 'Fianna Cycle' or 'Fenian Cycle']]. Most are about the adventures and heroic deeds of [[Fionn mac Cumhaill|Finn (or Fionn) mac Cumhaill]] and his ''fían'' members.

In earlier tales, the various ''fianna'' groups are depicted as roving hunter-warriors, and there are many pagan and magical elements.<ref name="Simms"/> Later tales focus on Fionn and his companions, and the ''fianna'' are more often depicted as household troops of the [[High King of Ireland|High Kings]].<ref name="Simms"/> These later tales usually depict the ''fianna'' as one group with two factions: the Clann Baíscne of [[Leinster]], led by Fionn, and the Clann Morna of [[Connacht]], led by [[Goll mac Morna]].

Some legendary depictions of ''fianna'' seem to conform to historical reality: for example, in the [[Ulster Cycle]] the druid [[Cathbad]] leads a ''fian'' of 27 men which fights against other ''fianna'' and kills the 12 foster-fathers of the [[Ulaid|Ulster]] princess [[Ness (Irish mythology)|Ness]]. In response, Ness leads her own ''fian'' of 27 in pursuit of Cathbad.<ref>[[Kuno Meyer]], "Anecdota from the Stowe MS. No. 992", ''[[Revue Celtique]]'' 6, 1884, pp. 173-186</ref>

===War cry and mottos===
The ''Dord Fian''<ref>[https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095727226 Oxford Reference: Dord Fian]</ref> or ''Dord Fiansa''<ref>[[eDIL]] - "dord", http://www.dil.ie/18319</ref> was the [[war-cry]] of the ''Fianna'', and they often sounded it before and amid battle, either as a mode of communication or to put fear into their enemies. In the legend ''"The Death of Fionn"'', [[Fionn mac Cumhaill|Fionn]] raises the ''Dord Fian'' when he sees his grandson [[Oscar (Irish mythology)|Oscar]] fall in the ''[[Battle of Gabhra]]'' against the armies of [[Cairbre Lifechair]], and proceeds to strike back at the enemy with great fury, killing many dozens of warriors.<ref>[[Augusta, Lady Gregory]] - ''Gods and Fighting Men (1904) Chapter - The Death of Fionn''</ref> The ''Battle of Gabhra'' also marked the demise of the Fianna.

They had three [[motto]]es:
*''Glaine ár gcroí'' (Purity of our hearts)
*''Neart ár ngéag'' (Strength of our limbs)
*''Beart de réir ár mbriathar'' (Action to match our speech)

===Notable ''fénnid''===
*[[Fionn mac Cumhaill]]: last leader of the Fianna
*[[Cumhall]]: Fionn's father, the former leader
*[[Goll mac Morna]]
*[[Caílte mac Rónáin]]
*[[Conán mac Morna]]
*[[Diarmuid Ua Duibhne]]: a warrior of the Fianna who ran off with Fionn's intended bride [[Gráinne]] and was finally killed  by a giant [[boar]] on the heath of [[Benbulbin|Benn Gulbain]]. Foster son of [[Aengus]].
*Lughaid Lámhfhada: [[magic (paranormal)|sorcerous]] warrior, nephew of Fionn, one of the four who could have untied the knots Diarmuid bound the sea-kings with, but refused to do so. Lover of Aífe, daughter of [[Manannán]]
*[[Oisín]], son of Fionn ([[James Macpherson|Macpherson's]] [[Ossian]])
*[[Oscar (Irish mythology)|Oscar]], son of Oisín
*[[Cael Ua Neamhnainn]]

==Modern use of the term==
In more recent history, the name ''[[Fianna Éireann]]'' has been used, as ''Fianna Fáil'' ("the ''Fianna'' of Ireland", or [[Inis Fail#Inis F.C3.A1il|Inis Fáil]] i.e. "the isle of destiny", and hence sometimes rendered "the soldiers of destiny") has been used: as a sobriquet for the [[Irish Volunteers]], on the cap badge of the [[Irish Army]], the name in Irish of the [[Army Ranger Wing]] (''Sciathán Fiannóglaigh an Airm''), in the opening line of the Irish-language version of [[Amhrán na bhFiann|the Irish national anthem]], and as the name of the [[Fianna Fáil]] political party.

==See also==

* [[Kóryos]]
* ''[[Irish Fairy Tales]]'', a 1920 book by [[James Stephens (author)|James Stephens]] containing many tales of the Fianna

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{italic title}}

[[Category:Fenian Cycle]]
[[Category:Medieval history of Ireland]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Middle Ages]]