Fianna (/ˈfiːənə/FEE-ə-nə,Irish:[ˈfʲiən̪ˠə]; singularFian;[1]Scottish Gaelic:Fèinne[ˈfeːɲə]) were small warrior-hunter bands inGaelic Ireland during theIron Age andearly Middle Ages. Afian was made up of freeborn young men and women, often from theGaelic nobility of Ireland, "who had leftfosterage but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of thetúath". For most of the year they lived in the wild, hunting,cattle raiding otherIrish clans, training, and fighting as mercenaries. Scholars believe thefian was arite of passage into manhood, and have linkedfianna withsimilar young warrior bands in other early European cultures.
They are featured in a body ofIrish legends known as the'Fianna Cycle' or 'Fenian Cycle', which focuses on the adventures and heroic deeds of thefian leaderFionn mac Cumhaill and his band. In later tales, thefianna are more often depicted as household troops of theHigh Kings.
TheFenian Brotherhood of the 19th century and theFianna Éireann, anIrish nationalist youth organisation of the 20th century, are named after them.
The historical institution of thefían is known from references inearly medieval Irish law tracts. Afían (pluralfíana orfianna) was a small band of roving hunter-warriors.[2] It was made up of landless young men of free birth, often youngaristocrats,[3] "who had leftfosterage but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of thetúath".[4] A member of afían was called afénnid; the leader of afían was arígfénnid (literally "king-fénnid").[5] Thefían way of life was calledfíanaigecht and involved living in the wild, hunting, raiding, martial and athletic training, and even training in poetry.[2] They also served as mercenaries.[2] Wild animals, particularly the wolf and the deer, seem to have beenfían mascots.[2] Some sources associatefianna with the outdoor cooking pits known asfulacht fiadh.[2]
Many of the first mentions offianna are connected withScoti raids inBritain during the end of the Roman rule.[6]
Geoffrey Keating, in his 17th-centuryHistory of Ireland, says that during the winter thefianna were quartered and fed by the nobility, during which time they would keep order on their behalf, but during the summer/autumn, fromBeltaine toSamhain, they were obliged to live by hunting for food and for pelts to sell.[7] Keating'sHistory 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 medievalScotland as corroboration.[8]Hubert Thomas Knox (1908) likened thefianna to "bodies ofGallowglasses 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".[9]
Joseph Nagy writes that thefían seemingly "served a vital function in siphoning off undesirable elements [...] providing an outlet for rambunctious behaviour", and was arite of passage that prepared young men for adult life.[2] 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".[10]
Thefían 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 thefían.[6] Churchmen sometimes referred to them asdíberga (which came to mean 'marauders') andmaicc báis ('sons of death'),[2][10] and severalhagiographies tell of saints converting them from their "non-Christian and destructive ways".[2]
They are described as having acúlán hairstyle: long at the back, with the scalp partly shaved.[10] Some are also described as having strange or 'devilish' marks on their head; this has been taken to meantattoos.[11]
Scholars have linked thefianna with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures, and suggest they all derive from the *kóryos which is thought to have existed inProto-Indo-European society.[4]
LinguistRanko Matasović, author of theEtymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, derives the namefíana from reconstructedProto-Celtic*wēnā (atroop), fromProto-Indo-European*weyh (to chase, pursue), and says the Irish ethnic nameFéni is probably related.[12] Kim McCone derives it from Proto-Celtic*wēnnā <*wēd-nā (wild ones).[13]
Heinrich Zimmer (1891), however, suggested that thefianna tales come from the heritage of theNorse-Gaels.[14] He derived the namefianna from an Irish rendering of Old Norsefiandr "enemies" > "brave enemies" > "brave warriors".[14] He also noted Fionn'sThumb of Knowledge is similar to the Norse tale ofSigurðr tastingFáfnir's heart.[15][16]
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Thefianna are the focus of a body ofIrish legends known as theFíanaigecht, 'Fianna Cycle' or 'Fenian Cycle'. Most are about the adventures and heroic deeds ofFinn (or Fionn) mac Cumhaill and hisfían members.
In earlier tales, the variousfianna groups are depicted as roving hunter-warriors, and there are many pagan and magical elements.[10] Later tales focus on Fionn and his companions, and thefianna are more often depicted as household troops of theHigh Kings.[10] These later tales usually depict thefianna as one group with two factions: the Clann Baíscne ofLeinster, led by Fionn, and the Clann Morna ofConnacht, led byGoll mac Morna.
Some legendary depictions offianna seem to conform to historical reality: for example, in theUlster Cycle the druidCathbad leads afian of 27 men which fights against otherfianna and kills the 12 foster-fathers of theUlster princessNess. In response, Ness leads her ownfian of 27 in pursuit of Cathbad.[17]
TheDord Fian[18] orDord Fiansa[19] was thewar-cry of theFianna, 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 raises theDord Fian when he sees his grandsonOscar fall in theBattle of Gabhra against the armies ofCairbre Lifechair, and proceeds to strike back at the enemy with great fury, killing many dozens of warriors.[20] TheBattle of Gabhra also marked the demise of the Fianna.
They had threemottoes:
In more recent history, the nameFianna Éireann has been used, asFianna Fáil ("theFianna of Ireland", orInis Fáil i.e. "the isle of destiny", and hence sometimes rendered "the soldiers of destiny") has been used: as a sobriquet for theIrish Volunteers, on the cap badge of theIrish Army, the name in Irish of theArmy Ranger Wing (Sciathán Fiannóglaigh an Airm), in the opening line of the Irish-language version ofthe Irish national anthem, and as the name of theFianna Fáil political party.