Fenian Cycle
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Fenian Cycle
The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle () is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his Kóryos, warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the Ossianic Cycle after its narrator Oisín, it is one of the four groupings of Irish mythology along with the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, and the Cycles of the Kings, Kings' Cycles. Timewise, the Fenian cycle is the third, between the Ulster and Kings' cycles. The cycle also contains stories about other famous Fianna members, including Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Diarmuid, Caílte mac Rónáin, Caílte, Oisín's son Oscar (Irish mythology), Oscar, and Fionn's rival Goll mac Morna. List of works In the introduction to his ''Fianaigecht'', Kuno Meyer listed the relevant poems and prose texts between the seventh and fourteenth centuriesKuno Meyer. ''Fianaigecht''. xi–xxxi and further examples can be adduced for later ages: ;Seventh centu ...
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Dindsenchas
''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature, recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associated with the places in question. Since many of the legends being related also concern the acts of mythic and legendary figures, the ''dindsenchas'' has been an important source for the study of Irish mythology. Works The literary corpus of the ''dindsenchas'' comprises about 176 poems plus a number of prose commentaries and independent prose tales (the so-called "prose ''dindsenchas''" is often distinguished from the "verse", "poetic" or "metrical ''dindsenchas''"). As a compilation the ''dindsenchas'' has survived in two different recensions. The first recension is found in the '' Book of Leinster'', a manuscript of the 12th century, ...
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Hill Of Allen
The Hill of Allen (''Cnoc Alúine'' in Modern Irish, earlier ''Cnoc Almaine''; also Hill of Almu ) is a volcanic hill situated in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, beside the village of Allen. According to Irish Mythology, it was the seat of the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna.Eileen RyanThe tower on The Hill of Allenkildare.ie The site is currently part-owned by Roadstone Dublin Limited and extensive quarrying has noticeably changed the profile of the hill. History The hill is situated at the easternmost point of the Bog of Allen and it is from this hill that the bog gets its name. According to legend, Fionn mac Cumhaill had a fortress on the hill and used the surrounding flatlands as training grounds for his warriors. In 722 A.D. the Battle of Allen was fought between the Leinstermen (Laigin), led by Murchad mac Brain Mut ( King of Leinster), and the forces of Fergal mac Máele Dúin (High King of Ireland) in close proximity to the hill. Tower In 1859 Sir ...
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Onomastics
Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethonym'' ('true name') or an ''orthonym'' ('real name') is the proper name of the object in question, the object of onomastic study. Scholars studying onomastics are called ''onomasticians''. Onomastics has applications in data mining, with applications such as named-entity recognition, or recognition of the origin of names. It is a popular approach in historical research, where it can be used to identify ethnic minorities within populations and for the purpose of prosopography. Etymology ''Onomastics'' originates from the Greek (), itself derived from (). Branches * Toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper na ... (or more precisely to ...
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Cumhal
Cumhall (; ) or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir ("son of Trénmór/Tréanmór" meaning "strong-great") is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn mac Cumhaill. Genealogy The most important text regarding the family of Finn (son of Cumaill) is ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'' ("The Cause of the Battle of Cnucha"), as it is contained in the ancient parchment ''Lebor na hUidre'' (LU), dated to the 12th century. Otherwise, the next most important tract is the '' Macgnímartha Finn'' ("The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn") copied in a 15th-century manuscript. According to the ''Fotha Catha Chnucha'', Cumhall mac Trénmhoir was son of a petty king, and served the High King Conn Cet-Chathach "of the Hundred Battles". Cumhall was also Conn's half-uncle, his mother being the mother of Conn's father,. Cumhall became suitor for the hand of Muirne Muncaim "of the fair neck", daughter of the druid Tadg mac Nuadat, but Tadg refused him, so Cumhall forcibly car ...
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The Pursuit Of Diarmuid And Grainne
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun '' the ...
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Cath Finntrágha
''Cath Finntrágha'' () (''The Battle of Ventry'') is an Early Modern Irish prose narrative of the Finn Cycle of Irish mythology. It dates probably to the 15th century in its current form, but apparently relied on older material. It concerns the deeds of the warrior-hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, his ''fianna'', and, eventually, the gods and goddesses of Irish myth as they defend Ireland against a foreign invasion led by the world-king Dáire Donn. According to Derick Thomson, an 18th-century manuscript of the story in the Scottish Gaelic language also survives in the hand of iconic Scottish war poet Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair.Thomson, Derick S. The Companion to Gaelic Scotland, (Blackwell Reference 1987), page 184-185. Synopsis Dáire (or Dáiri) Donn, called "king of the great world" and ostensibly the most powerful ruler in Europe, intends to invade Ireland. Apart from seeking to gratify a more general ambition to conquer territory, he has a pretext and motif which are dir ...
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Acallam Na Senórach
''Acallam na Senórach'' (, whose title in English has been given variously as ''Colloquy of the Ancients'', ''Tales of the Elders of Ireland'', ''The Dialogue of the Ancients of Ireland'', etc.), is an important prosimetric Middle Irish narrative dating to 1200. It is the most important text of the Finn Cycle (also known as the Fenian Cycle, ''fíanaigecht'', ''fiannaigheacht'', ''fiannaíocht'' etc) and at about 8,000 lines is the longest-surviving work of medieval Irish literature. It contains many Finn Cycle narratives framed by a story in which the '' fianna'' warriors and Caílte mac Rónáin have survived long enough to relate the tales to Saint Patrick. The work has been seen as a defence of the Irish literary establishment when it came under the scrutiny of Church reformers during the 12th to 13th centuries. Contents Set several hundred years after the death of Finn mac Cumhaill, the frame story follows two aged Irish heroes as they travel Ireland with a newly arri ...
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Fianshruth
The title ''Fianṡruth (Find)'' refers to two alphabetically arranged Middle Irish lists of names associated with the Finn Cycle, preserved only in the Yellow Book of Lecan and probably datable to the twelfth century.Meyer, ''Fianaigecht'', p. xxx. Gerard Murphy suggests that the compilation may have started as early as the eleventh century. ''Duanaire Finn. The Book of the Lays of Finn''. Vol 3. ITS. London, 1953. xli and lx. The lists ''A'' and ''B'' are preceded by almost identical introductions. Many of the approximately 170 names do not occur elsewhere in the attested sources, while a number of familiar faces from later tales in the Finn Cycle, such as Fergus finnbél, are missing. Manuscript sources *List A: YBL (p. 119a ff), headed “It e annso anmann muntire Find .i. fiandsroth fian Find u(i) Baiscne” *List B: YBL (p. 325a), headed “Fianruth Fiand inso” Title The title ''fian-ṡruth'' literally means ‘ fian-stream’, which one may render as ‘fí ...
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The Boyhood Deeds Of Fionn
''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'' () is a medieval Irish narrative belonging to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. As its title implies, it recounts the boyhood exploits of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the cycle's central figure. Origin and development The most important manuscript is Laud 610: folio 118Rb-121Va, which is missing the ending; Kuno Meyer and Gerard Murphy assigned the text to the 12th century. The Laud 610 manuscript text was edited and translated by John O'Donovan as "The Boyish Exploits of Finn mac Cumhaill" in 1859, but only partly with some deficiencies according to Kuno Meyer. Meyer published an 1881 edition followed by a 1904 translation entitled "The Boyish Exploits of Finn". A more recent translation appeared in Joseph Falaky Nagy, ''The Wisdom of the Outlaw: Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition'' (1985). The text breaks off while Fionn investigates a '' sídhe'' or fairy mound, before his trip to Tara. Scholars have pointed out similarities betwe ...
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Failinis
AW IHN-ishor is a dog in the Mythological Cycle of Irish literature, belonging to Lugh Lámhfhada of the Tuatha Dé Danann; it was one of the eric (reparation) items exacted from the sons of Tuireann. It was originally the a hound-whelp of the smith or the king of Iruaith (Ioruath, Hiruaidhe, etc.). Later on, Lugh's Failinis (var. Fer Mac) belonged to a foreign threesome from Iruaith that came to Ireland, and encountered by the Fíanna led by Fionn mac Cumhaill in the Fenian cycle. Name variants The puppy is referred to as the "whelp of the royal smith of Ioruath" but otherwise unnamed in the 12th century ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' ("Book of Invasions") version of the story of the sorrows of the sons of Tuireann. It is named in the lengthier, romance version of this story, ''Fate of the Children of Tuireann'' or '' Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann'', abbreviated OCT of much later date, with the earliest manuscript dating to the 17th century. Eugene O'Curry hypothesized the name ...
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Annals Of Tigernach
The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-century MS, Rawlinson B 502.Hughes, ''Early Christian Ireland: Introduction to the Sources'', pp. 99-162. However, the real importance of the chronicle is for the period 489–766, 973–1003 and 1018–1178. These three fragments survive from the 14th-century MS Rawlinson B 488. The coverage of the period 766 to 973 is lost, but is thought to survive in abbreviated form in the ''Chronicon Scotorum, Chronicon Scottorum'' (abbr. CT). The latter is defective for the period 718 to 804, but as much of its content is derived from the hypothetical ''The Chronicle of Ireland, Chronicle of Ireland'' (itself partly derived from the ''Iona Chronicle''), of which the ''Annals of Ulster'' (abbr. AU) and ''Annals of Inisfallen'' (abbr. AI) ...
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