Féth fíada ( sga, féth fíada, ''féth fiada'', ''feth fiadha'', ''fé fíada'', ''faeth fiadha'') is a magical mist or veil in

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...

, which members of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...

use to enshroud themselves, rendering their presence invisible to human eyesight. ''Féth'' denotes this mist in particular, and ''fíada'' originally meant "knower", then came to mean "lord, master, possessor". An example of usage occurs in the ''Altram Tige Dá Medar'' ("Fosterage of the House of Two Milk-Vessels"), where

Manannán mac Lir Manannán or Manann, also known as Manannán mac Lir ("son of the sea"), is a warrior and king of the Otherworld in Irish mythology who is associated with the sea and often interpreted as a sea god, usually as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann ...

makes an assignment to each member as to which Sidhe (fairy mound) they should dwell in, raising the feth fiada to conceal themselves from mortal men. In the

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

, one passage declares that the Tuatha Dé Danann came "without ships or barks, in clouds of fog ver the air, by their might of druidry, but an ensuing passage soon after offers a rational explanation, that "it was as a sea-expedition the Tuatha De Danann came to Ireland, and burnt their ships. It was owing to the fog of smoke that rose from them as they were burning that others have said that they came in a fog of smoke". The miraculous powers of the feth Fiada have come to be ascribed to Christian saints. An allusion to this is found in

Saint Patrick's Breastplate ''Saint Patrick's Breastplate'' is an Old Irish prayer of protection of the " lorica" type (hence ''Lorica Sancti Patricii'', or "The Lorica of Saint Patrick") attributed to Saint Patrick. Its title is given as ''Faeth Fiada'' in the 11th-century ...

– a hymn whose composition was attributed to

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

. The hymn is accompanied by a prose explanation of how it came to be created.

The high king
Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire (''floruit'' fifth century) (reigned 428–458 AD, according to the Annals of the Four Masters of the Kingdom of Ireland)(died c. 462), also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king ...
, with the will to prevent the saint and his band from coming to Tara to spread the faith, sent out troops to find and intercept them. But then Patrick chanted this hymn, which caused his pursuers to mistake Patrick for deer and fawns.

The hymn was given the title Fáeth Fiada, said to mean "Deer's Cry", though the phrase manifestly derives from the magic mist féth fíada. The magic mist is also called ceo druidechta (Modern Irish: ceo draíochta ) and an example of its usage can be found in the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...

tale ''Fled Bricrinn'' ("The Feast of Bricriu")., FB §39 (p.48)

Footnotes

References

* * (ed. & tr.
(CLC, English)
*
Introduction, p.xl
* {{DEFAULTSORT:fethfiad Irish mythology Druidry Magic (supernatural) Mythological cycle

See also

Footnotes

References