Ferdiad (; also ''Fer Diad'', ''Ferdia'', ''Fear Diadh''), son of Damán, son of Dáire, of the

Fir Domnann The Fir Domnann were a people named in Irish legendary history. The name ''Fir Domnann'' is based on the root ''dumno''-, which means both ‘deep’ and ‘the world’. The suffix -''on''- often occurs in Gaulish and British divine names. The t ...

, is a warrior of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

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 ...

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 Ch ...

. In the ''

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...

'', Ferdiad finds himself on the side of the war opposite to that taken by his best friend and foster-brother

Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn ( ), called the Hound of Ulster ( Irish: ''Cú Uladh''), is a warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god L ...

, with whom he had trained in arms under the renowned warrior woman Scáthach. He and Cú Chulainn are equal in all martial feats, with two exceptions: the ''

Gáe Bulg The ''Gáe Bulg'' () (also ''Gáe Bulga'', ''Gáe Bolg'', ''Gáe Bolga''), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It was gi ...

'', a barbed spear which Scáthach has taught only Cú Chulainn to use; and Ferdiad's horn skin, which no weapon can pierce. When Ailill and Medb, king and queen of Connacht, invade

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

to steal the bull Donn Cúailnge, their progress is held up by Cú Chulainn, who demands single combat. After Cú Chulainn has defeated a series of Connacht champions, Medb sends for Ferdiad, but he only agrees to fight Cú Chulainn after

Findabair Findabair or Finnabair (modern Irish ''Fionnabhair'' ) was a daughter of Ailill and Queen Medb of Connacht in Irish mythology. The meaning of the name is "white phantom" ( etymologically cognate with ''Gwenhwyfar'', the original Welsh form of ...

, Ailill and Medb's daughter, has seductively plied him with alcohol, and Medb has variously bribed, shamed and goaded him to do so. They fight in the ford for three days, first fighting with 8 swords, darts, and spears, then fighting with "throwing-spears" and lances, and finally moving on to "heavy, hard-smiting swords." It is on the third day that Ferdiad starts to gain the upper hand. At this point, Cú Chulainn calls to his charioteer, Laeg, for the ''Gáe Bolga'', which he floats down the river to him. Cú Chulainn throws a light spear at Ferdiad's chest, causing him to raise his shield, and then picks up the ''Gáe Bolga'' between his toes and thrusts it through his anus, upon which the barbs spread throughout his body, killing him. The ''Gáe Bolga'' is then removed from Ferdiad's body by Laeg, and Cú Chulainn mourns Ferdiad's death, praising his strength and bravery: :"Ah, Ferdiad, betrayed to death." :"Our last meeting, oh, how sad!" :"Thou to die I to remain." :"Ever sad our long farewell!" Scholars believe that the fight between Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad is a late addition to the ''Táin'', originating not earlier than the eleventh century and drawing on earlier episodes in the story.Micheál Ó Flaithearta, "The Etymologies of (Fer) Diad", in Ruairi Ó hUiginn and Brian Ó Catháin (eds), ''Ulidia 2: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Ulster Cycle of Tales'', An Sagard, 2009, pp. 218-225 Ferdiad's name has been interpreted as meaning "man of smoke", "man of the pair" or "man of two feet", and may be a back-formation from the placename ''Áth Fhir Diad'' (

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued deve ...

, County Louth) which is supposedly named after him.

Legacy

The ford on which he died is named ''Áth Fhirdiad'' (Ferdiad's ford in Irish)

, County Louth is named after him (''Baile Átha Fhirdhia''). A bronze statue stands in Bridge Street,

depicting the battle and the death of Ferdiad.Ross. Noel (2011). "The Walled Town of Ardee: Selected Extracts." ''Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society,'' 27 339-365. - via JSTOR

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdiad Ulster Cycle Characters in Táin Bó Cúailnge LGBT themes in mythology

Legacy

See also

References

External links