Filí

Class of poets in Ireland and Scotland < fili > (plural: filid, filidh)...."Member of a privilegedpowerful caste of poets,diviners and seers in early Ireland.To be distinguished from thelower-status bard and the brehon... — James MacKillop The fili (or filè) (Old Irish pronunciation: [/ˈfʲilʲi/]), plural filid, filidh (or filès), was a member of an elite class of poets in Ireland, and later Scotland, up until the Renaissance. The filid were believed to have the power of divination, and therefore able to foresee, foretell and predict important events. In an early society in which most people were illiterate – including its hierarchy of chieftains, sub-kings and kings – the oral tradition was an important means of communicating current news and historical events. As both a poet and storyteller, the fili would hope to gain a professional reputation for the authenticity and reliability of their information. Etymology The term fili likely derives from primitive Irish ᚃᚓᚂᚔᚈᚐᚄ]VELITAS]; from Proto-Celtic *weleti ("to see"); and Proto-Indo-European *wel- ("to see, perceive"). An etymology from PIE welo- is offered by Matasović. He notes: "The semantic development