Finvarra
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Finvarra, also called Finvara,[1] Finn Bheara,[2] Finbeara[3] or Fionnbharr,[4] is the king of the Daoine Sidhe of western Ireland in Irish folklore. In some legends, he is also the ruler of the dead.[5] Finvarra is a benevolent figure, associated with horses, who ensures good harvests and rewards mortals with riches.[6]
According to legend, Finvarra lives beneath Cnoc Meadha or Knockma, a hill near Tuam in County Galway; this hill was traditionally associated with the fairies. There is a cairn on the hill, marked as "Finvarra's castle" on at least one map.[7]
Dáithí Ó hÓgáin suggests that Finvarra's name comes from findbharr, “fair top,” originally referring to the top of the hill or a cairn there, and was later repurposed as the name of a deity who lived there.[8]
Mythology
Fionnbharr plays a role in the Fenian Cycle and in bardic poetry, where he is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Findbharr of Cnoc Meadha is mentioned in the Agallamh na Seanoach (12th century).[8] In Altram Tighe Dá Mheadar (The Fosterage of the House of the Two Drinking Vessels), Finnbarr Meadha is one of the Dé Dananns, who becomes ruler of the hill of Meadha after they are driven underground by the Milesians. He has a violent argument with his brother Oengus after insulting one of Oengus's foster-daughters. He has seventeen sons according to the Acallam na Senórach,[9] and in one poem it is said that Manannán gave him a wonderful harp named Brégadh Banntrachta.[10]
In the 15th-century Feis Tighe Chondin (The Feast of the House of Conán), Fionnbharr of Magh Feabhail is king of the "Tuatha Dedanans" and leads an army against Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fenians only to fall in battle at the hands of Goll.[11]
