Unicode: ᚃ
Pronunciation: fhern [fʲer͈n͈]
Alternative names: fearn
Translation: alder
Phonetic value: “f” as in feather
Bríatharogaim Kennings
| kenning source | old irish | translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín | airenach fían | “vanguard of warriors” |
| Bríatharogam Maic ind Óc | comét lachta | “milk container” |
| Bríatharogam Con Culainn | dín cridi | “protection of the heart” |
Selected Word Lists
from In Lebor Ogaim (a.k.a. the Ogam Tract)
| aspect | association |
|---|---|
| darthogam (color ogham) | red (flann) |
| enogram (bird ogham) | gull (faelinn) |
| dandogram (art ogham) | poetry (filideacht) |
Other Attributed Interpretations
The above various meanings have been suggested by several authors. I have de-emphasized arboreal symbolisms except where supported by scholarship. See discussion after the feda on this page on my reasons for this decision.
last updated: 14 sept 2023
- Damian McManus, Irish letter-names and their kennings, Ériu 39 (1988), 127-168. ↩︎
- Owing to the white wood (flesh) and red sap (blood). Suspect association, tentatively accepted. ↩︎
- Milk pails were constructed of alder, see Maic ind Óc kenning. ↩︎
- Owing to three otherworldly colors present in a single living thing: red (sap), white (wood) and green (leaves). Somewhat suspect, but the argument is accepted. ↩︎
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