fomóir
Cite this: eDIL s.v. fomóir or dil.ie/23220Last Revised:
2019
Forms:
fomórach, fomoire, fomra, fomaire, fomoire, fomaire, fomóre, fomóir, ḟomorach, fFomór, fFomhóir, fomórach, -aig, fomóir, ḟomhoraich, fomóraig, fomarca, fomorach, fomórach, fomórach, fomórchaib, fomhóir, omhóir, -óir, -óra, -órach, -óire, -óraigh, fodh-, foghmóir, fodhmóra, foghmóra
n i, and guttural, m., fomórach o, m. a `Fomorian
',
the name of a mythical people entering largely into the
legendary history of Ireland, see O'Rahilly's
EIHM, 523
-
525
. They were said to have reached
Ireland in the time of Partholón: cetchath Herend robriss
Partholón ... for Cichol ṅGricenchos d'Fomórchaib ┐ fir
co n-oenlámaib ┐ co n-oenchossaib roḟersat friss in cath
LL 5a21
(cf.
BB 372a42
=
Dinds. 41
). Elsewhere in early
lit. they appear as two-legged and two-handed beings, but
generally of great stature and evil nature; Christian writers
traced their descent to Ham son of Noah, see
LU 124
.
where they are classed with `luchrupāin' and `goborchind.'
In later Mid. Ir. and Early Mod. period the word signifies
variously a giant or pirate; Giraldus Cambrensis calls the
opponents of Partholón
gigantes
(
Top. Hib. III cap. ii
).
The word is by Irish writers commonly associated with
muir `sea' (see
BB 253a29
and
Keat. i p. 182
cited below),
a view adopted by K. Meyer and by Rhys,
Hibbert Lect.
1885, p. 591
; but by Stokes,
Ling. Val. Ir. Ann. 63
,
and Thurneysen,
Heldensage 64
, with A.S. mara, Germ.
Mahr `phantom' (cf. Engl. night-mare, Fr. cauchemar);
by A. De Jubainville,
Cycle Myth. ch. V 3
with mór, már
`great.'
(a) Acc. to Meyer,
Ält. Ir. Dicht. ii 6
,
Wortk.
86
, the oldest form of the word is perhaps fomoire, a derivative of *fomuir `land lying towards the sea,' `shore-land,'
of which the gen. fomra occurs (
fine Fomhra,
BB 32a45
;
Fen. 258.17
;
co sluagh ... Fomra,
Leb. Gab.(i) 106.4
), this
etym. is rejected by Thurneysen,
Heldensage 64
, see also O'Rahilly,
EIHM 524ff
. n
s. in fomaire fir (: Conaire)
LL 195a34
(
Metr. Dinds. iii 128
; of Macc Cécht, cf.
IGT,
111 ex. 318
, cited below). g
p.
selaig srathu fomoire
,
LL
311b35
=
fomaire,
Rawl. 118a33
(
Ält. Ir. Dicht. ii 6
).
for féin
fomoire,
BB 28b26
, cf.
Leb. Gab.(i) 102.10
=
fomóre,
LL 7a16
.
(b) The common Mid. Ir. form is fomóir:
metithir ra f.¤
na ra fer mara,
TBC-LL¹ 3805
. fa f.¤ e i farrad Eisirt a giant
compared with E.
SG 241z
.
co tarcomlat-sim trénfiru an
tṡídho .i. na Fomore,
RC xii 72 § 41
. a tirib na Fomóre
LU 7283
(
BDD 94
).
do Fomórib,
LU
7284
(ib.).
ferge Fomóra
fairge (: comōla),
LL 7a31
. g
s.
co Carraic ind ḟomorach
,
Acall. 6545
. g
p.
mac righ na fFomór (: mór),
Duan. F.
ii 222
.
na fFomhóir (: cóir),
224
.
(c) The form fomórach
(g
s. -aig) is found in Mid. Ir. and later generally replaces
fomóir in pl.:
cnoc in ḟomhoraich
,
Acall. 1881
. d'ingantaib
... itir duine ┐ énlaith ┐ ḟomhórach ┐ bethadach `
sea-monsters
(?)'
Ériu ii 146.1
. n
p.
conid húad [viz. Ham]
ro genatar luchrupain ┐ fomóraig ... ┐ cech ecosc dodelbda
archena fil for doinib,
LU 124
.
na fomāraig (: háraib),
LL
206a22
.
fomoraig .i. fomuiridi .i. lucht bidis ag sladaigecht
... ar fairrgi,
BB 253a29
(=
Cóir Anm. 234
. Cf.
is aire do
gairthí Fomhóraigh dhíobh ... óna mbeith ag déanamh
fóghla ar muir: Fomhóraigh .i. fomhuiribh,
Keat. i p. 182
). a
p.
fri fomarca
,
TBC St. 2983
.
g
p.
na fomorach
,
LU 113
.
fomórach,
7271
(
BDD 93
).
triar
... a finib fomórach
,
LL 254b5
. d
p.
cet laech d'fomórchaib
is d'arsaidib,
198a16
.
ra fomorchaib,
TBC-LL¹ 3625
. fomhóir
omhóir (g
s. -óir, -óra, -órach, n
p. -óire, -óraigh)
IGT, Decl.
§ 50
;
ón omhóir easbaig,
III ex. 318
. In later MSS. often
misspelt fodh-, foghmóir: g
s.
fodhmóra,
Stair Erc. 2278
.
foghmóra,
603
. In romances the word seems synonymous
with athach `giant' (see St. Ercuil glossary):
fomor firgrána,
Acall. 1884
=
int athach,
1903
. fodhmhoir milita.
Ériu iii 166 § 23
(called athach later in the text).
co facaidh
in fomoir feramail fírgranna ┐ in t-athach,
ZCP vi 288.23
.
Of Cerberus:
fodmoir foirtill,
Stair Erc. 638
. Of centaurs:
ced fomoir ... ferrda,
571
,
2570
. fomhoir uathmhur (of
Goliath),
Carswell 9
.
Golias .i. in fomoir
,
ZCP ix 176.30
.