The Fianna: The Irish Männerbünde

As we explored in our most recent article, showing Fionn to be a parallel of Vedic Rudra with his band of Rudras, the Irish form of the männerbünde was preserved in stories of the Fianna, the hunting and war band of Fionn. These stories likely reflect genuine customs of the sacred war-bands of archaic Irish society. Fionn's männerbünde was a troupe of elite warriors and paralleled other similar war-bands around the IE world: the Vratyas of India, the Kóryos of Greece, the Úlfheðnar of the Germanic regions.

Descriptions of the Irish instance are left to us in the texts belonging to the Finn Cycle.

“The fiana had their peculiar organization and customs. Of ‘Finn’s people’ it is said: 

‘their strength was seven score and ten officers, each man of these having thrice nine warriors, every one bound (as was the way with CúChulainn in the time when he was there) to certain conditions of service, which were: that in satisfaction of their guarantee violated they must not accept material compensation; in the matter of valuables or of meat must not deny any; no single individual of them to fly before nine warriors. 

Of such not a man was taken into the Fiana; nor admitted whether to the great Gathering of Uisnech, to the Convention of Tailtiu, or to Tara’s Feast; until both his paternal and his maternal correlatives, his tuatha and kindreds, had given securities for them to the effect that, though at the present instant they were slain, yet should no claim be urged in lieu of them: and this in order that to none other but to themselves alone they should look to avenge them. On the other hand: in case it were they that inflicted great mischiefs upon others, reprisals not to be made upon their several people. 

Of all these again not a man was taken until he were a prime poet versed in the twelve books of poesy. No man was taken till in the ground a large hole had been made (such as to reach the fold of his belt) and he put into it with his shield and a fore-arm’s length of a hazel stick. Then must nine warriors, having nine spears, with a ten furrows’ width betwixt them and him, assail him and in concert let fly at him. If past that guard of his he were hurt then, he was not received into Fianship. 

Not a man of them was taken till his hair had been interwoven into braids on him and he started at a run through Ireland’s woods; while they, seeking to wound him, followed in his wake, there having been between him and them but one forest bough by way of interval at first. Should he be overtaken, he was wounded and not received into the Fiana after. If his weapons had quivered in his hand, he was not taken. Should a branch in the wood have disturbed anything of his hair out of its braiding, neither was he taken. If he had cracked a dry stick under his foot [as he ran] he was not accepted. Unless that [at his full speed] he had both jumped a stick level with his brow, and stooped to pass under one even with his knee, he was not taken. Also, unless without slackening his pace he could with his nail extract a thorn from his foot, he was not taken into Fianship: but if he performed all this he was of Finn’s people.’

Fianship was an honourable institution, recognized in the laws and considered essential to the welfare of the community. According to Keating, who wrote in the seventeenth century, the fiana used to be quartered on the men of Ireland from Samain to Beltaine, while in the summer half of the year they engaged in hunting and supported themselves thereby. In both seasons they were expected to police the country. Moreover, no girl could be given in marriage until she had been offered to the fiana. 

To enter a fian was thus a suitable role for those who, because of their junior status, were without land and office.” - Alwyn and Brinley Rees, Celtic Heritage, 63-65