Fénius Farsaid facts for kids
Fénius Farsaid is a legendary king from ancient Scythia. He appears in many old Irish myths and stories. His name can be spelled in different ways, like Phoeniusa or Phenius.
Some stories say Fénius was the son of Boath, who was the son of Magog. Other tales link him to Gomer. Many traditions believe he created the Ogham alphabet and the Gaelic language.
Contents
Fénius and the Tower of Babel
In some old Irish books, like the Lebor Gabála Érenn, Fénius Farsaid is mentioned. These books say he was one of 72 leaders who helped build Nimrod's famous Tower of Babel.
After the tower fell, Fénius traveled to Scythia. In some versions of the story, Fénius and his son Nél journeyed to the Tower of Babel. Nél was very good at languages. He married Scota, the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh named Cingris. Their son was Goidel Glas.
Creating New Languages
Another old Irish text, the Auraicept na n-Éces, tells more about Fénius. It says he left Scythia with 72 scholars. They went to the plain of Shinar to study the many confused languages that appeared after the Tower of Babel.
The people who spoke these languages had already spread out. So, Fénius sent his scholars to study them. He stayed at the tower, guiding their work. After ten years, their research was complete.
The Gaelic Language
Fénius then created a special "selected language." He took the best parts from all the confused languages. He called this new language Goídelc, or Goidelic, named after Goídel mac Ethéoir. This language is the ancestor of modern Irish.
He also created other language forms. One was called Bérla Féne, named after himself. Another was Íarmberla, named after Íar mac Nema.
The Ogham Alphabet
Fénius also developed the Beithe-luis-nuin, which is the Ogham alphabet. This was a perfect writing system for his new languages. It was also known as Béarla na bhFileadh, meaning 'language of the poets'.
The Auraicept claims that Fénius Farsaid discovered four alphabets:
The book says Ogham was the most perfect because it was the last one discovered.
See also
In Spanish: Fénius Farsaid para niños
