enslaved. The name was given to them because they were made to carry bags of earth from the fertile valleys to the rocky hills during their enslavement. They came to Ireland in three groups, although all three took on the general name Firbolg. They play no spectacular part in the myths.

Fomorii

[I] The dwellers under the sea. A misshapen and violent people who are the evil gods of Irish myth and whose centre appears to be Tory Island. They reached Ireland about the same time as Partholón and battled with him, the Nemedians, and the Tuatha Dé Danaan. Sometimes they succeed in their battles and sometimes they fail. They often appear with only a single hand, foot, or eye. Their power was eventually broken for all time at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh.

Fosterage

An important feature of Celtic society that lasted in Scotland until the eighteenth century. Boys entered fosterage at the age of seven, when they were sent to the household of a distinguished druid, chieftain, or, later, Christian monk. Here they received their education. They would live and study with them until they reached the “age of choice,” which was seventeen for a boy but fourteen for a girl. During the period of fosterage they would be taught many subjects—music, literature, poetry, the art of warfare, the virtues of single combat, and the high value of honour—and pursue such recreational pursuits as board games as well as team games. They were also taught to be efficient in the hunt. In Christian times they were taught Latin, Hebrew, and Greek in addition to their own languages. Fosterage as a concept occurs both in the Irish myths and the Welsh myths.

Fraoch

[I] The hero of the Táin Bó Fraoch. One of the most handsome warriors in Ireland. He fell in love with Findbhair, daughter of Ailill and Medb. While she returned this love, he could not persuade her to elope with him, nor could he pay the bridal price. Ailill and Medb plot his death and suggest he swim in a lake where a monster dwells. He does so. The monster eventually attacks him, but Findbhair comes to his rescue and they manage to kill the creature. Fraoch is wounded but is nursed by the gods and goddesses and Ailill and Medb are persuaded to consent to the wedding of their daughter.

There is a second part to the tale in which Findbhair and her three children and cattle herds are carried off and Fraoch sets out