Bibliography

Bernhardt-House, Phillip A., “Divine deformity: the Plinian races (via Isidore of Seville) in Irish mythology”, Studia Celtica Fennica 9 (2012): 5–11.

journal article

Citation details

Contributors

Bernhardt-House (Phillip A.)

Article

“Divine deformity: the Plinian races (via Isidore of Seville) in Irish mythology”

Periodical

Studia Celtica Fennica 9 (2012)

Studia Celtica Fennica 9 (2012).

Studia Celtica Fennica: <link>

Volume

9

Pages

5–11

BibTeX

Download (concise)

Description

Abstract (cited)

This article examines the characteristics of the Fomoiri in Irish mythological literature--particularly their being one-eyed, one-legged, and one-handed or one-armed--and rather than positing a proto-Indo-European or native Irish origin for these physical motifs, instead suggests that these characteristics may be derived from Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae, which contains a catalogue of the "Plinian races" of classical mythology and pseudo-ethnography within it. All of the Fomoiri's characteristics can be compared to the physiological forms of the Giants, Sciopods, Cyclopes, and Blemmyae from the canonical list of Plinian races. Further comparison of Irish accounts of cynocephali (dog-headed humanoids) within texts like Lebor Gabála Érenn are also likely derived from Isidore.

Subjects and topics

Sources

Texts

History, society and culture

Agents

FomoiriFomoiri

Entry reserved for but not yet available from the subject index.

Keywords

cynocephali Plinian races Pliny the Elder sciopods cyclopes giants Blemmyae

web page identifiers

page name: Bernhardt-House 2012a