Queens: F

Fedelm Noíchride, Nóchruthach (9 Times Beautiful Of the Ever Beautiful Form) Feidiline, Feithline, Fidelmia, Delma (9 Times Beautiful) Fea Faílenn, Faoileann (Seagull) Partholón, Parthinius, Parthenopaeus ab Meleager, Parthenios ab Tethys (Form of a Woman)

Patience stepped forward. The Princess then took from the hands of her attendant a beautiful little dog with long curly ears & presenting it to Patience, said – Fidele take – his watchful ear
Will never be closed when danger is near.

She next ordered Katherine to come to her and presented to this sister a small beautifully-carved ivory hand, the fingers of which were rather bent towards the thumb. The Princess spoke–
Doubt not your way by day or night;
This ivory hand will guide you right.

With exactly the same ceremonies, to each of the 5 remaining sisters she presented a gift.
To Margaret, a phial, with these words –
Take, then, this wine; it hath a power
To bind in sleep for 1 whole hour.

To Mabel she gave a beautiful little bird of the dove class, but scarcely larger than a wren. It was in a pretty cage with golden wires. The Princess, as she put the cage with its feathered tenant into her hand, said –
Safely and swiftly through the air
This faithful bird will letter bear

Alice came next at her desire. The Princess gave her a very plain key, suspended on a ring of gold, with these words:–
Through every door this little key
Will give escape or entrance free

To Isabel she presented a little parcel of dried herbs tied up together. She said as she smiled:–
The deadliest wound of sharpest steel,
Sword, spear, or shaft, this herb will heal

Ursula next advanced blushing, ... a small but elegantly formed lute with these words:–
A lute can charm the bosom rude,
When passion’s in its fiercest mood.

This was the last gift.

With fairest flowers,
Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele,
I’ll sweeten thy sad grave; thou shalt not lack
The flower that’s like thy face, pale primrose; nor
The azured harebell like thy veins; no, nor
The leaf of eglantine; whom not to slander,
Outsweetened not thy breath.

The blue falcon flew up in the air and gave a bird-call. Birds gathered and she swooped amongst them pulling feathers off their backs and out of their wings. Soon there was a heap of feathers on the ground – pigeons’ feathers & pie’s feathers, crane’s & crow’s, blackbird’s & starling’s. The King of Ireland’s Son quickly gathered them into his bag. ...When he thought he had feathers enough to thatch the roof he ran back to the shelter. He began the thatching, binding the feathers down with little willow rods. He had just finished when the sun went down.

(pron. FAY-delm, FEE-delm, FEE, FEEL-en) Greek parthenos+ops - “form of a woman, woman, maiden, womanly” Sea diety from Calydon who reaches Ireland on Tuesday May 14th in the 60th year of the age of Abraham after the Flood, coming with 4 men and 4 women who multiply until there are 4,050 men and 1,000 women. She is Druidess of the Táin bó Cuailnge: Hollow Cow. She predicts events through a divining crystal ball and sees the death of Queen Medb: Intoxicating One. She has golden yellow hair with 3 locks wound around her head and 1 loose below the knee, a ruddy face, gray-blue eyes, coral red mouth, and swan white skin. Her feet are long with pink even nails. She carries a sword of white bronze, 7 rings of gold, and a speckled green cloak.
In The King of Ireland’s Son, she is the youngest of the 3 golden-haired daughters of the Maid of the Green Mantle and the Enchanter of the Black Back-lands who knows the language of the birds. Their kingdom is at the end of the Wasteland. She takes the form of a swan with a green scarf in her mouth to bathe in the river with her sisters Aífe: Radiant and Gilveen: Bright Moon. The oldest son of the god Conall stole her swanskin and she led him to her father’s house, fed him, and helped him to perform 3 tasks so that he could marry her and not get his head cut off. She gave him the Shoes of Swiftness to run down Whitefoot the Silver-Horned Fawn. She had her blue falcon call the birds so that their feathers could be used to thatch a beehive before sunset. To get the Fainne Óg: Ring of Youth from the bottom of the well before sunset, She instructs him to kill her, take her bones, and use them as steps to go down the sides. He must reset the bones as they were before after the Ring of Youth is out of the water and place the ring above her heart to restore her to life. He restores her, but 1 joint on her little finger is bent. He recognizes her hand as different from her sisters and gets her hand in marriage. They cross the River of the Ox, Mountain of the Fox and Glen of the Badger before the sun rises. At the foot of the Hill of Horns, they find the Little Sage of the Mountain to betroth them at his hut thatched with 1 great wing of a bird. The son digs potatoes. Fedelma grinds wheat and makes wheatcakes. They then pass the Meadow of Brightness, The Wood of Shadows, Fields of White flowers, Blue, then white between them and the King of Ireland’s domain until they meet the King of the Land of Mist who abducts her & imprisons her in his castle for a time. She plucks heather to fall asleep for a year and a day. Only the Sword of Light can slay the King of the Land of Mist and only the Gobaun Saor knows where to find it. Her children are: Erc: Trout, Luchtai: Raven, Rudraighe: Red Alder, Acaill: Chalice. Her feast day is January 11th along with her sister Eithne: Sweet Nutmeat Princess.

She is born from an egg with her 6 sisters: Margaret, Alice, Isabel, Ursula, Mabel & Katherine and raised by the Countess of Devon On her 15th birthday on 15th of July, St. Swithin’s day, no rain falls and the sun shines bright. 4 on the right, and 3 on the left hand. The sisters dress in white satin, and can only be known by the variety in colour of the knots of ribband which they wore upon their bosoms. They all have light brown curly hair, fine blue eyes, and necks and cheeks like lilies and roses. They dine at tables set with festoons of flowers and cups of sparkling wine and mead. The harper finishes the song and a horn greets a white dazzling silvery car drawn by 4 cream-coloured ponies, with harnesses of gold and mother-of-pearl; and bunches of flowers tied up with blue, pink, and green ribbons. Princess Pickett, so brilliantly dressed with jewels and a robe of silver gauze that it was hard to see her through the rays of sunlight. Her tiara made by a row of golden-crested wrens with diamond eyes and gemmed collars. Her robe of swan feathers. At the back of her car sat 7 ladies, knights with diamond and emerald ornaments; and white plumes drooping over their heads. She presents each of the sisters with gifts. As if inspired by some powerful spell which encompassed them, and was quite irresistible, the 7 sisters fell at the Countess of Devon’s feet, and vowed in the name of all the saints to whom they prayed, to dedicate to her at any time in which she might need their services, the gifts they had received. (43, 51, 58, 72, 77, 102, 147, 189)

O daughters of King Laoghaire and first fruits of Patrick’s mission,/ most pious saints, you were blessed to receive the monastic veil from Patrick’s hand./ Weeping and lamenting we call upon your charity./ Pray to Christ our God that he will raise up a new Patrick in our day,/ that we may be led into, the way of salvation – Troparion of Ss Ethenia & Fidelmia tone 3: January 11

[French Ministry of Education Site: Centre national de documentation pédagogique]