Fionnabhair

FIN-owr; FIN-oor
Irish

Fionnabhair Origin and Meaning

The name Fionnabhair is a girl's name .

In Irish mythology, Fionnabhair (Old Irish Findabair or Finnabair) is the daughter of Queen Medb of Connacht and Ailill, whose beauty is exploited by her mother to persuade a long line of warriors to face the legendary hero Cú Chulainn in single-combat. All are defeated and killed, a bloody battle ensues, and Fionnabhair drops dead of shame when she discovers that she has inadvertently been the cause of all the death and destruction.

Fionnabhair is most likely derived from Old Irish fionn "white" + síabar "spectre", making it a cognate of the Old Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which is the root of Arthurian Guinevere. It may also derive from Old Irish find "white, fair" and abair "brow; eyelash".

Variants include Fionavar (used in the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay), Finnavear, Fennor/Fennore (found in several Irish place names), Finora/Fenora and Fionnúir.