Fearn (letter)

Ogham letters
	Aicme Beithe		Aicme Muine
ᚁ	Beith	ᚋ	Muin
ᚂ	Luis	ᚌ	Gort
ᚃ	Fearn	ᚍ	nGéadal
ᚄ	Sail	ᚎ	Straif
ᚅ	Nion	ᚏ	Ruis
	Aicme hÚatha		Aicme Ailme
ᚆ	Uath	ᚐ	Ailm
ᚇ	Dair	ᚑ	Onn
ᚈ	Tinne	ᚒ	Úr
ᚉ	Coll	ᚓ	Eadhadh
ᚊ	Ceirt	ᚔ	Iodhadh
	Forfeda
ᚕ	Éabhadh
ᚖ	Ór
ᚗ	Uilleann
ᚘ	Ifín	ᚚ	Peith
ᚙ	Eamhancholl

Fearn is the Irish name of the third letter of the Ogham alphabet, ᚃ, meaning "alder-tree". In Old Irish, the letter name was Fern, which is related to Welsh gwern(en). Its Primitive Irish root was *wernā and its phonetic value then was [w]. Its Old Irish and modern phonetic value is [f].

Bríatharogam

In the medieval kennings, called Bríatharogam or Word Ogham the verses associated with Fearn are:

airenach fían - "vanguard of warriors" in the Word Ogham of Morann mic Moín

comét lachta - "milk container" in the Word Ogham of Mac ind Óc (vessels where made of alder).

dín cridi - "protection of the heart" in the Word Ogham of Culainn.^[1]

References

1. Auraicept na n-Éces Calder, George, Edinburgh, John Grant (1917), reprint Four Courts Press (1995), ISBN 1-85182-181-3