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Fiachra

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Fiachra is one of the Children of Lir, transformed into a swan by his stepmother Aoife.

Detailed Definition
His tale is part of a famous legend of sorrow, endurance, and transformation. In poetry, Fiachra represents innocence, suffering, and the resilience of the spirit. His swan form evokes themes of beauty and melancholy.
Example
Example in poetry:
Fiachra appears as one of the Children of Lir, transformed into a swan for nine hundred years; Poets invoke Fiachra when exploring themes of transformation, exile, and endurance; His story provides material for verses about identity preserved through radical bodily change; Fiachra alongside his siblings represents family bonds that survive even supernatural curses; In contemporary poetry, the Children of Lir including Fiachra symbolize Irish diaspora and displacement; The swan imagery connected to Fiachra allows poets to work with beauty emerging from tragedy
Additional Notes
Fiachra, one of the four Children of Lir, spends 300 years as a swan on Lake Derravaragh, then 300 on Sruth na Maoilé, singing mournful songs; their transformation by stepmother Aoife is a foundational tale of patience, suffering, and redemption; poets may use Fiachra to explore exile, familial love, or the healing power of song; the swan-brothers’ eventual return to human form (as aged elders) underscores the passage of time and resilience; their story is central to Irish laments and elegiac tradition.
Also Known As
Fiachna Fiachadh Fiach (variant spelling) Saint Fiacre
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