Finn

Lore & Background

In mythological contexts, Finn appears as a Frisian king featured in Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. Irish mythology offers Fionn mac Cumhaill (anglicised to Finn McCool), a renowned warrior, alongside several legendary High Kings of Ireland bearing the name: Eber Finn (1700 BC AFM; 1287–1286 BC FFE), Cearmna Finn (1533–1493 BC AFM; 1155–1115 BC FFE), Finn mac Blatha (952–930 BC AFM; 725–705 BC FFE), Duach Finn (904–894 BC AFM; 679–674 BC FFE), Ailill Finn (795–786 BC AFM; 586–577 BC FFE), and Fiatach Finn (36–39 AD AFM; 25–28 AD FFE). Additionally, the name appears in William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy novels as The Finn and in the 1842 opera Ruslan and Lyudmila as a wizard.

Reader's Guide

Beyond characters and people, Finn refers to specific places like Finn Lake in Minnesota, Finn Township in North Dakota, Lough Finn, and the River Finn (a Foyle tributary) in Ireland. In sports, it denotes an Olympic class of sailing dinghy and The Finn, a Thoroughbred racehorse active from 1912–1925. The term is also used colloquially as a variant of 'fin' for a U.S. five dollar bill. In organizations, it identifies the Finns Party in Finland, the dog Finn (namesake of 'Finn's Law'), and media outlets like Finn.no and the Farnborough International News Network (FINN).

Did You Know?

• Finn is the namesake of 'Finn's Law,' which provides legal protection for animals in public service.
• Eber Finn is dated to 1700 BC according to the Annals of the Four Masters (AFM).