Fionn's Fianna. But before Fionn would admit them they had to undergo many severe tests, demanding great courage and endurance and chivalry; if they failed in any one of these they could not belong to the Fianna.
As the bodily strength and endurance of the Fians had to be greater than other men's so, too, had they to possess certain qualities and virtues. To the Fians a promise was sacred—no matter what its fulfilment involved it could not be set aside or broken. Splendid, too, was their chivalry towards enemies and appreciation of the brave deeds of opponents; while their immense pride in noble qualities is portrayed, for instance, in these words spoken by Oisin:
We, the Fianna of Eireann, never uttered lies,
Falsehood was never attributed to us:
By courage and the strength of our hands
We used to come out of every difficulty.
To the Fians the telling of a lie would have been as repugnant, and as great an act of cowardice, as turning their backs on an enemy, which they never did.
Nor was there any meanness among the
