Fenodyree

Proper name and a class of mythical beings

Fenodyree (also phynodderee, phynnodderee, fynnoderee or fenoderee; Rhys's notation was converted into IPA based on P. E. Rogers's paper. or possibly from fjun. although this "hairy stockings(?)" etymology may be conjectural. John Kelly's dictionary has suggested an alternate etymology, stemming from
A bit of leftover food was all he asked for reward, according to a ballad: "His was the wizard hand that toil'd / At midnight's witching hour / That gather'd the sheep from the coming storm", and all he required were "scattered sheafs" and "cream bowl" left on the meal table. In one instance, he accepted the offer to draw water in exchange for a "cake" (griddlecake), but could not accomplish the task because he was given a leaky sieve instead of a pail. ), held by his own kind at Glen Rushen.

A tale attached to a round meadow in the parish of Marown held that a Phynnodderee had a habit of cutting and gathering the meadow grass there with the scythe, until a farmer criticized the job for not mowing the grass close enough to ground. The hairy Phynnodderee then ceased his mowing and "went after him stubbing up the roots so fast that it was with difficulty the farmer escaped having his legs cut off by the angry sprite". No one afterwards could succeed in mowing this meadow till a knight devised a way to start at the center and clip the grass in a circular pattern. The nickname of the Fenodyree as "The Nimble Mower" has been commemorated in balladry. ), and mingled among the sheep is a big hare he mistook for a Loaghtan. This has been described as "the most notable" exploit by the Fenodyree in Morrison's tale.