Irish Mythology

Fenian Cycle The Fenian cycle continues telling tales of heroes, but is set in the south and west of Ireland. Instead of Cuchulainn, the cycle tells us of Finn MacCool, and his soldiers the Fianna.

The Birth of Finn MacCool Finn was born into a difficult situation. His father, head of his clan, had just been killed in a war against another clan. His mother, Muirenn, pregnant and in danger, fled into a forest, and there she gave birth to her son, Finn. What do you think she did after the birth of her son?

Muirenn’s Departure Muirenn knew her son was still in danger, so she left the forest to lead the soldiers away from Finn.

Finn’s Clan As Finn grew, he was taught by a druidess in the forest and his nurse. They taught him to hunt, how to be courageous, and to treat people with respect. They were members of his clan, who had lost the war, and they had a plan for him. What do you think the plan was?

They wanted Finn to lead the clan to victory, and defeat the rival clan who had killed Finn’s father. Finn went through many tests and eventually was ready to become the chief of his clan. He had only one task left: to study with the great druid, Finneces.

Finneces The Teacher When he arrived to study, Finneces had just caught the Salmon of Knowledge. He instructed Finn to cook the salmon, but to be careful not to eat it. What do you think the Salmon’s magic power was?

The Gift of Wisdom The Salmon of Knowledge had eaten some nuts from the Tree of Knowledge, and so anyone who ate it would be given wisdom.

Finn’s Gift As Finn cooked the fish, he wanted to check if it was cooked properly. He pushed his finger into the side of the fish, but it was so hot it burned his finger with its juices. What do you think happened next?

He put his finger into his mouth to stop the pain He put his finger into his mouth to stop the pain. From then on, he could have knowledge whenever he wanted: he only had to perform one action. What do you think the action was?

Finn could have wisdom whenever he needed, as long as he put his thumb in his mouth. From that moment, he was ready to become chieftain of his clan.

The Goblin of Tara When Finn asked to become chieftain, he was given one final task: he must protect the city of Tara from a goblin that came every year. The goblin, however, was impossible to defeat because he had a magic harp that caused everyone to fall asleep.

Finn Vs The Goblin Finn agreed to the challenge, and asked his men for a weapon to fight the goblin. One man admitted he had a magic spear, but did not know how to use it to defeat the goblin. What do you think Finn did then?

The Goblin’s Defeat Not knowing how to use the spear, he put his thumb in his mouth and was given the knowledge! If he held the spear against his head, he would be safe from the goblin’s music. Knowing this, he killed the goblin and became chief of his clan.

Finn Meets His Wife Finn was hunting one day, when he found a deer. The deer followed him back to his house, and transformed into a beautiful woman, Saba. She had been under the spell of an evil druid, but Finn had broken the spell. They were married and lived happily, until one terrible day… What do you think happened?

The Loss of Saba Saba was caught by the dark druid, and transformed into a deer once more. Finn searched and searched for her, but could not find his wife. Yet all was not lost. Seven years later, his hounds found a young boy in the forest, who said a deer had protected him all his life, and only recently disappeared. Who do you think the young boy was?

Finn and Oisin The boy, Oisin, was Finn’s son. Saba had protected him as long as she could, and then the evil druid had taken her away. Finn never found Saba, but he lived with Oisin, who became a great warrior.

The Giant’s Causeway The most famous story about Finn Maccool is the story of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

Finn Builds The Causeway Finn Maccool, a giant among men, was at war with the Scottish giants, and was so eager to attack them that he built a bridge, or causeway, to reach all the way from Ireland to Scotland.

The Arrival of Benandonner When the causeway was complete, he shouted across to Benandonner, a Scottish giant, to come and fight him. Unfortunately, as the giant crossed, Finn realized the Scot was much bigger than he had thought. He returned home in fear, and his wife came up with a plan.

Tricking Benandonner She put Finn in the bath and covered him with blankets. She then invited Benandonner into the house, and showed him various items, pretending Finn was a giant: a giant tree for a spear, some rocks that he used for playing catch, and finally Finn himself, who she said was just Finn’s baby!

The Destruction of the Causeway Benandonner was so scared, thinking Finn was even bigger than him, ran all the way back to Scotland. As he ran, he ripped the stones of the causeway out of the water, leaving behind only the ones around Ireland. Finn threw a giant lump of dirt at him as he ran, and it became the Isle of Man!

Differences Between The Ulster And Fenian Cycles Location is one of the big differences between these cycles, and so is the fact that the heroes are different. It is also the first cycle to be told in verse, and is much less violent than the Ulster Cycle.

Historical Cycle The last of the four cycles is the historical cycle, and it covers quite a large period of time. The stories start with the High King of Ireland in 431 BC, and continue until Brian Boru who was king until 1014.

Differences The main difference between this cycle and the others is that it deals with events that actually happened in Ireland, and were not simply stories.

Vocabulary eager – excited to do something clan – a family wisdom – great knowledge courageous – brave, without fear