Hello and welcome to the fourth part of our six part series on Heroes. Last week we spoke about the final God of Skill, Ogma. Today, we will be looking at Fionn Mac Chumaill - the legendary warrior of Fianna - and his heroic beginning. This is the story of the Salmon of Knowledge and how Fionn Mac Cumhail became the greatest man of all Ireland.
Fintan Mac Bóchra was one of the first people to come to Ireland, along with his wife Cessair. They came to Ireland with Cessair’s father, Bith, their pilot, and fifty women. Sonn, her father Bith died, and the pilot went their separate ways. It was too much for Fintan to stay with Cesair and the women, so he soon fled too. Eventually Cessair died alone. However instead of dying in the flood, Fintan transformed into a giant salmon and he survived the terrible flood.
As the flood disappeared, Fintan the salmon washed up on the shore of the Boyne River. Eventually, he settled into a deep, quiet pool so that he could regain his strength. Around this pool, nine hazel trees were grown and on each tree, nine nuts were grown. These nuts were held all the knowledge of the world.
As the nuts matured, they fell from the tree and into the pool where Fintan swam. He ate each nut as it came to him, therefore gaining all the knowledge of the world. From here onwards, he was known as ‘Bradán an Eolaid’ which means the Salmon of Knowledge.
As the centuries passed, the people began returning to Ireland. They learned about this Salmon of Knowledge but no one had ever caught it. Eventually, a druid poet settled into the Boyne Valley. The man's name was Finegas and it became his dream to catch Fintan and consume all the knowledge of the world from the salmon.
At the same time, there was a band of hero-warriors in Ireland known as the Fianna. One of these heroes, Cumal, fell in love with Murna of the White Neck. Murna was the daughter of Tadg, a druid.
Tadg refused to allow the marriage of Cumal and his daughter, and in retaliation, Cumal and Murna fled together. Murna soon became pregnant and gave birth to a boy whom she called Demna. Tadg was driven to madness and had Cumal killed in battle, but the baby however, was a secret from Tadg.
The child grew into a fine, brave young man. For him protection, his name was changed from Demna and was replaced by the name Fionn. From then onward, the child was now known as Fionn Mac Cumhail. He was always in danger from his mad grandfather. It was soon decided that Fionn would be placed into the care of Druidess Bodhmall and Lia Luachra. He would become a student under Finegas.
And so, he was sent to the druid’s settlement along the River Boyne.
Finegas gladly taught the druidic arts to Fionn, but he never lost the hope that he would one day catch the Salmon of Knowledge. Everyday, he would cast his line into the river in the hopes of one day hooking the fish. One day, he finally hooked a giant salmon, and he knew immediately he had caught the transformed Fintan. He called out in joy and pulled the fish to the river bank. He called on Fionn and demanded the child set about building a fire and cooking him the fish. He warned Fionn not to eat any of the fish and the boy promised him.
Exhausted by his giant find, Finegas took to bed. Fionn placed the salmon over the fire and began to cook it. Once it was almost done, he called for Finegas to come for his meal. However, some of the burning fat from the salmon splashed onto Fionn’s thumb, burning him. His reaction from the burn was to stick his thumb into his mouth, in the hopes to cool the burn. Soon, Finegas arrived to eat, but he soon recognised that there was something different about his young pupil. He demanded Fionn tell him if he had eaten some of the fish. The boy denied eating the fish, but he told of how the fat burned his finger. Finegas realised then that it was not in his destiny to receive the wisdom of the salmon, but instead the destiny of Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
From that night onwards, Fionn Mac Cumahill was to become the greatest of all the men of Ireland.
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