The Irish language was once widely spoken on the island of Newfoundland before largely disappearing there by the early 20th century.[Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as ATU 369, "The Youth on a Quest for his lost Father", a tale type that, however, some see as exclusive to South Asian tradition, namely India.
]
Historical hypothesis
The 17th-century historian Geoffrey Keating, and some Irish scholars of the 19th century, believed that Fionn was based on a historical figure.
The 19th century scholar Heinrich Zimmer suggested that Fionn and the Fenian Cycle came from the heritage of the Norse-Gaels. He suggested the name ''Fianna'' was an Irish rendering of Old Norse ''fiandr'' "enemies" > "brave enemies" > "brave warriors". He also noted the tale of Fionn's Thumb of Knowledge is similar to the Norse tale of Sigurðr
Sigurd ( non, Sigurðr ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon and was later murdered. It is possible he was inspired by one or more figures from the Frankish Merovin ...
and Fáfnir
In Nordic and wider Germanic mythology, Fáfnir (Old Norse pronunciation: �fɑːvnər is a mighty dwarf who is the son of Hreidmar, and brother of Regin and Ótr. Once cursed by Andvari's ring and gold, Fafnir slays his father out of greed ...
, although similar tales are found in other cultures. Zimmer proposed that Fionn might be based on Caittil Find
Caittil Find () was the leader of a contingent of '' Norse-Gaels'', recorded as being defeated in battle in 857 CE. Some historians have considered him to be identical to Ketill Flatnose, a prominent Norse sea-king who had strong associations wit ...
(d. 856) a Norseman based in Munster, who had a Norse forename (''Ketill'') and an Irish nickname (''Find'', "the Fair" or "the White"). But Ketill's father must have had some Norse name also, certainly not Cumall, and the proposal was thus rejected by George Henderson.
Toponymy
Fionn Mac Cumhaill was said to be originally from Ballyfin
Ballyfin ( or alternatively "town of Fionn") is a small village and parish in County Laois, Ireland. Located in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the village is in the midlands of Ireland. It is located on the R423 regional road midway between the t ...
, in Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...
. The direct translation of Ballyfin from Irish to English is "town of Fionn".
Retellings
T. W. Rolleston
Thomas William Hazen Rolleston (1 May 1857 – 5 December 1920) was an Irish writer, literary figure and translator, known as a poet but publishing over a wide range of literary and political topics. He lived at various times in Killiney in Cou ...
compiled both Fenian and Ultonian cycle literature in his retelling, ''The High Deeds Of Finn and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland'' (1910).
James Stephens published ''Irish Fairy Tales
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
'' (1920), which is a retelling of a few of the Fiannaíocht.
Modern literature
Macpherson's Ossian
Finn mac Cumhal was transformed into the character "Fingal" in James Macpherson
James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...
's poem cycle ''Ossian
Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined unde ...
'' (1760), which Macpherson claimed was translated out of discovered Ossianic poetry written in the Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
language. "Fingal", derived from the Gaelic ''Fionnghall'', was possibly Macpherson's rendering Fionn's name as ''Fingal'' based on a misapprehension of the various forms of ''Fionn''. His poems had widespread influence on writers, from the young Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...
to Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...
, but there was controversy from the outset about Macpherson's claims to have translated the works from ancient sources. The authenticity of the poems is now generally doubted, though they may have been based on fragments of Gaelic legend,
Twentieth century literature
Fionn mac Cumhaill features heavily in modern Irish literature. Most notably he makes several appearances in James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...
's ''Finnegans Wake
''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...
'' (1939) and some have posited that the title, taken from the street ballad "Finnegan's Wake
"Finnegan's Wake" is an Irish-American comic ballad, first published in New York in 1864. Various 19th-century variety theatre performers, including Dan Bryant of Bryant's Minstrels, claimed authorship but a definitive account of the song's origi ...
", may also be a blend of "Finn again is awake," referring to his eventual awakening to defend Ireland.
Fionn also appears as a character in Flann O'Brien
Brian O'Nolan ( ga, Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth c ...
's comic novel, ''At Swim-Two-Birds
''At Swim-Two-Birds'' is a 1939 novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction.
The novel's title ...
'' (1939), in passages that parody the style of Irish myths. Morgan Llywelyn
Morgan Llywelyn (born December 3, 1937) is an American-Irish historical interpretation author of historical and mythological fiction and historical non-fiction. Her interpretation of mythology and history has received several awards and has ...
's book ''Finn Mac Cool
Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of y ...
'' (1994) tells of Fionn's rise to leader of the Fianna and the love stories that ensue in his life. That character is celebrated in "The Legend of Finn MacCumhail", a song by the Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
-based band Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (19 ...
featured on their album '' Sing Loud Sing Proud!''.
''Glencoe: The Story of the Massacre'' by John Prebble (Secker & Warburg, 1966), has an account of a legendary battle between Fionn mac Cumhaill, who supposedly lived for a time in Glencoe (in Scotland), and a Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
host in forty longships which sailed up the narrows by Ballachulish
The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 – Straits town) was more correctly applied to the area now called No ...
into Loch Leven Loch Leven may refer to:
;Bodies of water in Scotland
* Loch Leven (Kinross), a freshwater loch in Perth and Kinross
** Loch Leven Castle, a fortress on the loch
** William Douglas of Lochleven, later the 6th Earl of Morton
* Loch Leven (Highlands ...
. The Norsemen were defeated by the Feinn of the valley of Glencoe, and their chief Earragan was slain by Goll MacMorna.
"Finn Mac Cool" written by American author, Morgan Llywelyn, was released in 1994. The fictional novel vividly recounts Finn's historical adventures saturated with myth and magic. A childhood spent in exile, the love and loss of his beloved wife and child, and his legendary rise from a low class slave to leader of the invincible Fianna.
Finn McCool is a character in Terry Pratchett's and Steve Baxter's '' The Long War''.
The adventures of Fion Mac Cumhail after death is explored by the novella "The Final Fighting of Fion Mac Cumhail" by Randall Garrett (Fantasy and Science Fiction - September 1975).
Finn's early childhood and education is explored in '' 'Tis Himself: The Tale of Finn MacCool'' by Maggie Brace.
Other stories featuring Fionn Mac Cumhail are two of three of the stories in The Corliss Chronicles the story of Prudence Corliss. In the stories, he is featured in The Wraith of Bedlam and The Silver Wheel. He is a close confidant to Prudence and allies himself with her to defeat the evil fictional king Tarcarrius.
Plays and shows
In 1987 Harvey Holton (1949-2010) published ''Finn'' with the Three Tygers Press, Cambridge. This was a dramatic cycle of poems in Scots for the stage and with music by Hamish Moore
Hamish Moore is a Scottish musician and bagpipe maker. Among Moore's contributions to Scottish music are his development of a revived form of the bellows-blown Scottish smallpipes; his 1985 recording of the Lowland and smallpipes, ''Cauld Wind Pi ...
, based on the legends of Finn McCool and first performed at The Edinburgh Festival in 1986 before going on tour around Scotland.
In the 1999 Irish dance
Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vari ...
show Dancing on Dangerous Ground, conceived and choreographed by former Riverdance leads, Jean Butler and Colin Dunne, Tony Kemp portrayed Fionn in a modernised version of ''The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne''. In this, Diarmuid, played by Colin Dunne, dies at the hands of the Fianna after he and Gráinne, played by Jean Butler, run away together into the forests of Ireland, immediately after Fionn and Gráinne's wedding. When she sees Diarmuid's body, Gráinne dies of a broken heart.
In 2010, Washington DC's Dizzie Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue debuted their rock musical ''Finn McCool'' at the Capitol Fringe Festival. The show retells the legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill through punk-inspired rock and was performed at the Woolly Mammoth Theater in March 2011.
Played by Daniel Quirke on the Edenderry Barge in 2002, with an Emmy Award nominated performance (Art by: Maeve Quinn).
See also
* Irish mythology in popular culture: Fionn mac Cumhaill
* Fenian Brotherhood - a 19th-century Irish revolutionary organisation taking its name from these Fionn legends.
* Daolghas
* Belfast Giants - ice hockey club based in Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
whose mascot is derived from Fionn
Notes
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
;('' Acallam na Senórach'')
*
*
*
*
e-text
via CELT corpus.
;(other)
*
*
*
*
*
External links
"The Connection Between Fenian Lays, Liturgical Chant, Recitative, and Dán Díreach: a Pre-Medieval Narrative Song Tradition."
An analysis of how the songs (lays) of Fionn Mac Cumhaill may have been sung.
Fionn MacCool and the Old Man."
Montreal storyteller JD Hickey tells a classic Fionn MacCool story.
The Wisdom of the Outlaw: The Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition
Joseph Falaky Nagy. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985. ix + 338 pp. Bibliography; Index.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fionn Mac Cumhaill
Fenian Cycle
Heroes in mythology and legend
Irish giants
Mythological swordfighters
ATU 300-399