''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'' ( ga, Macgnímartha Finn) is a medieval Irish narrative belonging to the

Fenian Cycle The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle ( ga, an Fhiannaíocht) is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the Ossi ...

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...

. As its title implies, it recounts the boyhood exploits of

Fionn mac Cumhaill 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 ...

, the cycle's central figure.

Origin and development

The most important manuscript is Laud 610: folio 118Rb-121Va, which is missing the ending;

Kuno Meyer Kuno Meyer (20 December 1858 – 11 October 1919) was a German scholar, distinguished in the field of Celtic philology and literature. His pro-German stance at the start of World War I in the United States was a source of controversy. His brother ...

and Gerard Murphy assigned the text to the 12th century.{{{Refn, Meyer (1910) ''{{URL, 1=https://books.google.com/books?id=ji9KAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PR28, 2=Fianaigecht'', Introduction, § Twelfth Century, p. xxviii; Murphy (1953) ''{{URL, 1=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAoOAQAAIAAJ&q=twelfth+Macgnimartha , 2=Duanaire Finn'' 3, p. xxxiv, lxv, etc. Cited by Scowcroft. The Laud 610 manuscript text was edited and translated by John O'Donovan as "The Boyish Exploits of Finn mac Cumhaill" in 1859,{{sfnp, O'Donovan, 1859, pp=281–304 but only partly with some deficiencies according to

. Meyer published a 1881 edition followed by a 1904 translation entitled "The Boyish Exploits of Finn".{{sfnp, Meyer, 1881, pp=195–204, 508{{sfnp, Meyer, 1904, pp=180–190 A more recent translation appeared in Joseph Falaky Nagy, ''The Wisdom of the Outlaw: Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition'' (1985).{{sfnp, Nagy, 1985 The text breaks off while Fionn investigates a '' sídhe'' or fairy mound, before his trip to Tara. Scholars have pointed out similarities between earlier versions of ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'' and tales of the youth of the

Ulster Cycle The Ulster Cycle ( ga, an Rúraíocht), formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the Ulaid. It is set far in the past, in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly coun ...

hero Cúchulainn. For instance, '' The Boyhood Deeds of Cúchulainn'' and '' The Wooing of Emer'', both found within the epic ''

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...

'', recount Cúchulainn's earning of a nickname through his feats, his training by a warrior woman (

Scáthach Scáthach () or Sgàthach ( gd, Sgàthach an Eilean Sgitheanach) is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the art ...

) and his earning of a deadly spear (the

Gáe Bulg The ''Gáe Bulg'' () (also ''Gáe Bulga'', ''Gáe Bolg'', ''Gáe Bolga''), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It was gi ...

). A modern retelling of the Boyhood Deeds occurs under the title "Birth of Fin Maccumhail".

Plot

The story begins with the death of Fionn's father

Cumhal Cumhall (earlier Cumall, pronounced roughly "Coo-al" or "Cool") or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir ("son of Trénmór/Tréanmór" meaning "strong-great") is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn m ...

, leader of the

Fianna ''Fianna'' ( , ; singular ''Fian''; gd, Fèinne ) were small warrior-hunter bands in Gaelic Ireland during the Iron Age and early Middle Ages. A ''fian'' was made up of freeborn young males, often aristocrats, "who had left fosterage but had ...

, at the hands of Goll mac Morna. Cumhal's wife

Muirne Muirne or Muireann Muncháem ("beautiful lips") was the sister of Uirne and the mother of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. She had many suitors, but her father, the druid Tadg mac Nuadat, had foreseen that her marriage ...

was pregnant at the time and eventually gave birth to their son, called Demne in his youth. Fearing for his safety, she sends the boy to be raised by Cumhal's sister, the druidess

Bodhmall Bodhmall (or bodhmann, Bómall,''Dóiteoir na Samhna'', by Darach Ó Scalaí, Bodmall, or Bodbmall) is one of Fionn mac Cumhaill's childhood foster mothers in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology and the daughter of Tréanmór mac Suailt. She ...

, and her companion

Liath Luachra Liath Luachra or the "Grey one of Luachair", is the name of two characters in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. Both appear in ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn'', which details the young life and adventures of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill. Alfred Nu ...

. The two warrior women raise him and accompany him on several adventures, including one in which he receives his nickname, ''Fionn'' (the fair; the pale). As he grows, his exploits attract increasing attention, and finally his foster mothers send him away for fear that Goll's men will find him. Subsequent episodes depict his service to the king of

Bantry Bantry () is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for to the west. The Beara Peninsula ...

, his recovery of Cumhal's treasures by slaying

(a different character than his caretaker), and his meeting with the aged and dispossessed Fianna who had fought with his father. ;Finn's wisdom Another episode recounts how Fionn gained the ability to gain wisdom whenever he applied his thumb to his tooth. He developed this ability after inadvertently tasting the salmon which would grant universal knowledge to whoever consumed it. The salmon, which dwelled in the pool of Fés, was coveted seven years by Finn's mentor, the poet

Finn Éces Finn Eces (Finneces, Finegas, Finnegas) is a legendary Irish poet and sage, according to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the teacher of Fionn mac Cumhaill, according to the tale ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn''. For years he tries to c ...

. Finn cooked the salmon, obeying his mentor's instruction not to partake any of the salmon before serving it to him, but burnt his thumb while cooking and sucked it, thereby receiving its gift of wisdom. Though it is not stated explicitly, it is inferred that this was a

Salmon of Wisdom The Salmon of Knowledge ( ga, An Bradán Feasa) is a creature in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, sometimes identified with Fintan mac Bóchra, who was known as "The Wise" and was once transformed into a salmon. Fenian Cycle The Salmon s ...

that probably ate the hazelnuts at the

Well of Segais The ''Dindsenchas'' of Irish mythology give the physical origins, and etymological source of several bodies of water - in these myth poems the sources of rivers and lakes is sometimes given as being from magical wells. Connla's Well is one of a n ...

. ;Fairy mound attack {{main, Birga Fionn travels to the capital of Tara, which is set aflame each

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

Aillén Aillen or Áillen is an incendiary being in Irish mythology. He played the harp and was known to sing beautiful songs. Character Called "the burner", he is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann who resides in Mag Mell, the underworld. Deeds Acc ...

the Burner, one of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

. Goll and the Fianna are powerless to stop it, since Aillén puts everyone to sleep with a magical tune. Fionn inhales poison from his own spear to prevent sleep, and dispatches Aillén. He reveals his identity to the court, and the king grants Fionn his rightful position as leader of the Fianna. Goll steps down, and engages in a truce with his enemy.

Mirrors and Parallels

Episodes about Finn and his family in the ''Macgnímartha Finn'' are also attested in other works in Irish literature. Some parallels with other Celtic or Norse culture has been discussed as well. ;Cath Cnucha The beginning episode telling of Cumhal mac Treanmhor's death is given in the narrative ''

Cath Cnucha Cumhall (earlier Cumall, pronounced roughly "Coo-al" or "Cool") or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir ("son of Trénmór/Tréanmór" meaning "strong-great") is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn ...

''. A 17th century tale, "The Fight of Castle Knoc" discusses Cumhal's death and

's taking of the Corrbolg (construed as armor here, though this is Crane-bag elsewhere). ;Wisdom As for the acquisition of wisdom by tasting the salmon, this has been compared to the Welsh episode where

Ceridwen Ceridwen or Cerridwen ( ''Ke-RID-wen'') was an enchantress in Welsh medieval legend. She was the mother of a hideous son, Afagddu, and a beautiful daughter, Creirwy. Her husband was Tegid Foel and they lived near Bala Lake () in north Wales. M ...

's condensed brew in the cauldron of wisdom was unintendedly tasted by her son Morfran. Another close parallel is Sigurd the dragon-slayer who burns his finger cooking the heart of the dragon Fáfnir, and subsequently gains the ability to understand the conversation of birds.

Notes

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite book, editor-last=Curtin , editor-first=Jeremiah , editor-link=Jeremiah Curtin , title=Birth of Fin Maccumhail , work=Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland , publisher=Little, Brown , year=1890 , url=https://archive.org/details/39unkngoog , page
204
��220 {{citation, last=Meyer , first=Kuno , author-link=Patrick Kennedy (folklorist) , title=The Fight of Castle Knoc , work=Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts , publisher=Macmillan and Company , year=1866 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-POAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA216 , pages=216–222 {{citation, last=Nagy , first=Joseph Falaky , author-link= , title=Intervention and Disruption in the Myths of Finn and Sigurd , journal=Ériu , volume=31 , date=1980 , pages=121–131 , jstor=30008217 {{citation, last=Scowcroft , first=R. Mark , author-link= , title=Abstract Narrative in Ireland , journal=Ériu , volume=46 , date=1995 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mS1KAAAAYAAJ&q=%22hazelnuts%22 , pages=152–153 , jstor=30007878

References

{{refbegin * {{citation, last=Brown, first=Arthur C. L. , author-link= , title=The Grail and the English "Sir Perceval". (Continued) , journal=Modern Philology , volume=18 , number=12 , date=April 1921 , pages=661–673 , doi=10.1086/387378 , jstor=433353, s2cid=161342899 , doi-access=free * {{citation, last=Meyer , first=Kuno , author-link=Kuno Meyer , title=Macgnimartha Find , journal=Revue Celtique , volume=5 , year=1881 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hF89AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195 , pages=195–204, 508 * {{citation, last=Meyer , first=Kuno , author-link=Kuno Meyer , title=The Boyish Exploits of Finn , trans-title=tr. of ''Macgnimartha Find'' , journal=Ériu , volume=1 , year=1904 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvkq9UZUVkQC&pg=180 , pages=180–190 * {{cite book, last=Nagy , first=Joseph Falaky , author-link= , title=The Wisdom of the Outlaw: Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition , place=Berkeley , publisher= University of California Press , year=1985 * {{citation, last=O'Donovan, first=John , author-link=John O'Donovan (scholar) , title=The Boyish Exploits of Finn mac Cumhaill , trans-title=Mac-gnimartha Finn mac Cumaill , journal=Transactions of the Ossianic Society , volume=4 , year=1859 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oeLxtUu7C_AC&pg=PA281 , pages=281–304 {{refend {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, The 12th-century books Fenian Cycle Early Irish literature Irish texts