Fionn Cycle

Fionn cycle (Fíanaigecht or Fiannaíocht) or the Ossianic cycle, a body of stories centred on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, his son Oisín (whence ‘Ossianic’), and other famous members of the fian (warrior-band) of Fionn, collectively known as the Fianna, who hunt, fight, conduct raids, and live an open-air nomadic life. This set of literary conventions reflects a feature of early Irish society in that such bands of warriors did live outside the structures of that society while retaining links with it. One of the characteristics of the cycle is its frequent celebration of the beauty of nature, and birdsong, mountain, river, and seashore are frequently evoked. The Fionn cycle developed in Munster and Leinster and may reflect a desire on the part of medieval story-tellers and scribes in these areas to develop a counterbalance to the Ulster cycle. However the tales spread throughout Ireland and Scotland. By the 12th cent. the literary shaping of a very old tradition of oral Fionn tales was firmly established and took one of its most impressive forms in Acallam na Senórach, a compendious gathering of Fionn stories and poems uniting pagan and Christian elements, though not without strain. The cycle is set in the 3rd cent. AD, but, in the tradition, a number of the Fianna survive into Christian Ireland, providing the theme of the Acallam. Here St Patrick welcomes and blesses the recital of Fionn lore by Caoilte, but in the lays that developed from the 12th cent. onwards exchanges between Oisín and Patrick become more acrimonious, the saint's dogma being countered by defiance. James Macpherson based his Ossianic pieces on these lays. Prose tales developed too, such as Eachtra Bhodaigh an Chóta Lachtna, Bruidhean Chaorthainn, Cath Finntrágha, and Feís Tighe Chonáin. In these stories the Fianna retain their roles as protectors of Ireland; Fionn's divinatory powers are in evidence; and there is a marked responsiveness to natural beauty.

Variant form of Fenian Cycle.