Fionn mac Cumhaill, hero of the Fionn or Ossianic cycle of tales, leader of a band of warriors (fían) under the High King Cormac mac Airt. Fionn's troop, known as the Fianna, assumed pre-eminence in Irish storytelling tradition, and accounts of their exploits came to be known as Fianaigecht or Fiannaíocht. As a member and leader of a fian, a band of nomadic hunters and warriors, Fionn was to some extent an outlaw; yet he was also a poet, diviner, and sage. His father, Cumhall, was a leader of the Tara fian in the service of Conn Cétchathach, High King of Ireland, while his mother was Muirne (or Muireann), daughter of a druid, so that his parentage combined warrior and visionary elements. As well as being endowed with physical courage, Fionn possesses a gift of special insight which he can summon by biting his finger. Thereafter he finds himself inspired with imbas (great knowledge) whenever he puts the damaged finger into his mouth. By chewing his thumb to the marrow—an activity known as teinm laída (chewing the pith)—or by putting it under his déad feasa (tooth of knowledge) he can attain the state of wisdom. When Cormac mac Airt becomes King, Fionn serves him and protects Ireland from foreign invasion, as narrated in Cath Finntrágha. Noted members of Fionn's warrior-band were Caoilte mac Rónáin, and Conán mac Mórna the buffoon. Fionn had his headquarters at the Hill of Allen in Co. Kildare (Almu or Almha). In the main tale of the Fionn cycle, Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne, Fionn appears as a vindictive and jealous older man, initially threatened by the youthful Diarmuid but eventually getting Gráinne back. According to Aided Finn (Death of Fionn), Fionn is killed by the five sons of Urgriu after he has been weakened in combat. In folk tradition he is still alive and ready to help Ireland in times of need. Fionn (‘bright’, ‘fair’) has been seen as a variation on Lug, a divinity of the Tuatha Dé Danann; he is also associated through his name with light, and linked to Welsh Gwynn, as well as with the Celtic origins of Vienna.

Bibliography

Joseph Falahy Nagy, The Wisdom of the Outlaw (1985).

The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Copyright © 1996, 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.