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Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Christian scribes, who modified and Christianized them to some extent. This body of myths is the largest and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. The tales and themes continued to be developed over time, and the oral tradition continued in Irish folklore alongside the written tradition, but the main themes and characters remained largely consistent.
Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the Fianna bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and poet. He is said to have a magic thumb that bestows him with great wisdom. He is often depicted hunting with his hounds Bran and Sceólang, and fighting with his spear and sword. The tales of Fionn and his fiann form the Fianna Cycle or Fenian Cycle, much of it narrated by Fionn's son, the poet Oisín.
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, also known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, was a hero and demigod, son of Donn and one of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is best known as the lover of Gráinne, the intended wife of Fianna leader Fionn mac Cumhaill in the legend The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. Among his sons were Donnchadh, Iollann, Ruchladh and Ioruad.
Fianna 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 from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, "who had left fosterage but had not yet inherited the property needed to settle down as full landowning members of the túath". For most of the year they lived in the wild, hunting, cattle raiding other Irish clans, training, and fighting as mercenaries. Scholars believe the fian was a rite of passage into manhood, and have linked fianna with similar young warrior bands in other early European cultures.
Cumhall or Cumhall mac Trénmhoir is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Bodhmall 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 is a druidess and the sister of Fionn's father Cumhal, and both she and her female partner Liath Luachra are known as great warriors.
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 Nutt for example distinguished the two as figures of different gender.
The Fenian Cycle, Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle 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 Ossianic Cycle after its narrator Oisín, it is one of the four groupings of Irish mythology along with the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, and the Kings' Cycles. Timewise, the Fenian cycle is the third, between the Ulster and Kings' cycles. The cycle also contains stories about other famous Fianna members, including Diarmuid, Caílte, Oisín's son Oscar, and Fionn's rival Goll mac Morna.
Nuadu Necht, son of Sétna Sithbac, a descendant of Crimthann Coscrach, of the Laigin, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to power after killing his predecessor, Eterscél, and ruled for six months, at the end of which he was killed by Eterscél's son Conaire Mór.
Cairbre Lifechair, son of Cormac mac Airt, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He came to the throne after the death of Eochaid Gonnat. During his time Bresal Belach was king of Leinster, and refused to pay the bórama or cow-tribute to the High King, but Cairbre defeated him in the Battle of Dubchomar, and from then on exacted the bórama without a battle.
Tadg, son of Nuada, was a druid and the maternal grandfather of Fionn Mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It is unclear whether his father was the short-lived High King Nuada Necht, the god Nuada Airgetlam of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or another figure of a similar name. Nuada Airgetlam is usually the father of Tadg with a mortal woman. He lived on the hill of Almu.
Oscar is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the son of Oisín and Niamh, and the brother of Plor na mBan, his bride is called Malvina. Though possibly a later addition to the cycle, Oscar was a popular character, and appeared prominently in several later Fenian tales, serving his grandfather as one of the fianna.
Deò-ghrèine or Deò-grèine can refer to the following:
- Fionn mac Cumhaill's famous banner, also known as “Deò-ghrèine Mhic Cumhail” after him.
- Perhaps inspired by MacCumhail's banner, An Deò-gréine was also used as the name of a Scottish Gaelic magazine, the organ of An Comunn Gàidhealach, first produced in 1905, later being retitled An Gàidheal. Its editors included Malcolm Macfarlane (1905-6) and Rev. Malcolm MacLennan (1906-8), best known for his dictionary.
- In James MacPherson’s Ossianic stories, based on Gaelic mythology, but with his own additions, it was also used for “the daughter of Cairbre, and wife of that Cruthgheal who was slain in battle by Swaran, king of Scandinavia, (Lochlann).” Some say that this character originally represented a daughter of the sun, something common in various mythologies. She was held captive in the Land of the Big Women, freed by Cailleach and Brian. This version is possibly also spelled Der Greine or Dia Griene. The story of Dia Greine, the Caillaleach and Brian is also mentioned in "The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore" By Patricia Monaghan.
- Another Dérgreine sleeps with Laegaibe Mac Crimthann during his visit to Fairyland, story in The Book of Leinster. There is a variation of this legend where she was the daughter of a king, given to the hero Laoghaire Mac Crimthann as a reward for his service to her father in killing the fierce Fianna warrior Goll mac Morna mentioned in "The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore" By Patricia Monaghan.
Rosguill is a peninsula situated in north-north-west County Donegal, Ireland. Lying between the peninsulae of Fanad to the east and Horn Head to the west, Rosguill is a dichotomy of heathland and ocean. With the great Sheephaven Bay with its mellow waters and pure-white strands on the one hand, and the treacherous sand banks of Mulroy Bay on the other. Between, a mixture of bog, hill and pastureland, the ancient walls, remnants of cattle enclosures, and the various evidences of fortification are proof of the area's use since antiquity. The Parish of Rosguill is an alternative name for the Parish of Mevagh, which covers the peninsula and an equally sized hinterland.
Conán mac Lia is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. A member of the warrior band the fianna, he is, in a way, less famous than the group's other Conán, Conán mac Morna.
The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn is a medieval Irish narrative belonging to the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. As its title implies, it recounts the boyhood exploits of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the cycle's central figure.
Cath Gabhra is a narrative of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It tells of the destruction of the fianna and the deaths of most of its warriors in a battle against the forces of High King Cairbre Lifechair. It is notable for depicting the fianna, the heroes of the cycle, in a negative light.
Irish Fairy Tales is a retelling of ten Irish folktales by the Irish author James Stephens. The English illustrator Arthur Rackham provided interior artwork, including numerous black and white illustrations and sixteen color plates. The stories are set in a wooded, Medieval Ireland filled with larger-than-life hunters, warriors, kings, and fairies. Many stories concern the Fianna and their captain, Fionn mac Uail, from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology.
The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool is a children's novel by Rosemary Sutcliff and was first published in 1967. It is a retelling of the stories of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fenian Cycle. According to her own statements in the introduction, these stories are closer to Folklore and Fairytale, being timeless and contradictory, having organically grown from generations of storytellers; she contrasts them to the Ulster Cycle stories of Cuchulainn, which belong to the Heroic Epic, and compare with the Iliad and the Odyssey.
References
- ↑ James McKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 3
- ↑ "Revue celtique". Paris. 1870.
- ↑ Borlase, William Copeland (1897). The Dolmens of Ireland. Indiana University: Chapman and Hall. p. 807. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ↑ Racial Proverb by Selsyn Gurney Champion, M.D. reprint 1966, pg. 70
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