The High Deeds of Finn MacCool
Encyclopedia
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 Oddessey.
as a defense force for Ireland
, which was originally led by Finn's father, Cumhal
. Cumhal is killed by Goll mac Morna
, who takes over leadership of the Fianna, and Cumhal's wife Muirne
flees to give birth to Finn. The boy grows up strong in the manner of his father, studies under the poet Finn Eces
, accidentally tasting the Salmon of Knowledge and thereby gaining magical powers, and ultimately regaining leadership of the Fianna by defeating the Fairy
that haunts the Court of Tara
, Aillén mac Midgna. Goll swears loyalty to him, and Finn rules the Fianna successfully thereafter.
Similar to Sutcliff's Arthurian Novel The Sword and the Circle
, most of the chapters in this novel are nearly stand-alone tales, covering many of the stories and characters associated with the Fenian Cycle. Some of these include: Finn's courtship of Sadhbh and the birth of Oisín
; the tales of Diarmuid and Grainne; Niamh of the Golden Hair; the Giolla Dacker; multiple encounters with the Fair Folk;
and ultimately ending with Cath Gabhra
and the downfall of the Fianna.
Rosemary Sutcliff
Rosemary Sutcliff CBE was a British novelist, and writer for children, best known as a writer of historical fiction and children's literature. Although she was primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults; Sutcliff herself once commented that she wrote...
and was first published in 1967. It is a retelling of the stories of Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill
Fionn mac Cumhaill , known in English as Finn McCool, was a mythical hunter-warrior of Irish mythology, occurring also in the mythologies of Scotland and the Isle of Man...
and the Fenian Cycle
Fenian Cycle
The Fenian Cycle , also referred to as the Ossianic Cycle after its narrator Oisín, is a body of prose and verse centering on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warriors the Fianna. It is one of the four major cycles of Irish mythology along with the Mythological Cycle,...
. According to her own statements in the introduction, these stories are closer to Folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and Fairytale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
, being timeless and contradictory, having organically grown from generations of storytellers; she contrasts them to the Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
stories of Cuchulainn
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
, which belong to the Heroic Epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, and compare with the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and the Oddessey.
Plot summary
The story begins with the explanation of Cormac mac Art's formation of the FiannaFianna
Fianna were small, semi-independent warrior bands in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology, most notably in the stories of the Fenian Cycle, where they are led by Fionn mac Cumhaill....
as a defense force for Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, which was originally led by Finn's father, Cumhal
Cumhal
Cumhall son of Trénmór is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, a leader of the fianna and the father of Fionn mac Cumhaill....
. Cumhal is killed by Goll mac Morna
Goll mac Morna
Goll mac Morna was a member of the fianna and an uneasy ally of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He had killed Fionn's father, Cumhal, and taken over the leadership of the fianna, but when Fionn grew up and proved his worth Goll willingly stepped aside in his favour.His...
, who takes over leadership of the Fianna, and Cumhal's wife Muirne
Muirne
Muirne or Muireann Muncháem was 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 would lead to the loss of his home on the hill of Almu, so he refused them all. But one of them,...
flees to give birth to Finn. The boy grows up strong in the manner of his father, studies under the poet Finn Eces
Finn Eces
Finn Eces 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 catch the Salmon of Wisdom, a fish that will grant all the world's knowledge to whoever...
, accidentally tasting the Salmon of Knowledge and thereby gaining magical powers, and ultimately regaining leadership of the Fianna by defeating the Fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
that haunts the Court of Tara
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...
, Aillén mac Midgna. Goll swears loyalty to him, and Finn rules the Fianna successfully thereafter.
Similar to Sutcliff's Arthurian Novel The Sword and the Circle
The Sword and the Circle
The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is a children's novel by Rosemary Sutcliff and was first published in 1981. It is a retelling of the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table...
, most of the chapters in this novel are nearly stand-alone tales, covering many of the stories and characters associated with the Fenian Cycle. Some of these include: Finn's courtship of Sadhbh and the birth of Oisín
Oisín
Oisín , also spelt in English Ossian or Osheen, was regarded in legend as the greatest poet of Ireland, and is a warrior of the fianna in the Ossianic or Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology...
; the tales of Diarmuid and Grainne; Niamh of the Golden Hair; the Giolla Dacker; multiple encounters with the Fair Folk;
and ultimately ending with Cath Gabhra
Cath Gabhra
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...
and the downfall of the Fianna.