St. Patrick's Day is approaching!
As a mythology lover (and someone who is 3/8ths Irish), I see it as an incredible opportunity to share my knowledge of Irish myths and legends both in-person and online.
As I have thought about Irish mythology throughout the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day, I have noticed quite a lot of similarities between Ireland's major heroes:
Both are the stars of their respective literary cycles
Cuchulainn of the Ulster Cycle
Finn McCool of the Fenian Cycle
Both are half-mortal and half-divine
Cuchulainn is the son of Lugh (god of light and jack of all trades) and Diechtine (sister of King Connor McNessa of Ulster).
Finn McCool is the son of a warrior named Cuchulainn, and Murna Fairneck of the Tuatha De Danann (the children of the great goddess Danu).
Both are powerful warriors
Cuchulainn is the fighter hero of Ulster.
I think of him as the O.G. D&D barbarian for reasons explained below.
Finn McCool is the leader of the Fianna warriors.
Both are mightier than average
When Cuchulainn is ready for battle, he goes into a battle-rage where his face becomes terrifying.
Finn McCool is a literal giant.
Both experienced life-changing events that governed their destinies
Cuchulainn killed the guard dog of a smith named Culann, and agreed to stand in for the dog until Culann found a new actual dog.
Cuchulainn means "the hound of Culann".
Finn McCool burned his thumb on the Salmon of Knowledge, which he was roasting for his druid mentor Finnegas.
He licked his burn, and was suddenly imbued with all the wisdom of the world.
Try asking him, "Is this statement a falsehood?"
Both served as defenders
Cuchulainn defended the land of Ulster against the forces of Queen Medb of Connacht.
Finn McCool defended the palace of King Cormac McAirt from the wicked fairy Aillen, who torched the palace every year on Samhain (the ancestor of Halloween).
Both experienced tragic romance
Cuhculainn was married to a maiden named Emer, but also cavorted with Aoife (a female warrior) and Fand (the faerie wife of the god Manannan McLir).
Cuchulainn was also embraced by Morrigan (the goddess of war, death, and fate); he said "NO!"...and in doing so, sealed his fate.
Finn McCool was about to marry a maiden named Grainne...when she ran off with Diarmuid, one of his Fianna warriors.
Finn McCool eventually did find a mate; a maiden called Sadb (granddaughter of the god Daghda), who became the mother of his son Oisin.
Both were involved with female warriors
As mentioned earlier, Cuchulainn courted the lady warrior Aoife.
Finn McCool was raised by two female warriors to shelter him from the man who killed his father.
Both lost their sons
Cuchulainn fought a lad named Connla in a duel; he eliminated him, but then realized that Connla was his son!
Oisin, son of Finn McCool, was betrothed to the Land of Eternal Youth; he returned to the Material Plane 300 years in the future, by whence Finn McCool was long gone.
Imagine how Finn McCool must have felt...
Both live on even in death (even in their own story cycles)
Cuchulainn's death is particularly noteworthy:
He strapped himself to a rock so that he could die standing up, as Morrigan landed on his shoulder in her crow form.
Even as Cuchulainn was dying, he repelled the enemy forces.
When Oisin ended up 300 years in the future and got very very old, he recounted the tales of Finn McCool to St. Patrick (y'know, the mascot of the upcoming holiday).
In this way, Finn McCool lived on in the memory of his time-shifted son.
Once St. Patrick's Day itself arrives, I will make another post on this blog explaining how and why I depict Irish Celtic mythology the way I do.
Stay tuned, and have a happy start of spring in the north of the world.
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