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Salmon of Knowledge

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Salmon of Knowledge
The salmon eating thehazelnutsthat are falling into theWell of Wisdom
GroupingIrish Mythology
Sub groupingMythical fish
Other name(s)Bradán Feasa
CountryIreland

TheSalmon of Knowledge(Irish:An Bradán Feasa) is a creature in theFenian CycleofIrish mythology,sometimes identified withFintan mac Bóchra,who was known as "The Wise" and was once transformed into a salmon.

Fenian Cycle

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The Salmon story figures prominently inThe Boyhood Deeds of Fionn,which recounts the early adventures ofFionn mac Cumhaill.In the story, an ordinarysalmonate ninehazelnutsthat fell into theWell of Wisdom(an Tobar Segais) from nine hazel trees that surrounded the well. By this act, the salmon gained all the world's knowledge. The first person to eat of its flesh would in turn gain this knowledge.[1]

The poetFinn Eces(or Finegas) spent seven years fishing for this salmon. Finally Finn caught the salmon and gave the fish to Fionn, his servant and son ofCumhaill,with instructions to cook it but on no account eat any of it. Fionn cooked the salmon, turning it over and over, but when he touched the fish with his thumb to see if it was cooked, he burnt his finger on a drop of hot cooking fish fat. Fionn sucked on his burned finger to ease the pain. Little did Fionn know that all the salmon's wisdom had been concentrated into that one drop of fat. When he brought the cooked meal to Finn Eces, his master saw that the boy's eyes shone with a previously unseen wisdom. Finn Eces asked Fionn if he had eaten any of the salmon. Answering no, the boy explained what had happened. Finn Eces realized that Fionn had received the wisdom of the salmon, so gave him the rest of the fish to eat. Fionn ate the salmon and in so doing gained all the knowledge of the world. For the rest of his life, Fionn could draw upon this knowledge merely by biting his thumb. The deep knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge allowed Fionn to become the leader of theFianna,the famed heroes of Irish myth.[2][3]

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Scales on theBig FishorSalmon of Knowledgesculpture, which celebrates the return of fish to theRiver Lagan

In Irish mythology, several primordial beings that personify old age and ancient knowledge are described as taking the shape of a salmon. Most notably, this includesFintan mac BóchraandTuan mac Cairill.

TheWelshHanes Taliesin(16th c.) has a similar story of how the poetTaliesinreceived his wisdom,[4]that also involves shape-shifting into the form of a fish.

Heinrich Zimmersuggested that the episode may have been transferred from Scandinavia as part of the heritage of theNorse-Gaels.[5]This is supported by further circumstantial evidence regarding Norse motifs in the Fenian cycle, including his suggestion that the name of theFiannacan be traced back to an Irish rendering of Old Norsefiandr"enemies (pl.)" > "brave enemies" > "brave (free) warriors" (Zimmer 1891, p. 15ff),.[5]

In theIcelandicVölsunga saga(late 13th century), these motifs also recur:Odin,Loki,andHœnirslew anotterthat they later found to beÓtr,the son of thedwarfHreiðmarr.The treasure Hreiðmarr was receiving as ransom was then protected by his sonFáfnir,who took the shape of aworm or dragon.On behalf of his brotherRegin,Fáfnir was later slain bySigurð.Regin asked Sigurð to cook Fáfnir's heart for him to eat, but, like Fionn, Sigurð tasted it and gained knowledge of the speech of birds. Thus he learnt about Regin's treachery and confronted him.[6]Similarly,Saxo Grammaticus(Gesta Danorum,V.2.6-V.2.8, 12th c.) describes how Eric acquired eloquence and wisdom by eating the snake-infested stew his step-motherKrakahad prepared for his half-brother Roller.[7][8]

Themotifis well-known in European folktales and corresponds toAarne–Thompsontype 673 (KHM17, seeThe White Serpent's Flesh), frequently found in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, in the Baltic countries and occasionally also outside Europe.[9]As both the majority of fairy tales and the Germanic versions point to a serpent being digested, but not a salmon, it seems likely that the salmon is a substitute for an original serpent.

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Main article:Irish mythology in popular culture § Salmon of Knowledge

In 2019, theDublin-basedGilla Bandreleased "The Salmon of Knowledge" on their albumThe Talkies,which takes its title and some thematic content from the folk tale.

See also

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References

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  1. ^SEANETTA, ssm67alba."The Big Fish".Atlas Obscura.Retrieved21 June2020.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^Ériu.Royal Irish Academy. 1904. pp. Kuno Meyer, "The Boyish Exploits of Finn", pp. 185–186.
  3. ^"The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn mac Cumhaill".www.maryjones.us.Retrieved5 January2021.
  4. ^"The life of Taliesin the bard".BBC Wales.Retrieved18 June2020.
  5. ^abZimmer, Heinrich (1891).Keltische Beiträge III, in: Zeitschrift für deutsches Alterthum und deutsche Litteratur(in German). Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. pp. 1–171.
  6. ^Raszmann, August (1863).Bd. Die Sage von den Wölsungen und Niflungen in der Edda und Wölsungasaga(in German). C. Rümpler.
  7. ^Saxo (Grammaticus) (2015).Gesta Danorum.Clarendon Press.ISBN978-0-19-820523-4.
  8. ^"Erläuterungen zu den ersten neun Büchern der Dänischen Geschichte des Saxo Grammaticus Teil I Bücher I-V – Wikisource".de.m.wikisource.org.Retrieved6 July2020.
  9. ^Ranke, Kurt (2010).Enzyklopädie des Märchens: Suchen-Verführung(in German). Walter de Gruyter. p. 647.ISBN978-3-11-023767-2.

Sources

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