MYTHS

The young boy Demne decided to become a poet, and went to learn from the wise man Finegas who lived near the River Boyne. That river was home to a magical fish, the Salmon of Knowledge, who had knowledge of all things because it ate the nuts from a hazel tree that hung over the water. It was said that that first person to eat the magical salmon would become the wisest person in Ireland. After trying for many years, Finegas finally caught the fish and told Demne to cook it for him. As he was cooking it Demne burned his thumb, and he put his finger in his mouth to ease the pain and accidentally tasted the salmon. When Demne told Finegas what had happened, the poet said it had been foretold that a fair-haired boy would eat the fish, and he changed the boy's name to "Finn," which means "fair-haired." From the salmon Finn received three gifts that made him a great poet: magic, great insight, and the power of words.

From his many adventures, Finn became a giant-the biggest and strongest in Ireland. One day a messenger came to Finn's house with news that a Scottish giant, Benandonner, had challenged him to a fight. Benandonner wasn't able to swim across the sea to Ireland, so Finn tore pieces of volcanic rock into columns to make the causeway to Scotland. When Benandonner came across to Finn's house, Finn was disguised as a giant baby. The "baby" bit the hand off the Scottish giant, who ran back to Scotland, terrified at how big Finn himself must be if his baby was so huge! As Benandonner was running away, Finn gave him something else for good measure-he picked up clods of earth and threw them after the fleeing giant. The largest hole became Lough Neagh, Ireland's largest lake, and one large clump of dirt he threw became the Isle of Man.

One morning Finn and his son Oisin and the rest of the Fianna were hunting when they saw a beautiful woman on a white horse coming towards them. She wore a long, sky-blue dress studded with silver stars, and her long golden hair hung to her waist. "I am Niamh of the Golden Hair," she said, "and my father is king of Tir-Na-nOg, the land of youth. It is a happy place. Any wish you make comes true and no one grows old there. I am looking for the famous warrior named Oisin to take back with me." Oisin thought about it and decided to go for a visit. He said goodbye to his father and friends, promised to return soon, then jumped up onto the horse and galloped away. The Fianna were sad to see him go, but remembered Oisin's promise to return soon. The king and queen of Tir-Na-nOg welcomed Oisin and held a great feast in his honor. Oisin was very happy there. He hunted and feasted and at night he told stories of the Fianna and their lives in Ireland, and before long he and Niamh were married. Time passed quickly, and Oisin began to think of returning home. Niamh didn't want him to go, but she said, "My white horse will carry you safely there and back, but whatever happens, don't get off the horse and touch the ground of Ireland, or you can never return to me or Tir-Na-nOg." She didn't tell him that although it seemed like only a few years, he had really been in Tir-Na-nOg for 300 years. When Oisin got to Ireland everything seemed strange, and there was no sign of his father or the rest of the Fianna. He stopped to help some men move a large stone, and when he leaned down the saddle strap broke and Oisin fell to the ground. Immediately the white horse disappeared and the men saw before them an old, old man.