Irish Myth: Fenian Cycle Trivia Quiz

Answer: Inadvertently tasted the flesh of the Salmon of Knowledge

The young Finn sought to become a 'poet' (the word implied more in his day than in ours) in order to escape the efforts of his enemies to seek revenge upon him. He therefore asked to become the pupil of the druid Finegas. Finegas had spent the previous twenty years in pursuit of Fintan, the salmon who ate the hazel nuts of knowledge that fell into the Boyne, of whom it had been foretold that the first to eat of its flesh would gain mystical knowledge. Finegas set the boy to cook the fish, but told him not to eat any of it. Finn did as he was told, but burned his thumb on Fintan's juices.

He therefore put his thumb in his mouth to ease the pain, thereby tasting its flesh. When Finn told Finegas what had happened, the druid realized that his own chance was lost, so instructed the lad to finish the fish, then sent him away.

Answer: Saba was the grand-daughter of an otherworldly poet

Finn was out hunting with his men when they saw a doe. The doe ran so fast that soon all pursuers had been left behind save Finn and his dogs, Bran and Skolawn. (Bran and Skolawn had been born to Finn's maternal aunt Tyren (sons of her husband Ullan) after a fairy-woman (who loved Ullan) had transformed her into a dog.) The doe permitted the dogs to catch up to her, and when Finn arrived on the scene he found the dogs licking the doe and playing with her. Realizing there was enchantment at play, Finn did not kill the doe, but led it to his homestead at the dun of Allen.

There, the doe became the fair maiden Saba, who had been transformed into the shape of a deer three years before by the druid known as the Dark when she refused his advances.

She had known that she would be safe from all enchantments on the dun of Allen, but had not known how to get there safely. At last she had allowed Finn's shaggy cousins Bran and Skolawn -- who partook of human rather than canine nature and so would not hurt her -- to catch up with her, thus winning safe passage to the safe haven. Finn loved her tenderly from that moment.

Answer: Fawn

When Finn was out fighting vikings in the Bay of Dublin, The Dark Druid returned and lured Saba away from the protections of the dun of Allen by assuming Finn's shape. When Finn returned, his wife was gone. For seven years he sought her, to no avail. And then one day he came upon the hunting dogs of his men trying to kill a naked young boy, and his own cousin-dogs Bran and Skolawn protecting him.

He beat off the dogs, and gave the boy shelter. Once the boy learned human speech, he told his story: he had known no mother other than a doe, and had been raised by her. Periodically, the doe had been menaced by a dark-faced man, who eventually bore her away, forcing her to leave her son. Finn then realized the boy was his own son, and named him 'Fawn' since his mother had been a deer.

Answer: Never yield in argument.

Finn told Geena, in Rollston's (public domain) translation: '(1) Son of {Lug;} if armed service be thy design, in a great man's household be quiet, be surly in the narrow pass. (2) Without a fault of his beat not thy {hound;} until thou ascertain her guilt, bring not a charge against thy wife. (3) In battle meddle not with a buffoon, for, O mac Luga, he is but a fool. (4) Censure not any if he be of grave repute {;} stand not up to take part in a {brawl;} have naught to do with a madman or a wicked one. (5) Two-thirds of thy gentleness be shown to women and to those that creep on the floor (little children) and to poets, and be not violent to the common people. (6) Utter not swaggering speech, nor say thou wilt not yield what is right {;} it is a shameful thing to speak too stiffly unless that it be feasible to carry out thy words. (7) So long as thou shalt live, thy lord forsake {not;} neither for gold nor for other reward in the world abandon one whom thou art pledged to protect. (8) To a chief do not abuse his people, for that is no work for a man of gentle blood. (9) Be no tale-bearer, nor utterer of falsehoods {;} be not talkative nor rashly censorious. Stir not up strife against thee, however good a man thou be. (10) Be no frequenter of the drinking-house, nor given to carping at the {old;} meddle not with a man of mean estate. (11) Dispense thy meat {freely;} have no niggard for thy familiar. (12) Force not thyself upon a chief, nor give him cause to speak ill of thee. (13) Stick to thy {gear;} hold fast to thy arms till the stern fight with its weapon-glitter be ended. (14) Be more apt to give than to deny, and follow after gentleness, O son of Luga,' For purposes of this quiz question, see most particularly the maxim I have numbered 6 (for the maxim contradicting the correct answer) as well as those I have numbered 2, 3 and 7 (for the wrong answers).

Answer: To be able to speak three languages.

Again from Rollston: 'In the time of Finn no one was ever permitted to be one of the Fianna of Erin unless he could pass through many severe tests of his worthiness. (1) He must be versed in the Twelve Books of Poetry, and must himself be skilled to make verse in the rime and metre of the masters of Gaelic poesy. (2) Then he was buried to his middle in the earth, and must, with a shield and a hazel stick, there defend himself against nine warriors casting spears at him, and if he were wounded he was not accepted. (3) Then his hair was woven into {braid;} and he was chased through the forest by the Fianna. If he were overtaken, or if a braid of his hair were disturbed, or if a dry stick cracked under his foot, he was not accepted. (4) He must be able to leap over a lath level with his brow, and to run at full speed under one level with his knee, and he must be able while running to draw out a thorn from his foot and never slacken speed. (5) He must take no dowry with a wife.' For purposes of this quiz question, see most particularly the tests I have numbered 1,2 and 4 (for the wrong answers).

Answer: Dermot's half-brother

Dermot had been fostered to Angus {Oc;} Donn's wife was unfaithful to Donn with Angus' steward Roc. The extra-marital union produced a male child, half-brother to Dermot. Donn killed the child, and the steward Roc struck the boy's corpse with a 'druid rod' and brought it back to life as a monstrous boar with no tail and no ears. Roc then gave the boar the geas to kill Dermot O'Dyna.

The boar rushed out to roam the forests of Ben Bulben until the geas could be fulfilled.

Answer: Jumps down a well after an enchanted knight

Dermot climbed a cliff where he encountered a strange knight, against whom he did battle for a whole day. At the end of the day, the knight jumped down the well. The next day, the Knight of the Well {returned;} Dermot and the knight fought for the whole {day;} and the knight jumped back down the well.

The third day, the knight returned and the two fought for the whole day, but just as the knight was about to escape Dermot clasped his arms around him and accompanied him down, where he met the Faery king. (A note about the supernatural races in Irish myth.

At the time of the Mythological Cycle, the folk known as the Danaans are thought of as gods. By the time of the Ulster Cycle, the Danaans and their descendants, the dwellers beneath the hollow hills, are the Sidhe, still supernatural and powerful, but far less than gods.

By the Fenian Cycle, the same folk are referred to as the Faery.)

Answer: The jealousy and treachery of a beautiful woman

Finn was loved by two daughters of fey potentate Cullan the Smith, Aine and Milucra. Aine said in Milucra's hearing that she could never love a grey-haired man, so Milucra conceived a plan to turn Finn grey. Finn came upon a beautiful woman weeping that she had lost her ring in a nearby {lake;} she layed a geas upon Finn to retrieve it. Finn dove in and searched until he found it, but when he surfaced and gave it to her she jumped in the lake herself and disappeared.

Then Finn turned into an ancient, wrinkled old man, aged to the point of death.

He made his way back to his men, and bade them dig in the faery mound of Slievegallion (home of Cullan) until they came across a fair maiden with a drinking-horn. One draft from the horn restored Finn's youth, but left his hair grey.

A second draught would have restored his hair, but Finn refused, apparently thinking the silver made him look more distinguished.

Answer: Dermot boasts that he is a better lover than any other man in Ireland

High King Cormac mac Art promises his daughter to Finn, by now an old man. Young Grania ni Cormac prefers Dermot, so she distracts everyone by pretending to prefer Oisin mac Finn before laying a geas on Dermot to abduct her. There followed a sixteen-year chase, before Dermot and Finn were reconciled and Grania returned to Finn, apparently still virginal.

However, Finn was still bitter, and brought Dermot hunting in Ben Bulben, where the monstrous boar that had been Dermot's half-brother still lurked. Dermot killed the boar, but was himself mortally wounded by it. Dermot begged Finn to heal him with his magic power to convert well-water into a healing potion, but Finn, bitter to the end, refused, then pretended to consent but twice spilled the water before delivering it. Finally, on the third draught of water, Finn apparently was prepared to heal Dermot but by then it was too late: Dermot was dead.

Answer: Their own king, Cairbry

By the time Cairbry mac Cormac came to power, the Fianna had become a burden upon the people of Erin, exacting protection money from the peasants and so on. Cairbry refused to pay the tribute the Fianna demanded upon the betrothal of his daughter to a prince of the Decies, and enlisted the aid of many of the petty kings of Ireland.

The Fianna, at the best of times an uneasy alliance between the two rival clans of Morna and Bascna, split in two over the question of rebellion. Morna sided with Cairbry and Finn's clan Bascna opted for rebellion.

A final combat was fought at Gowra (Gabhra), where the Fianna, as well as King Cairbry, were all killed. It is unclear where Finn and Oisin (not to mention their comrade Keelta mac Ronan) were at the time. (Oscar was the war leader of Clan Bascna, not the king of the {Decies;} Bhaloir (or Balor) and Lugh are important figures in the Mythological Cycle.)