The Salmon of the Knowledge

Once upon a time, the High King of Ireland lived in the hills of Tara on the steep shores of the Celtic Sea. When dangerous enemies and ruthless conquerors threatened his kingdom, he built an army of his people’s best warriors, the Fianna army. He appointed the strongest of them as the leader, Cumhall Mac Trenmhoir. Cumhall, in addition to being a fearless warrior, was a distinguished man and always had the unconditional support of the king. For all these virtues, the other soldiers were so jealous of him that they conspired against him and killed him.

Cumhall’s wife feared that they would also kill their son, little Fionn, so she decided to hide him somewhere far away so that no one would find him. So she left her home, and with her young son in her arms, she set out on a long and challenging journey to the Sliabh Bloom Mountains, where two women lived, a warrior and a Druid. After searching long and mightily to find them, she asked them to keep her son, care for him and teach him what they knew so that when he grew up, he would be a skilled warrior like his father and command the Fianna army. The two women, Bobdal and Fiacal, agreed to raise little Fionn. They even told her that they would change his name and call him Demne so that no one would know his true identity and that they would hide him in a place so safe that even she could not find him.

Fionn’s mother was deeply hurt by their words but mainly by the thought that she might never see her son again. But she knew it was a sacrifice she had to make to be safe.

The two women kept their word and taught Demne everything he needed to become a great warrior. They taught him strategic techniques so he could take on an army of opponents with just his sword. He was also taught magic spells to defeat his enemies and how to survive in the wild and find the food he needed.

However, he would not be considered a complete warrior if he did not also learn the art of poetry. So Bobdal and Fiacal, after teaching him all they knew, sent him to apprentice with the great poet Finneigeas.

Finneigeas lived in a house he had built himself on the banks of the Boyne River so that he could fish every day. There was a legend at the time that in this river lived “the salmon of knowledge” and that whoever caught the fish and ate it would automatically conquer all the world’s knowledge.

One day as Finneigeas was fishing in the river lake with his harpoon, he suddenly began calling Demne, “Come quickly! At last, I have caught the salmon of knowledge!” Demne immediately stopped what he was doing and ran to help his teacher. Under Finneigeas’ strict instructions, Demne lit a fire and began to cook the coveted fish.

The old master ordered Demne to be very careful while cooking the fish and not touch it with his mouth. He reminded him how long he had waited for this moment and that the fish belonged to him by right.

Indeed, Demne carefully cooked the fish until he had to turn the fish over. The hot skin of the fish burned his thumb, and then, with a mechanical motion, he put his finger in his mouth to stop the pain.

When Demne took the fish to Finneigeas, the wise poet immediately noticed that the boy had changed. He discerned that he was no longer his young apprentice. His eyes were filled with wisdom.

“Have you eaten my salmon?” asked Finneigeas. “No! I didn’t even touch it,” said Demne impulsively, and then he remembered that he had burned his thumb and put it in his mouth.

Finneigeas understood.

“What is your real name, young man?” he asked.

“My mother called me Fionn; I am the son of Cumhall,” he replied, “but why do you ask?”

“I have nothing more to teach you, Fionn mac Cumhaill. You must go to the king and take your father’s place as leader of the Fianna. That is your destiny.”

Finneigeas was very sad because he had not been able to make the wisdom of the salmon of knowledge his own. He knew he would never be the wisest man in Ireland, but he was glad for his disciple. Fionn thanked Finneigeas for all he had taught him and set out to find his destiny in the hills of Tara.

From that day on, whenever Fionn wondered about something, all he needed to do was put his thumb in his mouth for a moment, and all was revealed to him. Fionn became the leader of Fianna and the most fearless warrior Ireland had ever known.

Picture of Sofia Motsia

Sofia Motsia

MA Creative Writing, BA Theatre studies

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