The Mythology Book

168

I

n Celtic mythology, the

creation of the Giant’s

Causeway, Northern Ireland’s

natural wonder, was the result

of a conflict between giants.

The rivalry in question was

between the Irish giant Finn

MacCool, who lived in Ulster with

his wife, Oonagh, and a Scottish

giant called Benandonner, who

taunted him from across the sea.

Finn, who was normally peaceable,

grew so angry that he grabbed a

huge clod from the ground to fling

at Benandonner. He missed; the

clump of earth landed in the Irish

Sea, forming the Isle of Man, while

the hole it left formed Lough Neagh.

Finn then constructed a causeway

of stones so he could cross the sea

and fight Benandonner; but as he

traversed the bridge, Finn caught

sight of his would-be opponent.

The Scottish giant was truly

enormous, and far larger than Finn.

Fearing that he would be defeated,

Finn fled back to Ireland and hid in

his home. Such was his haste that

he left one of his boots stuck in

the ground—a boot-shaped rock

can still be seen today. With

Benandonner in hot pursuit, Finn’s

situation appeared dire. Fortunately,

his wife devised a plan.

In plain sight

Oonagh baked iron griddles

inside loaves of bread and made

some cheese curds. She then

constructed a giant cradle and told

Finn to lie in it. Benandonner found

their house, and Oonagh invited

him in. When Benandonner

demanded to see Finn, Oonagh

replied that her husband was out—

though in fact, he was lying quietly

in the cradle, disguised as a baby.

The Scottish giant settled down

to wait. Oonagh offered him a loaf

of bread. As he bit into it, the iron

griddle inside broke two of his

teeth. When he complained of its

toughness, Oonagh replied that she

IN BRIEF

THEME

Warring giants

SOURCE

Tales and Sketches, William

Carleton, 1845.

SETTING

Ancient Ireland.

KEY FIGURES

Finn MacCool A giant from

Ireland.

Oonagh Finn’s wife.

Benandonner A giant from

Scotland.

Just lie there snug,

and say nothing, but

be guided by me.

Tales and Sketches

HE HAS THE NAME OF

BEING THE STRONGEST

AND BRAVEST MAN

IN IRELAND

FINN MACCOOL AND THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY

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169

The Giant’s Causeway is located in

Antrim, Northern Ireland. Geologists

trace its formation back to the rapid

cooling of lava displaced by volcanic

activity 50–60 million years ago.

See also: A complex god 164 ■ The voyage of Bran 165 ■ The cattle raid of Cooley 166–67 ■ Blodeuwedd 170–71

NORTHERN EUROPE

was only serving him what Finn

always ate. His pride insulted,

Benandonner tried another loaf and

shattered two more of his teeth,

roaring with pain. Oonagh chided

him for being weak, saying that her

baby regularly ate the same loaves.

She handed Finn one she had

baked without a griddle inside. To

Benandonner’s surprise, Finn was

able to eat it easily.

Running scared

Oonagh then challenged

Benandonner to show his strength

by squeezing water out of a white

stone. Try as he might, it was

impossible. The disguised Finn

then took the stone, but secretly

swapped it for the cheese curds

Oonagh had made. When he

squeezed them, clear whey ran

down his hands. Stunned by this

display of strength, Benandonner

reached into the baby’s mouth to

test the sharpness of his teeth, and

Finn savagely bit down on his little

finger. Benandonner was now

alarmed; if the baby was so large

and strong, his father would surely

be even more fearsome. Terrified,

Benandonner fled the house before

Finn could return and find him.

Such was Benandonner’s fear of

Finn that he deliberately smashed

the crossing between Ireland and

Scotland, creating what is now

known as the Giant’s Causeway. ■

The Fenian Cycle

In Irish and Welsh mythology,

Finn MacCool is best known not

as a giant, but as a hero who was

said to have lived in the 4th

century ce. Finn and his band of

warriors, the Fianna, formed the

subject of a series of stories called

the Fenian Cycle, which was first

documented in the 12th century ce.

As a boy, Finn’s first great

exploit was to catch the Salmon of

Knowledge, which was full of the

world’s wisdom after eating

hazelnuts from a holy tree by the

River Boyne. When Finn then ate

the fish, he acquired its powers

and knowledge, becoming a great

leader. As an adult, Finn won

acclaim by killing Aillen, a

fire-breathing being from the

Underworld. He then assumed

leadership of the Fianna and

guided them through many

exploits and adventures. Finn’s

son, the poet Oisín, is the chief

narrator of the Fenian Cycle.

In some myths, Finn never

died, but retreated to a hillside

cave to sleep, ready to awaken

at the hour of Ireland’s greatest

need. The Fenian Brotherhood,

formed in the mid-19th century

with the goal of independence

for Ireland, took their name from

the Fianna, as did the political

party Fianna Fáil in 1926.

Young Finn meets his father’s old

warriors, hiding in a forest, in an

illustration from T. W. Rolleston’s

The High Deeds of Finn (1910).

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