In Irish mythologyFintan mac Bóchra (modern spelling: Fionntán), known as "the Wise", was a seer who accompanied Noah's granddaughter Cessair to Ireland before the deluge. Bóchra may be his mother, or may be a poetic reference to the sea.
He was one of only three men in the expedition, along with fifty women, so he, Cessair's father Bith, and the pilot, Ladra, had sixteen wives each. Fintan's wives are named: Cessair, Lot, Luam, Mall, Mar, Froechar, Femar, Faible, Foroll, Cipir, Torrian, Tamall, Tam, Abba, Alla, Baichne, and Sille. He married Ebliu later. His only son was Illann.
His wives and children were drowned when the flood arrived but he survived in the form of a salmon, remaining a year under the waters in a cave called Fintan's Grave.[1] He then turned into an eagle and then a hawk then back to human form. He lived for 5500 years after the Deluge, becoming an advisor to the kings of Ireland. In this capacity he gave advice to the Fir Bolg king Eochaid mac Eirc when the Tuatha Dé Danann invaded, and fought in the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh.
He survived into the time of Fionn mac Cumhail, becoming the repository of all knowledge of Ireland and all history along with a magical hawk who was born at the same time as him. They meet at the end of their lives and recount their stories to each other. They decide to leave the mortal realm together sometime in the 5th century, after Ireland was converted to Christianity.
Due to his ability to shape-shift into a salmon and his honorific title as, "The Wise", Fintan mac Bóchra is sometimes confused with a similarly named animal figured in Irish mythology more commonly known and referred to as the Salmon of Knowledge. On the other hand people often forget or remain unaware of the significance to the Fionn mac Cumhail legend, and effectively tell only half the story. There is a school of thought that the relation of Fionn mac Cumhail with the Salmon was a much later alternative to link him with the original knowledge of Ireland's first populations.
See alsoedit
Tuan mac Cairill, another Lebor Gabála Érenn character with the ability to shape-shift, and as a result, he lives for several thousand years.
Referencesedit
^"Lebor Gabala Erenn pt. 2". Retrieved 22 May 2010.
April 11, 2024
fintan, bóchra, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Fintan mac Bochra news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message In Irish mythology Fintan mac Bochra modern spelling Fionntan known as the Wise was a seer who accompanied Noah s granddaughter Cessair to Ireland before the deluge Bochra may be his mother or may be a poetic reference to the sea He was one of only three men in the expedition along with fifty women so he Cessair s father Bith and the pilot Ladra had sixteen wives each Fintan s wives are named Cessair Lot Luam Mall Mar Froechar Femar Faible Foroll Cipir Torrian Tamall Tam Abba Alla Baichne and Sille He married Ebliu later His only son was Illann His wives and children were drowned when the flood arrived but he survived in the form of a salmon remaining a year under the waters in a cave called Fintan s Grave 1 He then turned into an eagle and then a hawk then back to human form He lived for 5500 years after the Deluge becoming an advisor to the kings of Ireland In this capacity he gave advice to the Fir Bolg king Eochaid mac Eirc when the Tuatha De Danann invaded and fought in the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh He survived into the time of Fionn mac Cumhail becoming the repository of all knowledge of Ireland and all history along with a magical hawk who was born at the same time as him They meet at the end of their lives and recount their stories to each other They decide to leave the mortal realm together sometime in the 5th century after Ireland was converted to Christianity Due to his ability to shape shift into a salmon and his honorific title as The Wise Fintan mac Bochra is sometimes confused with a similarly named animal figured in Irish mythology more commonly known and referred to as the Salmon of Knowledge On the other hand people often forget or remain unaware of the significance to the Fionn mac Cumhail legend and effectively tell only half the story There is a school of thought that the relation of Fionn mac Cumhail with the Salmon was a much later alternative to link him with the original knowledge of Ireland s first populations See also editTuan mac Cairill another Lebor Gabala Erenn character with the ability to shape shift and as a result he lives for several thousand years References edit Lebor Gabala Erenn pt 2 Retrieved 22 May 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fintan mac Bochra amp oldid 1197678961, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
