#goll mac morna

[colleenbrooke]

Some incorrect fianna quotes made with the Perchance Incorrect Quotes Generator:

Caoilte: Oisín learned how to fold origami penguins from Diarmuid the other day. I told him, “I feel a little bad for the penguins, it’s hot here”, and the next day he put them in the fridge.

Fionn: Goll is not allowed to decide which one of us is the chosen one.

Fionn: I told Conán that his ears turn red when he lie.

Diarmuid: Does he though?

Fionn: No.

Diarmuid: Then why did you tell him that?

Fionn: Because I can do this.

Fionn: Hey Conán! Do you love us?

Conán, with his hands over his ears: No.

Caoilte: I won a new phone in a race.

Oisín: Huh? What kind of race lets you win a phone, Caoilte?

Caoilte: A race between the store owner, the cop, and me.

Fionn: You saved me! Why?

Goll: People would think I murdered you if I didn't.

Caoilte: I love you.

Fionn: How many people have you said that to?

Caoilte: Everyone.

Fionn: What?

Caoilte: I told everyone that I love you.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Fionn Mac Cumhaill - Day 56

Race: Genma

Alignment: Light-Neutral

June 17th, 2024

Can you believe it guys? SMT V: Vengeance, just a... wait, it already came out? Damn, this joke doesn't work. Still, today we delve deeper into the hallowed hallows of Irish stories, examining a certain hero that has only one rival in terms of his popularity, which says a lot, given that rival is none other than Cu Chulainn; a legendary hunter-warrior who led the powerful army of warriors known as the Fianna, Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Infamous within the series for having one of the toughest boss fights in SMT V, Fionn actually is one of the most popular (and prominent) legendary figures in Irish folklore, and I'm frankly surprised it took this long for him to show up in the series.

Most of these Irish stories come in the forms of appearing in books called cycles- for one, the Ulster Cycle covers the exploits of Cú Chullain and Queen Medb, but in the case of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, one need not look further than another one of these books, that being the Fenian Cycle. The reasoning for this common naming scheme has actually been lost to time, so that's fun, but at least some people try to offer explanations. One that I enjoy actually comes from a Reddit post that purports that it may be because these tales 'cycle' around a certain character, like how the Fenian cycles around Fionn, or the Ulster cycles around Cú. That aside, though, these tales are notable from place to place for both providing context on Irish history itself as well as being great stand-alone stories in-and-of themselves.

One of these stories in the Fenian Cycle is entitled "The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn," originating as a fractured manuscript called Laud 610: folio 118Rb-121Va, though translations and added-on segments from other stories likely connected have led to the commonly accepted translation. Originally, Laud 610 was the only thing we had to work off of for Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a 14th century manuscript written in I believe Gaelic? The most recent translation we have to work off of, made up of translations, transliterations, and added-on segments, appears in a book written by Joseph Falaky Nagy called "The Wisdom of the Outlaw: Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition." In the story, it goes over the, well, exploits of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, starting with what else but his birth.

In the tale, it begins with the death of Fionn's father, Cumhall, who was the leader of the Fianna, a word used to effectively mean a band of hunter-warriors. Killed by his mortal enemy, Goll mac Morna, his unborn son and his wife Muirne were waiting for him, but upon Muirne learning of his death, she sent her son away as soon as he was born, fearing for his safety. This son's name was Demne, and whom he ended up with, a druiddess named Bodhmall, gave him the surname of Máel, his name effectively meaning "Stalwart shorthair druid." Bodhmall and her gal-pal Liath Luachra end up raising Demne to be a strong warrior, accompanying him on his myriad adventures, within one of which he gains his name, Fionn. After eating a salmon. We'll get to that. Given that he was just a kid, he had no real reason to be much of a fantastic warrior as of yet. However, the fates had different plans.

One day, while out hunting with a band of the Fianna, he'd come across a nice place to go fishing. While still known as Denme, aka being very young, he'd come across what was effectively a video game sidequest- a poet named Finnegas had spent years fishing in a nearby river to catch the mythical Salmon of Wisdom, as he had gotten a prophecy years back that he would eventually eat the salmon and gain all the world's wisdom. However, he had very poor luck. Denme, recognizing the frustration of the struggle, offered to help in going fishing. After a little while, the poet finally caught it! Recognizing the metaphorical good luck charm in Denme now by his side, he'd let the kid cook it.

While cooking the salmon, however, Fionn accidentally burned his thumb, to which he instinctively stuck it in his mouth... incidentally blessing himself with all the world's knowledge. Likely astonished by how dumb this kid was, Finnegas would give up, letting him have the entire rest of the salmon, now meaning that he could have access to the entire world's repository of knowledge... as long as he sucked his thumb. Yeahhh. Hilariously, this ability went on to be known as the "Thumb of Knowledge." I gotta wonder how Fionn felt when he got older and still had to do such an embarrassing ritual to access his strength.

As Fionn began to grow older, he grew accustomed to working under the services of many kingdoms, but when he'd mention his father's name- Cumhall- they'd send him away out of fear that they couldn't fight off his enemies. As it'd turn out, Cumhall was a massive fan of making foes, and was also a piece of work, to say the least, having abducted his wife and forced her to marry. Yikes. Thankfully, Fionn was far from his father in spirit, as shown when in future myths he ended up forgiving and even teaming up with Goll mac Morna. This story also ties into the Fomorians, but I'll leave you to look into that further yourself.

Several more myths surround Fionn, but this DDS is growing long, so I'll let you read them yourself. Trust me, they're a blast. A personal favorite of mine is that he never truly died- instead, he sealed himself into a cave to return when Ireland was at it's most dire moment. Given Irish history, I dread to think about what could happen next for Fionn to return (joke shamefully stolen from OSP's fantastic video on Fionn mac Cumhaill.) It's speculated that the reasoning for Fionn's biting of his thumb to access his pool of knowledge is actually connected to a belief in Fionn possibly being based on a real figure as well, though who this historical figure is is unknown- as the theory goes, he might've had a habit of biting his thumb while deep in thought. While this hypothesis has been offered time and time again, it's hard to pin down who exactly Fionn might have been.

In SMT, Fionn's design is honestly one of my favorite in the series, combining so many aspects of his character- his badass hunter-warrior look, druidic influences, his great blade, all the way down to one of his thumbs being covered in salmon-colored scales. I haven't played SMT V, unfortunately, but he appears as a rather infamous boss in the game with an utterly bumping theme, almost feeling like an anime character's theme track, which is very fitting, given Fionn's exploits. I can't wait to see this guy when I finally get my hands on Vengeance.

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

Something I’ve been wondering recently, that I thought you might have an answer to since you know your medieval Irish literature — both Cú Chulainn and Fionn MacCumhaill were known by different names in childhood and gained their better known ones later in life. Are there any other examples of this in the literature, or are they just weird outliers?

okay sorry it took me a few days to get to this i was too busy yelling about parchment

anyway there are a few others. notably, the seven maines, who had different names until medb renamed them all to fulfill a prophecy that one of them would kill conchobar (and then they killed a different conchobar). note that most texts they show up in don't refer to this at all and they're just known as maine, genuinely don't know if they were originally just seven guys (or six or eight) called maine and then someone came up with the backstory later to explain it or whether that was established from the start but hey. goll mac morna was originally called aed, but he got renamed goll after he lost an eye

there are likely quite a few more that i can't recall rn, and various saints etc also change their names which is i think pretty common and not unique to ireland (and indeed goes back to the bible e.g. saul/paul)

more often people just accumulate epithets and nicknames and things relating to a distinctive deed or injury or character trait, rather than changing their whole name, but i would say cu chulainn and finn aren't particularly outliers in this regard -- except in the sense that they're more of a household name post-name change than some of the others, i guess!

[nasuversekinkmeme]

Weekly Roundups: Prompts

FSN

Let this be the one and only prompt I will ever send to this blog. Saber with a top hat a mustache and a fat fucking blunt. A cigarette is also acceptable.

FATE/EXTRA

smut, You know that one scene in Fate/Extra where Rani has sex with your servant? Yeah I want Hakunon to be invited in. Whether she's an active participant or if she just gives a thumb up and leave is up to you. (Archer route preferred!)

FSR

One of the remaining FSR Servants (or even characters from FSR who have the potential to become Servants due to being a historical figure themselves [like Zheng Chenggong]) being summoned to Chaldea. Honestly free for all on what exactly happens in the fill, just something that starts with this.

Anything with Zheng Chenggong and FSR Saber meeting up in Chaldea (with both as Servants even if the former hasn't actually been made one yet in Fate) tbh.

FGO

smut, BB Dubai’s henchmen get into a competition with Constantine’s henchmen. Loser gets a one way ticket to getting fucked without mercy.

One of the events (I forget which) had Tamamo Cat take up the camera because "Trust me, you don't want to see what Ushi looks like grinning while covered from head to toe in blood, woof!" I politely disagree and would like to request an image of exactly that.

smut, fionn/group - fionn very nicely takes care of his knights' stress. exactly as it says. i want fionn being a good nice slut for his knights of fianna, because it's hard work, you know, and it's good to keep morale up, and surely they deserve a reward for all they've done, and it's definitely not just an excuse to get some contact in after traveling for months and being away from a nice warm bed with a pretty girl in it for so long. diarmuid is an obvious must, but as for the other knights, you can do whatever you want! toss in whatever headcanons you might have about 'em. i'd especially love to see goll mac morna, with his contentious relationship with fionn and how that might make any physicality between them tense.

For the body horror prompts, maybe something with vortigern or the any of the tam lin with their “true forms” so to speak turned up a few degrees?

Arjuna weight gain, please... It feels like there's only like five people in the fandom who like the idea of him soft, and I'm two of them. Any pairing except Karna is fine, art or fic fills welcome, any size is good, just make him squishy <3

ANY

smut, noncon, Kindly asking for reader insert noncon. Ideally I need to get passed around Chaldean servants like a blunt but even just a single "servant of your choice makes good use of their inhuman strength to lock a poor unsuspecting reader in place for a quick fuck" works for me.

I want blorbos and sex toys. Not necessarily using them, if you want to write me Shiki shopping for toys or draw me Arcueid holding a magic wand like a lightsaber, that works for me (though I won't say no to lemon with toys in action, haha!) Any character, any fandom, any medium.

CROSSOVER

Bill Cipher is summoned to Chaldea. Not with a humanoid body or anything, still a triangle (bonus points if he has an Extra Class like Foreigner or Watcher, Berserker would also be acceptable). He is so confused and angry about all of this. Guda keeps essentially going “I can fix him” (not romantic, just in typical Guda fashion) in spite of his obvious warning signs. His powers are severely limited except for when he uses his Noble Phantasm, and he doesn��t know what a Noble Phantasm is so he thinks he’s been weakened forever (until he figures out how to use it ala Mash did) So many of the people here don’t know who he is, so they aren’t scared of him. At least a lot of the evil Heroic Spirits want to hang out with him.

This is mostly an art prompt (but writers are always welcome!): Crossover with Final Fantasy 14, please interpret your fave servant as if they were from that game! What class would they main, what race would they be? go wildddd

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Muirne / マナ, Deimne / ディムナ and Corrine / カレン

Muirne is an Isaachian cleric and a member of the imperial resistance in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. She is named after Muirne (also called Muireann Muncháem), the mother of Fionn mac Cumhaill in Irish mythology. Her father - a druid - foresaw her marriage leading to the loss of his home and thus prevented her from being with any of her countless suitors. Cumhall, however, stole her away from home. By the time he was found and killed in battle, Muirne was already with child. Her father, disgusted, ordered her to be burned to death. Only by the grace of the High King was she spared and went into hiding to give birth to her son. After leaving the child in the care of Cumhall's sister Bodhmall, she returns to society and married a king. Muireann's refuge with Bodhmall and Finn being born in hiding may relate to Muirne's part in the resistance movement, their base hidden in the town of Tirnanog. The mythological figure marrying into royalty may also relate to Murine's crush on Seliph.

In Japanese, Muirne's name is マナ (rōmaji: mana), romanized as Mana. Despite the romanization, the name is likely derived from マーナ, the common rendering of Muirne.

Deimne is an Isaachian bow knight in the imperial resistance and Muirne's brother. In Irish mythology, Deimne is the birthname of Finn mac Cumhaill, who came to lead the Fianna like his father once did. Under this name, Deimne came to serve anonymously under various lords and kings, but would be dismissed when his parentage was realized, as Cumhall's rival Goll mac Morna and his family were seeking to kill the boy. In most tales of his youth, Deimne found himself studying under the poet Finnegas, who was fishing for the Salmon of Knowledge, a fish that, when consumed, granted understanding of all things. When the salmon was finally hooked, Finnegas gave it to Deimne to cook; it was while the meat was searing that the boy burnt his thumb. He reactively put the finger to his mouth, and the salmon's wisdom was bestowed. Learning of what had happened, Finnegas gave the boy both the fish and the name Fionn.

In Japanese, Deimne's name is ディムナ(rōmaji: dimuna), romanized as Dimna. This uses one of the common renderings of Deimne in the language, the other being デムナ.

Corrine is a girl from the Isaachian capital and a suggested love interest of Deimne. This fan-localized name was likely to help differentiate her from Thracia 776's Karin, as their names are similar in Japanese. In the native language, her name is カレン (rōmaji: karen); while this is typically used for the name Karen, it can also be used for the Irish name Cullen. In The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the boy briefly stayed in a village called Cullen. Here he met Cruithne - daughter of the smith Lóchán - who quickly fell for the young hero. Despite not knowing each other long, Lóchán gave his daughter to Fionn and forged two spears at the youth’s request. After being told to avoid a certain road in Munster known for an aggressive boar was found, Fionn sought out and slayed the beast. He then returned to Cullen with the boar’s head gifted to the smith in exchange for taking Cruithne for a bride. This episode with Fionn and Cruithne serves as inspiration for the romantic nature of Deimne and Corrine's relationship.

[lastromanticist]

The Sqaubble over the Champions portion at Donns house

This prosimetrum piece is an entry for week 1 of Maythology2023, though very late.

Plot synopsis: After Osgar Mac Oisins death at the battle of Gabhra, he is ushered to the house of Donn where he is presented with a feast. Several figures from the Ulster cycle sit at one side of the table before him whilst figures from the fenian cycle sit on the other. The issue of the champions portion is risen after a brief discussion of the hero's and their feats the champions portion is brought by Manannan mac lir. A quarrel breaks out between Oscar and Cu over who gets the feast.

Oscar, son of Osin and Son of Fionn, had died at Gavra, but here he was. Sat in a burdensome Hall and presented a seat at a table burdened with food. Around its oakwood glimmer sat men and women familiar and strange. The familiar men sat to his side and in their ranks were brothers in arms. Brown hatred Diarmuid, son of Donn, sat to his left by what he assumed was his host. To his right was Goll, the one-eyed flame of Morna's sons who shone bright. Beyond him taking up nearly two seats, his rather dimmer brother bald Conan. Absent Oscar thought were his grandfather's, brothers, and cousins. The men sat opposite to him were curious in appearance with hair of many colours and skin painted in dress clearly that of older men. Suddenly, a man familiar to them all spoke up.

At Gavra Oscar mac Oisin fell , the fenne wept and he would head to hell

Known for his vigour that friend of deer. No one is alike him in feats it was so claimed.

The house of Donn where his ancestors eat, in front of the brown, he takes seat.

The warriors beside him not unlike ,My son fair Diarmuid of the love spot favoured of feats at Ventry to his left.

Aside from his right is Aedh, the fire of morna. One-eyed Goll was his name after Castle knock feats.

Cools slayer so-called. These men of Fianna. Fighters of Ireland presented before me in my house, and as guests,

Their deaths are recent yet I rally them here with heroes of old.

Donn so spoke as elegent as amargin himself, but his art was interrupted. A guest from Mag Mells planes spoke aloud, "Donn oh Dark one who amongst them would you find willing of this feast , a champions portion." The voice crept so rudely from the red lips of Mananaan son of Lir. The trickster magician of the sea had brought with him a prized pork loin that knowing him was probably someone's wife. He offered to the room it presented on a golden vessel with a hundred rivets and engravings of blue and silver at the tables centre. Donn spoke again. "I am unable to decide so candidly and would like to leave the portion to whoever was bold enough to claim it." It was then that the virulent champion, Fergus mac Roich, recited this verse.

Can the feats of any man opposite my Foster sons and I

Compare in valour or in wealth , Cunning or in Bile

For they look nothing to my eye , have they anything to compare to raiding Flidhais's cattle

Have they fought a brother at Ford or killed great Rowan Tree beasts.

I can surely say men of Emania have done more as I heard at many a feast.

Fergus words incited those sat around him to cheer and those opposite him to scorn. The heroes of Ulster and Connacht from the time before the coming of Fionn seemed confident, and they began to list their deeds in order of ascent. First to speak was Fraech, son of Idach, who mentioned his quest for cattle , training with Scathatch, and courtship of Findabair the fair. Next was Ferdiad Mac Domain, who listed similar events. Their boasts were easily defeated. However, when Dubthatch the beetle tounge spoke, "Yet Cu Culann killed you both." The next few boasts of warriors included Fergus and Connal Cernach, who both in manliness exceeded Fráech and Ferdiad, but yet again were their defeats at the hand of the smith's Hound a blockage on their claim as champion of the feast. It was after this display that Cu Finally boasted his own feats in this verse.

"As a youth I killed mangy at this table. Friend turned foe and Foe Turned friend

My son , my friends, by my hands, they faced defeat, it is true

I can claim that meat for many a man I killed , whilst Noble Ullaid' cried

With spear of Scathatch in alba gained. From Uathach feats the city secured

In Alpine heights, my name spread for Amazon's further than Cu Roi tread

And he I slayed amongst many an absentee man. Amongst others

To what can a Fian with no name present that trumps these feats?

Did they defend Muirthemne's planes from the morrigan and Medb.

Could they pursue Emer or Gruadh over sea

Would they face alone combat at Ford or watch the walls of the men of falegaes fortress.

Have they placed their head for cutting games or killed kings like Caipre Nia Fer.

For I have and no man in this room who witnessed or wained against me.

Could deny and not face dishonour. "

Conan mac morna, the brother of Goll and famous oaf looked red with anger. His mouth ran as fast as Caoilte had when collecting Conn Cetathatchs rabble. His words came out lurid and strongly slurred but still ever so venomous. "You dusty old heroes of time past know nothing of my " averse to say friends Conan paused " Brother and our companions". His red face seemed to get redder like a smith's crucible as he carried on. "Take this one boasting," he pointed towards Cu Chulain. "Though he looks as if his bones are porridge and muscles are boiled cabbage, he claims these feats , I bet he couldn't even take Grainne in a ". Before Conan could finish insulting Cu Chulains honour, he had a plate smash into his face and send his apple red head plummeting. Immediately, the heroes of Emania cheered, and heroes of clan morna seemed posied to fight. It was at this moment that Young Osgar mac Oisin finally stood up. There was a bowl of soup in his hands, which he proceeded to drink loudly. Despite his youth, his presence commanded a quiet in the room. Grown warriors watching a young man enjoy his favourite food. Osgar then spoke this verse.

"I need no champions portion at this feast, for soup is my delight

Had Fionn been here we would simply hand the feast to him

For any man amongst you who claims comparison to my grandfather

Is as oafish as my friend. I do delight in poetry of feats, so let me raise you my pedigree

I am the slayer of Caibre at Gabhra Ford and the killer of a million men at the world kings strand

I am the champion of Alba who I conquered with Aeneas sword

I am the savour of the hostels , a world King slayer, many a God I have felled

Yet my feats are the feats of my Fianna , Goll threw the whole world

Conan dragged Fionn from Demons halls , and Diarmuid pursued and slew dog heads and Demon Boars

I delight in soup and verse and don't shy from the suggest we exchange more

Yet I have yet another, rather than whisper vague verses , why don't we fight?"

Oscars words coincided with his chair being kicked back by his leap forward. The bowl he had drank from had its clay shattered on the Hound of ulster's head. Inspired by Osgars feat, the men of Baosinge and Morna began to take bones and plates to their enemies. The ultonian and Connact men responded in kind, and the little brawl at Donns House began. Fergus, on the sweet lips, began to sing of the hero of Fionns clans feats. Cu chullain responded to Osgars' attack with kind and smote him with a goblet for wine as the two premier heroes battled. All of this delighted the son of Lir, who mused upon the brawl.

"So surprising how even dead they squabble, does battle have delight even now?

Do you wish your descendants honour your hall like this ? With butterknife sword and chicken leg flail?

Bludgeoned by Turkey and beaten by qauil?"

The tricksters words, however, fell on death ears as the chaos before him was without reprive. Donn was himself involved in the brawl. After all other than his friend Fraech, his loyalty stored squarely with his sons allies, and he was currently helping defend his son's wife Grainne from Connachtmen with a serving plate shield. The aforementioned wife was throwing knives, and at fianna, she had recognised as her pursuers. Had fionn been there, she may have even killed him a second time. Goll was wrestling Fergus mac Roich, and the two seemed matched in strength and manliness. Diarmuid himself was facing Conall Cernach with roasting spit and winning, piercing his eye with it. This was, unfortunately, a bad decision as Cu Chulain upon hearing his Foster brothers' cries of pain began to frenzy. The halo of a warrior rose on his head, and he smote Oisin's son of the reddened weapons across the room before sweeping against the Fianna and inflicting heavy losses. Fergus of the true lips seeing this and not wanting the Fianna to lose rushed to Osgar and spoke this war vaunt verse.

"Rise up Osgar of the Bloody Spear

Rise up hero of ventry harbours year

Rise up, oh lad, who loved soup and supper

Rise up oh Noble youth who died to Caibre

Rise up, oh Slayer of Osgar Mac Garadh

Take shield and sword and defend your father's clan and friends honour"

Fergus ended the war vaunt with a heartfelt sayingto his nephew"You are our Noble hero, and your sacrifice hurt us , even here in the hall of our death, your deeds enumerate more than any other and your loss will be mourned around the world" upon hearing this Osgar himself wore the Halo of battle and with Fearless eyes he stared at what the Hound of Ulster had become and with a swift rush and salmon leap he had head of Cu Chulain swept off using nothing but a chair leg. He held the ulster heroes head by its long flowing fiery strands and claimed the champions portion for all the Fianna. Yet as they sat in the house of Donn Cu Chulain would not die a second time so his head was discarded, and through Mananaans wizardry, his form restored, and the feast resumed till Fionn would join them and the entire quarrel would begin again.

Mananaan composed this verse on the events.

"Is it better to die for others or for personal glory ?

Be gone too soon or end a story?

To be an Oscar or to be a Cu

Donns feast waits for all yet heroes still fight and slay

All that matters at the end, I suppose, is that these memories remain till present day"

[oddnub-eye]

Mythology Drabbles #31

@whatissleepeven since I know you like these.

Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Hero of the Fenian Cycle, finally arrives!

Disclaimer: Some of these drabbles are not presented entirely accurately to the source material they are drawn from. They are not meant to be entirely accurate. That being said, I hope you enjoy, and constructive criticism is always welcomed and encouraged.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Fionn Mac Cumhaill

The night sky was crisp and cool, and a young man, maybe 17 was sitting upon the roof. His hair was the color of freshly fallen snow, eyes the color of the noon sky. He spun a spear, red in color with an orange and yellow tip, in his hands.

“Fionn Mac Cumhaill.” A voice, low and calm, called out, causing the young man to turn around. Standing on the roof behind him was another young man, dark hair and nut colored skin, his orange eyes were piercing.

“Diarmuid.” Fionn greeted, climbing to his feet.

“I can’t believe you’re actually going through with this,” Diarmuid smiled, a small one, “To fight a member of the Tuatha de Danann? You must be mad!”

Fionn gave his spear a quick spin, “Not mad. Only determined and confident. You may watch, if you wish.”

“I’ll be asleep. That’s how he operates, putting everyone to sleep before burning the city. I’m intrigued on how you’ll stay awake.”

Fionn only smirked, “You just dream your dreams pretty boy, when you wake up, you’ll be happy your pillows aren’t singed.”

“Alright, alright,” Diarmuid turned around, “Good luck, Fionn.”

With that, Diarmuid left, leaving Fionn alone, spear in hand.

…

The song was low, quiet at first, only causing Fionn to grow drowsy. Fionn could see the citizens dropping into sleep below, as the silhouette of Aillen, the fire-breathing man of the Tuatha de Danann, appeared on the horizon.

The sleep began to weigh heavily on Fionn’s shoulders, and he knew it was time to put his plan into actions.

The spear in his hands rippled with heat, steaming in the air. The spear’s true power was to burn like a raging wildfire. Fionn took a deep breath.

…

The scream of agony distracted Aillen, causing him to stop playing his song. Turning in the direction of the scream, Aillen laid his eyes on a young man, hair the color of mountain snow. His eyes were heavy with, not sleep, but pain. His spear tip was steaming, drops of blood on the ground around him.

A cauterized burn scar marred the right side of his jaw.

“Aillen!” The young man roared, “I! Fionn Mac Cumhaill, son of Cumhall, and rightful leader of the Knights of Fianna, will end your burnings of this city!”

Aillen was taken aback, this warrior, barely more than a child, wounded himself to attempt to stop Aillen?! Aillen decided to humor the warrior.

“Alright boy, I will give you to honor of facing Aillen, the fire breathing man of the Tuatha de Danann,” Aillen smirked, confident, after all; there’s no way a mortal can kill a god.

…

Aillen gasped for air, completely taken aback. Fionn took another step forward, driving his spear deeper into Aillen, the red hot tip burning the god’s insides.

“H-How?” Aillen murmured.

“Simple,” Fionn whispered, rattled from the battle, tired from dodging Aillen’s blows, “I’m better than you.”

Fionn tore his spear from the god's stomach and Aillen smiled.

“You will be a great hero one day...Fionn. It is...a good death...to go out, facing you…”

Aillen’s body vanished into golden ashes, which blew away in the wind.

Fionn took a step backwards, before stumbling, falling over from exhaustion.

“Hey, look out there!” Diarmuid joked, catching Fionn.

“D-Diarmuid,” Fionn said, still exhausted, “What’re you doing here?”

“Well, I woke up, and had to come see what the commotion was.”

“Were your pillows singed?” Fionn smiled.

Diarmuid shook his head, “No. No they weren’t. You’ve cleared the King’s task...you will be admitted membership of the Fianna.”

“And leadership of it.” Goll mac Morna, current leader of the Fianna, interjected, “You truly are your father’s son, Fionn Mac Cumhaill. But moreover, you are a worthy warrior in your own right. I will officially transfer leadership to you once you’ve recovered.”

Fionn smirked, “I promise...the lead you well.”

“And I promise to serve you well, Fionn.” Diarmuid smiled.

“I will try...and be the best leader to you...I can.” Fionn smirked, “I think...I need to sleep.

“Go ahead...my leader.”

[leeoconnor]

Now, here's a character we havent seen yet: the villain! Goll Mac Morna.

He lost an eye (more on that later) and killed three kings while he was in exile from Ireland. He’s wearing their crowns around his neck like trophies in the top, red marker pen sketch. ‬(Ended up looking a bit like he should be in ‘Metal Gear Solid’ for some reason too...)

He's a bear of a man, old-skool bad-ass wrestler look. Bit of rough... He’ll cut ya. The note on the top right of the orangey pencil sketch mentions a torc; torcs are Celtic neck rings, just in case you didn’t know. Goll’s the current leader of the Fianna, a group of the best warriors who defend the land. The previous leader of the Fianna was... Fionn’s dad.

About that missing eye... It was put out in a battle with the main character Fionn’s dad, Cumhaill. Goll lost an eye but got control of the Fianna, the group of the land’s most incredible warrior poets. Cumhaill lost his life. (In this sketch with the big hands, Goll’s sporting the crowns of the three kings he killed while he was in exile as arm bands. Suave.)

[teatitty]

Conán mac Morna is such a funny dude to me he’s Goll’s brother and his defining traits are “fat, loud, greedy and a blustering fool.” He’s always bragging about himself and making himself sound more important than he actually is and everyone in the Fianna is just like “oh Conán :) there he goes again” like they just fondly put up with his bullshit. Diarmuid threatened to cut his head off once and it’s the first time he’d ever known “true fear.” (To be more specific Diarmuid told him: "Had you a hundred heads, nay, a thousand, I would hew them all from your cowardly body” with hew meaning to cut, chop, hack or sever lol). He favours his own clan Morna but still jumps to the defence of any of his brothers and sisters (other Fianna members) and is extremely loyal to Fionn despite everything

The skin on his back got torn off once and so they replaced it with sheep skin and now every year in summer his bros have to shear his back for him and they use his dark wool to make a new jacket and trousers for him. He’s affectionately nicknamed Conán Maol because he’s bald. Oh and he’s always the first one to jump into a fight so everyone in the Fianna knows that for all his blustering you can always trust him to have your back

[forbidden-sorcery]

The Witch, An Cailleach, appears through many of the myths and legends. The usual place for a person by the title of Witch or Cailleach is as the hag or the troublemaker. Fionn Mac Cumhaill met the daughters of a fairy king at the caves of Cesh Corran, four hags as hideous and terrible as any man’s imagination ever conceived of. The Witches got the better not just of him, but of his band of warriors, Na Fianna. They all ended up bound tight in the caves, all but one: Goll Mac Morna. He kept his wits about him, bested these Witches, and freed the warriors. All four sisters were killed. In this, we see the all-too-familiar example of the Witch as evil female power, bested by the men. There were ‘cult’ Caillaighe (Witches) though, such as the Cailleach Bhéara, or ‘hag of Beara’, who lived on the Beara peninsula in the county of Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. Indeed, she is known from the southern tip of Cork to the North of Scotland, in various forms and guises. That knowledge of her was so far-reaching may be explained by the report that she was tremendously long lived. Proinsias MacCana quotes from ‘an early note’ that: “she entered upon seven periods of youth, so that every husband used to pass from her to death through old age, and so that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were peoples and races”. This is no ordinary neighbourhood hag, rather she seems to be a folk memory of an ancestral spirit, shaper, and guardian of the land, or even a Goddess.

  Lora O'Brien - Irish Witchcraft From an Irish Witch

[goldenart0]

I’m just gonna leave this here for the FNDM to consider..... 

“Oscar (oscara = 'deerlover') is a figure in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. He is the warrior son of Oisín and the fairy woman Niamh, who also bore his sister, Plor na mBan. Oisín, in turn, was the son of the epic hero Fionn mac Cumhail. Though a late addition to the cycle, Oscar was a popular character, and appeared prominently in several later Fenian tales, serving his grandfather as one of the fianna. His death is described in the story Cath Gabhra (The Battle of Gabhra), which pits the increasingly corrupt fianna against the army of High King Cairbre Lifechair. Cairbre, aided by defected Fianna warriors loyal to Goll mac Morna, receives his death blow from Oscar, but mortally wounds him with his steel chains as his final act. Oscar's death causes Fionn to weep for the only time in his life, and serves as the final blow to the fianna's strength.”

[rai-knightshade-art]

Some character sheets from the Mac Ever After au (aka the MacgyverxEver After High crossover I'm working on). Here we have:

Angus Mac Cumhaill (Angus Macgyver): the current Fionn Mac Cumhaill (pronounced Finn McCool) and teacher of Science and Sorcery at Ever After High. He's the much preferred science teacher at the school because his hands-on demonstrations are quite... Explosive, shall we say. Is technically the leader of the Fianna (aka the Phoenix) but prefers being a member so the current Goll Mac Morna (Matty) is still leading it rather than fully stepping down. Currently going through the "so you found your surprise kid in the woods" part of his tale (see Bradán).

Sir Jack Dinadan (Jack Dalton): the current Sir Dinadan from Arthurian Legend and owner of a castle security business located in Bookend. He's between adventures with his Arthur and fellow knights so he's been living in Bookend as a respectable (or as respectable as Jack could ever be) business man and member of the Fianna. He's Mac's go-to babysitter (not that Bradán ever stays put long enough to be babysat) and also boyfriend because I'm self indulgent as hell. He and his fellow knights wear medals featuring the archangel Michael around their necks to signify them as knights (the rest of the knights are probly his fellow Deltas but I haven't gotten that far yet).

Bradán Mac Cumhaill (original character): the next Oisín and Mac's son by Nikki (who will probs get a character sheet but not really appear cause she kinda,,, disappeared into the woods as a deer. ...it makes more sense in context). He's about 7 years old (birth date unknown), rambunctious and a prodigious escape artist. Eventually he'll be a badass Mac 2.0 but for right now he's just a kiddo learning from his two dads, four aunts and an uncle. Also his name means salmon in Irish gaelic because I'm hilarious.

Characters to come:

Riley as Paul Bunyan

Matty as Goll Mac Morna (calls him Blondie for the irony)

Desi and Sam as the Druid and Warrior Moms who raise Mac (they're more like older sisters than moms but same difference)

Bozer as possibly Dr Coppélius from the ballet Coppelia (still debating)

Nikki as Sadhbh (Fionn Mac Cumhaill's wife who was cursed as a deer, got turned back into a human, then got lured back into the woods and turned back into a deer before having Oisín. It's wild.)

Leanna in. A role. Of some sort. I'm still working on her

[greypetrel]

Goll Mac Morna. . Long time friend, but also enemy of Fionn. Loved to laugh, the real soul of the party between the sons of Morn, not-so-accidentally killed Fionn's father to gain supremacy over the Fianna. Later however he stepped aside to give Fionn his place as a ruler, so everything was ok friend forever until Goll shows he's more generous than Fionn THEN WE ARE SWORN ENEMIES, but then Goll came to rescue Fionn IN HELL, so they're friends again. And so on, convince me it's not a bromance please. . (Here before losing an eye fighting Fionn's father.) . . . #irishliterature #irishhero #irishfolklore #sketch #sketchbook #gollmacmorna #fionnmaccumhaill #finnmaccool #irish #ireland #mythology #fianna #legends #irishfairytales #characterdesign #drawing #traditionalart #traditionalinking #ink #celtic #illustration (presso Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy)

[cerastes]

I believe I have made much mockery of Fionn mac Cumhail without actually giving enough reason for you to believe me that he is, indeed, in all seriousness, my favorite Irish mythological figure. So today, we shall do just that.

We already talked about Fionn’s origins and how he started his road down the path of kickasstitude, but let’s do a quick recap: He was raised by his two warrior moms (his aunt Bodhmall the Warrior-Druidess and her ‘friend’ Liath Luachra the Fighting Woman) and the three of them went on various adventures, some chronicled, most not, and all the while several hitmen were looking for him. His childhood name, Demne, was changed to Fionn, which means literally “white” or “bright”, in reference to his long, flowing white mane of hair, to mask him from those who pursued him due to his increasing fame.

Now, today, I want to talk to you about THE exploit that put Fionn on the map, and no, I am not talking about the Salmon thing, I mean an actual deed of martial mastery and weaponized self-mutilation.

Now an adult, Fionn found himself wandering the land, as he would always be turned away from various orders of knights when his employers realized who he was, since he was a wanted man and target of the mightiest knights ever, the Fianna Knights. Downtrodden but still resolute, Fionn arrived at the city of Tara. There was kind of a big problem with the city of Tara, however: It was burned down to the ground every year for the last 23 years. Not even the Fianna Knights could stop it.

Aillen the Burner was the one responsible for this. Once a year, for the last 23 years, Aillen had burned the city to the ground after using his magical music to put everyone to sleep in the city. Every year, he did this shit, and no one could stop him, because they were ASLEEP and USELESS while Aillen just burned things down with his fire breath calmly and at his own pace. Oh, yeah, by the by, Aillen was a Sidhe from Tuatha De Dannan, AKA a god-like existence. Stopping him wasn’t that simple.

But Fionn took one look at this dude and said “I AM GOING TO SUPLEX HIM”.

Fionn knew the event was to happen the day he arrived, so he made the necessary preparations. Actually, he didn’t, because each one of his testicles has a gravitational field and is harder than steel. He stood outside of the palace of Tara holding his Crane-Skin Bag of Weapons, patiently waiting.

NOW, FIONN FACT: Unlike many heroes, Fionn did not have a named weapon. Instead, his “weapon” was the Crane-Skin Bag. The Crane-Skin Bag, which had once belonged to his father, housed a myriad of magical weapons that Fionn would flexibly use in combat to meet the needs of any particular engagement. Fionn’s power, basically, was having an inventory. Like, you guys remember Doraemon?

Right, so basically, Doraemon is Fionn’s fursona. Literally the same character. The only difference is that Fionn was pulling out sick chainsaws and shotguns out of his bag instead of helicopter hats for his loser friend.

So Fionn was doing a newspaper sudoku, waiting for this shit to go down, when suddenly, over yonder, he heard a very suspicious voice.

“Yo yo yo I’m doing this I’m DOING THIS a 24th time baby #westside time to BURN WHORES”.

It was Aillen the Burner, with his beautiful song that lulls mortals to sleep! One by one, the citizens and warriors of Tara fell asleep like defenseless babes, and Aillen was readying his fire breath when he noticed one thing: Fionn, very much not asleep, was running at him at around 300 kilometers per hour, a huge spear in hand.

“Yo yo ok wtf the fuck, that’s never happened before, what’s your deal, how are you still awake?”

See, Aillen’s plan was, for the most part, flawless. He just failed to account for someone with just the right amount of senseless disregard for his own safety and neurons: Fionn came to the conclusion that if you just avoided falling asleep, Aillen himself couldn’t be too tough, if he was relying on this strategy in the first place. So did Fionn use his literal infinite salmon knowledge superpower to create a balm that would neutralize the effects of the lullaby? No, he didn’t, he just grabbed one of his spears, the poisoned one, and went to town on his own face with it to stay awake.

Let me say that again.

One of Fionn’s spears was poisoned with an extremely potent venom (like fucking every other spear in Irish mythos), and when I say potent, I don’t mean “it stings”, I mean “mere contact with the tip of the spear felt like dipping your fingers in magma”. He held his spear with both hands and, as he ran after Aillen, he kept smashing the tip of his spear against his own face to keep himself awake with the pain of the burning tip.

Holy SHIT

So Aillen, very reasonably scared shitless, ran. He ran for like three blocks and then the much physically superior Fionn caught up to him, his face ANGRY like a bull who had just been kicked in the balls by man in red spandex, grabbed him by the shoulder, and absolutely pincushioned him with spear thrusts like he was some Fist of the North Star live action adaption character. Fionn is actually the first recorded machine gun in history, and what gun companies nowadays use as a basis for their gatling guns, because holy fuck he just RIDDLED the dude into something that would make swiss cheese mold green with envy.

So this kinda left everyone very impressed and even more uncomfortable because, holy shit, ok, Fionn, uh, saved them all, but he’s also the dude they were supposed to kill. How the fuck do you kill THAT? I mean he kinda just killed a god by smashing a spear against his own face repeatedly REALLY HARD for a good while, do YOU want to go against that kind of man? That’s the kind of shit someone with nothing to lose steps away from. Damn.

So, with no viable options other than Not Fighting That Lunatic, Fionn’s heritage was acknowledged, and Goll, in his wisest moment ever recorded, stepped away voluntarily. Goll mac Morna was the guy who staged the coup that killed Fionn’s dad and stole the Fianna Knights leadership from him. The other guy that indirectly killed Fionn’s dad, Tadg mac Duanat, gave Fionn his beautiful house on the hills of Allen to Fionn in exchange for not obliterating him in loud, bloody, gory vengeance. Fionn accepted. Reminder that Tagd is also Fionn’s grandfather on his mother’s side.

And that’s how Fionn regained his rightful ownership of the Fianna Knights, stopped being a wanted man, and killed a god through sheer masochism.

The moral of the story is that if you can beat the fuck out of your own face, your enemies will assume you can do that to their faces just as fine, and they will give you free real estate so you don’t do that.

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Fiana / フィアナ and the Freeblades

Fiana (JP: フィアナ; rōmaji: fiana) is a Thracian village where Leif found refuge sometime after the fall of Leonster in Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. The village is named after the fianna, Irish and Scottish bands of warrior-hunter-mercenaries. This is clearly reflected in-game by the Fiana Freeblades (JP: フィアナ義勇軍; rōmaji: fiana giyūgun, lit. Fianna Militia, rather than the Japanese フィアナ騎士団; rōmaji: fiana kishidan, lit. Fianna Order). Some believe that serving in a fian was a rite of passage for young men.

Of course, we can't talk about fianna and not mention THE Fianna, namesake of the Fenian Cycle, one of the four main sections of Irish mythology. The Fianna was an order meant to serve the High King led by Cumhall mac Trénmhoir, but he was killed after his elopement with Muirne and the conception of their son Deimne. Cumhall's killer, Goll mac Morna, would then be chief of the Fianna until Cumhall's son returned and proved capable to lead as his father once did.

Some major characters of the Fenian Cycle serve as namesakes of some of the residents of Fiana and other members of Leif's army. The most obvious connection is that of Leif's loyal vassal and father figure Finn (JP: フィン; rōmaji: fin). Cumhall's son Deimne studied under the poet Finnegas, who searched for the Salmon of Knowledge. Upon the fish's capture, Deimne was to cook it. In the process, however, the boy burnt his thumb and instinctually put it to his mouth, granting him the salmon's wisdom. His Thumb of Knowledge would reveal anything when put in his mouth. Deimne also received a change of name at that time, becoming the iconic Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn MacCool).

As for why Fire Emblem's Finn is a knight of Leonster, there are two reasons for this. On his father's side, Fionn was descended from the tribe of Uí Thairsig from Leinster (which is the name of Leonster in Japanese). Additionally, Finn's name could tie to Fin MacKinealy, an alternative name of Cian, the namesake of Quan.

And since it's relevant, yes: the substitute character Deimne is named after Finn's birthname. In Japanese, his name is written ディムナ (rōmaji: dimuna), while the more standard form for Deimne is デムナ (rōmaji: demuna). Either way, the pronunciation is incorrect; the m seems to be silent in most English pronunciations, while in Irish it's pronounced like the letter v [dʲɪvʲ(ə)nʲə], similar to Macha.

Moving on to a native of Fiana, Osian is the Welsh name for Oisín, the son of Fionn and Sadhbh. Fionn found his lover in the form of a deer while hunting, and she returned to human form when she was spared. The two settled, but the druid Fer Doirich that cursed her into a deer returned to shift her form again soon after getting pregnant. Seven years later, Finn would find a young Oisín on Benbulbin, a common hunting ground for the Fianna. Oisín would grow to be the greatest poet in Ireland, with most of the Fenian Cycle's tales being written by him. The most famous tale starring him is Oisín in Tir na nÓg, in which he took Niamh, daughter of Manannán, as a wife in the land of Tir na nÓg. After three years as king, he returned to Ireland to reunite with the Fianna, only to find that three hundred years had passed outside of Tir na nÓg. As soon as he dismounted the horse Enbarr, the hundreds of years caught up to him. Post-Christianized stories say that both he and Caílte mac Rónáin were the only survivors of the Fianna after the Battle of Gabhra, and would live long enough to meet St. Patrick and relay the legends of the Fianna to him.

In Japanese, Osian's name is オー��ン (rōmaji: о̄shin), officially romanized as Othin. While Othin is another name for the Norse god Odin, the katakana resembles the common form of rendering Oisín in Japanese, アシーン (rōmaji: ashīn).

The other axebro of Fiana, Halvan (JP: ハルヴァン; rōmaji: haruvan) is a bit less clear-cut. The name seems to be a corruption of バルベン (rōmaji: baruben), from the aforementioned Benbulbin where Oisín was found. Notably, the name Benbulbin is an anglicization of Binn Ghulbain, which is believed to be named after king Conall Gulban of Tyrconnell. He was a companion of Caílte mac Rónáin much like Oisín, telling St. Patrick of the Fianna and the etymology of various toponyms of Ireland. Gulban was also supposedly the first noble to be baptized in Ireland.

You've likely deduced this already, but Ronan (JP: ロナン; rōmaji: ronan) is named after Caílte mac Rónáin (JP: キールタ・マック・ロナン; (rōmaji: kīruta makku ronan). Another member of the Fianna and nephew of Fionn, Caílte was known for being a brilliant storyteller, being attributed for some of the tellings in the Fenian Cycle. He also was known to speak with animals and for running incredibly swiftly. That's right - Ronan's high speed and movement are rooted in the mythological figure he's named after! No real basis for his magic growth, however.

Lastly, Nanna's brother Diarmuid gets his name from the second most famous member of the Fianna, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a demigod raised by the god of love Aengus. He eloped with Fionn's fiancee Gráinne, creating great tension among the Fianna until Diarmuid's death. In his youth, Diarmuid received a "love spot" beneath his eye that made women who looked at it head over heels for him. This aspect was likely the basis of his personal Charm skill.

Diarmuid's Japanese name, デルムッド (rōmaji: derumuddo) comes from the standard rendering of Diarmuid, ディルムッド (rōmaji: dirumuddo).

Interestingly, the leader of the Fiana Freeblades, Eyvel (JP: エーヴェル; rōmaji: ēveru), seemingly does not relate to the Fenian Cycle at all. The closest I could find was the possibility of an intended reference to Ailbe, the wife Fionn took after he found Gráinne to love another man. However, there is a multitude of other possibilities to consider, which can be found in a future post!

Is there a character with a Fenian namesake that I missed? Or a connection between character and inspiration I glossed over? Please, let me know in whatever means you prefer!

[doknownow]

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

Irish mythology, a love triangle legend: Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne – in English "The Pursuit of Díarmuid and Gráinne" is a popular romance of a love triangle.

 Traditionally set: 2nd - 4th century, one of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle. Also known as Diarmid O’Dyna (AKA Diarmuid of the Love Spot) is best known as the lover of Gráinne, the intended wife of Fianna leader Fionn mac Cumhaill in the legend The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne. Diarmuid was a skilled warrior and a well-liked  and valued member of the Fianna (small, semi-independent warrior bands) who single-handedly killed 3,400 warriors in a battle and saved Fionn and the Fianna. 

Fenian Cycle (Fiannaíocht; AKA Ossianic Cycle) (Narrator: In legend poet, warrioir of fianna, son of Fionn: Oisin) A body of prose and verse centering on the exploits of the mythical hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warriors the Fianna. The other cycles of Irish mythology: Myhological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, Fenian Cycle, and the Historical Cycle. This  cycle also contains stories about other famous Fianna members, including Diarmuid, Caílte, Oisín's son Oscar, and Fionn's enemy, Goll mac Morna. 

Weapons Diarmuid’s foster father and protector,  the Tuatha Dé Danaan god of love and creativity Aenghus Óg, owned a a deadly sword,  Móralltach or Nóralltach – the Great Fury and gave it to his foster son in addition to a sword named Beagaltach, the Little Fury. Diarmuid is also known to have wielded two spears,  Gáe Buidhe (Yellow Spear) and Gáe Dearg (Red Spear), which caused wounds that could not be healed. He used Gáe Dearg and Moralltach for adventures which were matters of life and death, and Gáe Buidhe and Beagalltach for lesser battles.

Magical Love Spot making him irresistible to women.  While hunting one night he met a woman who was the personification of youth. After sleeping with him she put a magical love spot on his forehead that caused any woman who looked at it to fall in love with him. 

Vicious curse  Diarmuid's father, Donn, was a warrior of the Fianna. At a dinner party, Donn, jealous of the attention given to the son of Aengus' steward, killed the steward's son when no one was looking. Aengus resurrected the steward's son in the form of a boar, but the steward required Fionn to find out the truth and, upon learning the truth, put a curse upon Diarmuid: He was to be killed by the boar, the steward's transformed son. Source: Wikipedia: Diarmuid ua Dubihne, Fianna, Fenian Cycle, Oisin