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The Wisdom of the Outlaw: The Boyhood Deeds of Finn in Gaelic Narrative Tradition
This highly original study provides a thematic analysis of one of the most popular tales in medieval Gaelic folklore. Stories about the birth and boyhood deeds of the great mythical hero, Finn, are among the longest-lived Fenian tales.
Joseph Nagy's book illumines for the reader the meanings of the tales and the body of traditional story to which these tales belong, the Fenian (or Ossianic) cycle.
Joseph Nagy's book illumines for the reader the meanings of the tales and the body of traditional story to which these tales belong, the Fenian (or Ossianic) cycle.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 15, 2019
Please read my review at Celtic scholar’s Reviews and Opinions
December 29, 2008
This is a fascinating analysis of stories about the childhood of the great Irish (and Scottish) hero Fionn MacCumhail. Nagy relates the themes in the Boyhood Deeds to other Fenian tales, revealing their structure and symbolism. Finn is a complex figure- an outsider who lives on the edge of society, in the wilderness, as well as a poet and seer- positions that were highly regarded, even fairly central to ancient and medieval Irish culture. Nagy examines the role the fennidi- bands of outsider warriors play by serving as gatekeepers to the otherworld- they protect civilized society from human and supernatural invaders, as well as gaining knowledge from the Otherworld. Finn’s family and foster-parents have an interesting influence on the path he takes- Finn’s father was a fennid as well, and his mother was the daughter of a druid- these opposing identities coalesce to create Finn. His foster-parents raised him in the wilderness, and taught him how to fight and hunt.
I found Wisdom of the Outlaw to be quite readable & accessible to the layperson for a scholarly work. I learned a lot about Fenian cycle of Irish mythology and how it relates to the culture, mythos and ideology as a whole.
I found Wisdom of the Outlaw to be quite readable & accessible to the layperson for a scholarly work. I learned a lot about Fenian cycle of Irish mythology and how it relates to the culture, mythos and ideology as a whole.
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May 11, 2015The last 100 pages of this is notes, so I finished it much sooner than I expected.
It's interesting. Nagy raises some interesting points and explains a lot about the stories, but at times his style is quite dense and it can be a little hard to follow.
It's interesting. Nagy raises some interesting points and explains a lot about the stories, but at times his style is quite dense and it can be a little hard to follow.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews