Salmon of Wisdom

The Salmon of Wisdom or Salmon of Knowledge ("bradán feasa") is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. It appears in "The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn", which recounts the early adventures of Fionn mac Cumhaill. According to the story, it was an ordinary salmon that ate the nine hazel nuts that fell into the Well of Wisdom (aka "Tobar Segais") from nine hazel trees that surrounded the fountain. In doing so, the salmon gained all the knowledge in the world. Moreover, the first person to eat of its flesh would, in turn, gain this knowledge.

The poet Finn Eces spent seven years fishing for the salmon. When he finally caught it, he instructed his apprentice, Fionn, to prepare it for him. Fionn burned his thumb when spattered with some of the hot fat from the cooking salmon and immediately sucked on it to ease the pain.

When he brought the cooked meal to Finegas, his master saw a fire in the boy's eyes that had not been there before. When asked by Finegas, Fionn denied that he had eaten of the fish. When pressed, he admitted his accidental taste. It was this incredible knowledge and wisdom gained from the Salmon of Knowledge that allowed Fionn to become the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth.

In popular culture

* The Salmon of Wisdom is alluded to in the title of Douglas Adams' unfinished last book, "The Salmon of Doubt".

* It also features in the 1973 cult classic horror film, "The Wicker Man".

* The Salmon is also alluded to by Piggley Winks in the Sprout tv cartoon series Jakers! The Adventures of Piggkey Winks in the 'Salmon of Knowledge' episode. The series airs on PBS Kids Sprout and on Comcast On Demand/Kids/Sprout/Jakers!

*The Salmon is also the logo of "Institute of Technology, Sligo"

References

*cite web | title= The Salmon of Knowledge from AllAboutIrish.com | url= http://www.allaboutirish.com/library/tales/demne.shtm | accessdate= February 16 | accessyear= 2006
*cite web | title=The Salmon of Knowledge from Celtic.org | url= http://www.celtic.org/salmonofknowledge.html | accessdate= February 16 | accessyear= 2006