The Fenian Cycle, which also concerning the hero figure as warrior, but which has a very different feel, ethos and provenance. This is essentially the lore of the Fianna who were more nomadic in nature. They are a roving outlaw band whose main occupations were to hunt and to fight. This Cycle’s central figure is Fionn mac Cumhaill, the leader of the Fianna.
One study compares Cú Chulainn as the hero within the tribe whereas Fionn is the hero outside the tribe, the outlaw, the outsider. The themes of this cycle include hunting, adventure and quests, romance and wisdom. It would have many parallels with the Arthurian Cycle within the British Myth tradition.
Stories
Finn and the Fianna
Oisín in Tír na nÓg
The Birth and Boyhood of Finn MacCumhall
Diarmuid and Grainne
Caolte’s Rabble
The Hostel of the Quicken Trees
Character Profiles
Diarmuid
Oisin
Finn MacCumhal
Grainne
Caílte
Liath Luachra
Conán Mac Morna
The Animals within Irish Myth
Objects in Irish Mythology
