Editing Fionn mac Cumhaill (section)

===Boyhood===
Fionn and his brother Tulcha mac Cumhal were being hunted down by the Goll, the sons of Morna, and other men. Consequently, Finn was separated from his mother Muirne, and placed in the care of Bodhmall and the woman [[Liath Luachra]] ("Grey of Luachra"), and they brought him up in secret in the forest of [[Slieve Bloom Mountains|Sliabh Bladma]], teaching him the arts of war and hunting. After the age of six, Finn learned to hunt, but still had cause to flee from the sons of Morna.<ref>cf. ''Macgnímartha Find'', {{harvp|Meyer|1904|pp=181–182}}.</ref>

As he grew older he entered the service – incognito – of a number of local kings, but each one, when he recognised Fionn as Cumhal's son, told him to leave, fearing they would be unable to protect him from his enemies.

==== Thumb of Knowledge ====
Fionn was a keen hunter and often hunted with Na Fianna on the hill of Allen in County Kildare, it is believed by many in the area that Fionn originally caught the Salmon of Knowledge in the River Slate that flows through Ballyteague. The secret to his success thereafter when catching "fish of knowledge" was to always cast from the Ballyteague side of a river. He gained what commentators have called the "Thumb of Knowledge"{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|"Tooth of Knowledge/Wisdom" in the ''Acallam na Sénorach''<ref name=acallamh0203-detfis/>}} after eating a certain salmon, thought to be the [[Salmon of Wisdom]].{{sfnp|Scowcroft|1995|p=152}}<ref name=mackillop-knowledge/> The account of this is given in ''The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn''.<ref name=macgnimartha-salmon>{{harvp|Meyer|1904}} tr. ''The Boyish Exploits of Finn'', pp. 185–186; {{harvp|Meyer|1881}} ed., p. 201</ref>

Young Fionn, still known by his boyhood name Demne, met the poet [[Finn Éces]] (Finnegas), near the river [[River Boyne|Boyne]] and studied under him. Finnegas had spent seven years trying to catch the salmon that lived in Fec's Pool ({{langx|sga|Linn Féic}}) of the Boyne, for it was prophesied the poet would eat this salmon, and "nothing would remain unknown to him".<ref name=macgnimartha-salmon/> Although this salmon is not specifically called the "[[Salmon of Knowledge]]", etc., in the text, it is presumed to be so, i.e., the salmon that fed on the {{Not a typo|nut[s]}} of knowledge at the [[Wells in the Irish Dindsenchas|well of Segais]].{{sfnp|Scowcroft|1995|p=152}} Eventually the poet caught it, and told the boy to cook it for him. While he was cooking it, Demne burned his thumb, and instinctively put his thumb in his mouth. This imbued him with the salmon's wisdom, and when Éces saw that he had gained wisdom, he gave the youngster the whole salmon to eat, and gave Demne the new name, Fionn.<ref name=macgnimartha-salmon/>

Thereafter, whenever he recited the ''teinm láida'' with his thumb in his mouth, the knowledge he wished to gain was revealed to him.<ref name=macgnimartha-salmon/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The ''teinm láida'', glossed as "illumination (?) of song" by Meyer, is described as "one of the three things that constitute a poet" in this text,<ref name=macgnimartha-salmon/> but glossed by the 12th century ''[[Sanas Chormaic]]'' as one of the three methods of acquiring prophetic knowledge.<ref name=mackillop-teinm-laida/>}}

In subsequent events in his life, Fionn was able to call on ability of the "Thumb of Knowledge", and Fionn then knew how to gain revenge against Goll.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} In the ''Acallam na Sénorach'', the ability is referred to as "The Tooth of Wisdom" or "Tooth of Knowledge" ({{langx|sga|dét fis}}).<ref name=acallamh0203-detfis>''Acallam na Senórach'' 203, {{harvp|Stokes|1900}} ed., p. 7 and note to line 203, p. 273; {{harvp|Dooley|Roe|1999|p=9}} and {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=veCENdR7w2UC&pg=PA227|2=note on p. 227}}.</ref>

Fionn's acquisition of the Thumb of Knowledge has been likened to the Welsh [[Taliesin|Gwion Bach]] tasting the Cauldron of Knowledge,{{sfnp|Scowcroft|1995|pp=152–153}} and [[Sigurðr Fáfnisbani]] tasting [[Fáfnir]]'s heart.<ref name="harvp|Scowcroft|1995|p=154">{{harvp|Scowcroft|1995|p=154}}</ref><ref>Scott, Robert D. (1930), ''{{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=-WDYAAAAMAAJ&q=Sigurd |2=The thumb of knowledge in legends of Finn, Sigurd, and Taliesin}}'', New York: Institute of French Studies</ref>

==== Fire-breather of the Tuatha de Danann ====

[[File:Heroes of the dawn (1914) (14750481494).jpg|thumb|Fionn fighting Aillen, illustration by [[Beatrice Elvery]] in Violet Russell's ''Heroes of the Dawn'' (1914)]]

One feat of Fionn performed at 10 years of age<!--O'Grady's tr., p. 142; D&R, middle of p. 52--> according to the ''Acallam na Senórach'' was to slay [[Aillen|Áillen]] (or{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The episode is also briefly told in ''Macgnímartha Finn'', but there the name of the TDD villain is Aed .}}), the fire-breathing man of the [[Tuatha Dé Danann]], who had come to wreak destruction on the Irish capital of [[Tara, Ireland|Tara]] every year on the festival of [[Samhain]] for the past 23 years, lulling the city's men to sleep with his music then burning down the city and its treasures.<ref name=acallmh-birgha/>

When the King of Ireland asked what men would guard Tara against Áillen's invasion, Fionn volunteered.{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The Fenians were supposed to be devoted to the service of the High King and to the repelling of foreign invaders.<ref name=rolleston-ch06/>}} Fionn obtained a special spear (the "'''Birga'''") from Fiacha mac Congha ("son of Conga"), which warded against the sleep-inducing music of Áillen's "[[dulcimer]]" ({{langx|sga|timpán}}){{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|It is not clear what sort of stringed instrument.<ref name=dil-timpan/> O'Grady's translation leaves the word in the original Irish, and O'Dooley and Roe as "dulcimer".  T. W. Rolleston rendered it as a "magic harp"<!--cf. [[:file:1 Finn heard far off the first notes of the fairy harp.jpg]]-->,{{sfnp|Rolleston|1926|p=117}} though he uses the term "tympan" elsewhere.}} when it was unsheathed and the bare steel blade was touched against the forehead or some other part of the body. This Fiacha used to be one of Cumall's men, but was now serving the high-king.<ref>''Acallam na Senórach'', {{harvp|O'Grady|1892b}} tr. pp. 142–144; {{harvp|Dooley|Roe|1999|pp=51–53}}</ref>

After Fionn defeated Áillen and saved Tara, his heritage was recognised and he was given command of the Fianna: Goll stepped aside, and became a loyal follower of Fionn,<ref>''Acallamh na Sénorach'', {{harvp|O'Grady|1892b}} tr. pp. 144–145; {{harvp|Dooley|Roe|1999|p=53–54}}</ref><ref>cf. ''Macgnímartha Find'', {{harvp|Meyer|1904|p=188}} and verse.</ref> although a dispute later broke out between the clans over the pig of Slanga.<ref name=hennessy-cnucha-p91-92>''Fotha Catha Cnucha'', {{harvp|Hennessy|1875|pp=91–92}} and verse.</ref>

==== Almu as eric ====

Before Fionn completed the feat of defeating the firebrand of the fairy mound and defending Tara, he is described as a ten-year-old "marauder and an outlaw".<ref>''Acallamh na Sénorach'', {{harvp|O'Grady|1892b}} tr. p. 142; {{harvp|Dooley|Roe|1999|p=52}}: "an outcast engaged in scavenging".</ref> It is also stated elsewhere that when Fionn grew up to become "capable of committing plunder on everyone who was an enemy", he went to his maternal grandfather Tadg to demand compensation ([[Éraic|éric]]) for his father's death, on pain of single combat, and Tadg acceded by relinquishing the estate of Almu (the present-day [[Hill of Allen]]). Fionn was also paid [[Éraic|éric]] by Goll mac Morna.<ref name=hennessy-cnucha-p91-92/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|In the ''Acallamh na Sénorach'', the recollection of the Birga event is preceded by an explanation of Almu, which says Cumhall fathered a son by Alma daughter of Bracan, who died of childbirth. Fionn is not specifically mentioned until Caílte follows up with a story involving Almu that took place in the time of Conn's grandson Cormac.<ref>''Acallamh na Sénorach'', {{harvp|O'Grady|1892b}} tr. pp. 131–132; {{harvp|Dooley|Roe|1999|pp=39–40}}</ref>}}