Irish Folklore: The Salmon of Knowledge

The story of the Salmon of Knowledge is one every child in Ireland learns in primary school. A story about striving for knowledge seems a good fit for inspiring young minds!

Like many Irish myths, there are as many versions of the tale as there are days in the year. Though some details and names might differ, the broad strokes and characters are the same. There is a salmon said to hold all the world's knowledge. There is a master known as Finn Eces, Finnegas, Finegas, and Finneces, depending on who is doing the telling. And finally, there is an apprentice, the young Fionn MacCumhaill, also known as Deimne in his youth or Finn McCool in English. Confused yet?

Perhaps before we start the story, some background on these three key characters may be helpful to set the scene!

The Salmon

The idea of the “other world” crops up over and over in Irish mythology and folklore. This is a sort of parallel Universe that humans cannot see. In places where the barrier between this world and our world is thin, things can cross over, including salmon! And so it was said that Ireland's many springs and rivers stemmed from a mystical well, the Well of Segais, in this otherworldly place.

This well was said to be the source of all wisdom. Nuts from nine hazel trees surrounding the well would drop into the water, and a great salmon would feed on them. It was said that a person could gain all the world's wisdom in one of three ways: by eating the hazelnuts after they drop into the water, by drinking the well water, or by eating the great salmon, an bradán feasa, that had eaten the nuts.

The Master

Not knowing the location of the well or the sacred hazel trees, interest naturally turned to finding, and eating, that salmon. One such man was Finnegas, a druid, poet, and all round wise man who had come to live on the banks of the great river Boyne in search of this wondrous salmon.

Finnegas was renowned throughout Ireland for his impressive knowledge as a poet, a naturalist, and teacher. The old sage had been living alone for many years in a small house he built beside the river to keep an eye out for the salmon.

The Apprentice

Before he was Fionn MacCumhail, great warrior and leader of the Fianna, the young Fionn was known as Deimne. Deimne was raised in secret due to an ongoing feud with a rival clan. He was sent to live with Finnegas to learn from the master in exchange for help around the house. Fionn loved to listen to Finnegas’s stories and had a boundless curiosity, even stumping his great teacher on more than one occasion.

The Story

The story goes that after seven long years fishing the river Boyne, Finnegas finally spotted the salmon he had searched for so long. An epic struggle ensues and, tired after landing the great fish, Finnegas gives the salmon to his young apprentice to cook. Finnegas makes it clear that by no means should his young apprentice eat or even taste the fish.

While cooking, Deimne burns his thumb turning the great fish over. He sticks his thumb in his mouth to ease the burn, and so doing, unwittingly gains its boundless knowledge. On seeing the wisdom in the eyes of his young apprentice, Finnegas understands that his chance at incomprehensible wisdom is gone, and graciously gives the fish to his apprentice to eat.

It is this great wisdom, an teinm laída, a gift bestowed from his master and teacher, that is said to have helped Deimne grow into Fionn, one of ireland’s greatest heroes and leader of Na Fianna. For the rest of his long life, Fionn could draw upon all the world’s knowledge merely by biting his thumb - knowledge really is power!

An Inspiration

This wonderful tale of graciousness and growth inspires our Salmon of Knowledge pendant. With a polished Sterling silver body, a Trinity knot fin, a glinting blue topaz eye, and glistening gold-plated scales, this pendant captures the magic of the otherworldly salmon that held all the world's knowledge. This wonderful legend makes this pendant a fitting and aspirational gift for a young person, and is very popular for graduations.

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We hope you have enjoyed reading about a small piece of Ireland's rich culture and folklore. Check out our for more stories like these on our blog, or browse our Folklore collection for beautiful designs, inspired by our rich history and culture.