The High Deeds of Finn MacCool

The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool
First edition
AuthorRosemary Sutcliff
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreMythological novel
PublisherThe Bodley Head
Publication date
1967
Media typePrint (Hardcover)

The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool is a children's novel by Rosemary Sutcliff and was first published in 1967. It is a retelling of the stories of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fenian Cycle.[1] According to her own statements in the introduction, these stories are closer to Folklore and Fairytale, being timeless and contradictory, having organically grown from generations of storytellers; she contrasts them to the Ulster Cycle stories of Cuchulainn, which belong to the Heroic Epic, and compare with the Iliad and the Odyssey.[2]

Plot summary

The story begins with the explanation of Cormac mac Art's formation of the Fianna as a defense force for Ireland, which was originally led by Finn's father, Cumhal. Cumhal is killed by Goll mac Morna, who takes over leadership of the Fianna, and Cumhal's wife Muirne flees to give birth to Finn. The boy grows up strong in the manner of his father, studies under the poet Finn Eces, accidentally tasting the Salmon of Knowledge and thereby gaining magical powers, and ultimately regaining leadership of the Fianna by defeating the Fairy that haunts the Court of Tara, Aillén mac Midgna. Goll swears loyalty to him, and Finn rules the Fianna successfully thereafter.

Similar to Sutcliff's Arthurian Novel The Sword and the Circle, most of the chapters in this novel are nearly stand-alone tales, covering many of the stories and characters associated with the Fenian Cycle. Some of these include: Finn's courtship of Sadhbh and the birth of Oisín; the tales of Diarmuid and Grainne; Niamh of the Golden Hair; the Giolla Dacker; multiple encounters with the Fair Folk; and ultimately ending with Cath Gabhra and the downfall of the Fianna.

References

  1. ^ The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool at fantasticfiction.co.uk
  2. ^ Sutcliff, Rosemary: The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool, pp. 7-8

External links

  • Official website with more on book and author
  • v
  • t
  • e
Eagle of the Ninth
Arthurian
Other novels
Children's novels
  • The Chronicles of Robin Hood (Oxford, 1950), illus. C. Walter Hodges
  • The Queen Elizabeth Story (1950) illus. C. Walter Hodges
  • The Armourer's House (1951) illus. C. Walter Hodges
  • Brother Dusty-Feet (1952), illus. by C. Walter Hodges
  • Simon (1953), illus. Richard Kennedy
  • Outcast (1955), illus. Richard Kennedy
  • Warrior Scarlet (1958), illus. Charles Keeping
  • Knight's Fee (1960), illus. Charles Keeping
  • Bridge Builders (1960), illus. Douglas Relf
  • Beowulf: Dragonslayer (1961) illus. Charles Keeping
  • The Hound of Ulster (1963), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • The Mark of the Horse Lord (1965), illus. Charles Keeping
  • The Chief's Daughter (1967), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • The High Deeds of Finn MacCool (1967), illus. Michael Charleton
  • A Circlet of Oak Leaves (1968), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • The Witch's Brat (1970), illus. Richard Lebenson
  • The Truce of the Games (1971), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • Heather, Oak, and Olive (1972), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • The Capricorn Bracelet (1973), illus. Charles Keeping (later, Richard Cuffari)
  • The Changeling (1974), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • We Lived in Drumfyvie (1975), by Sutcliff and Margaret Lyford-Pike
  • Blood Feud (1976), illus. Charles Keeping
  • Sun Horse, Moon Horse (1977), illus. Shirley Felts
  • Shifting Sands (1977), illus. Laslzo Acs
  • Song for a Dark Queen (1978)
  • Eagle's Egg (1981), illus. Victor Ambrus
  • Bonnie Dundee (1983)
  • Flame-coloured Taffeta (1986), illus. Rachel Birkett
  • The Roundabout Horse (1986) illus. Alan Marks
  • A Little Dog Like You (1987) illus. Jane Johnson
  • The Best of Rosemary Sutcliff (1987), illus. Charles Keeping—omnibus edition of Warrior Scarlet, The Mark of the Horse Lord, and Knight's Fee (1958–1965)
  • The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup (1993, posthumous), illus. by Emma Chichester Clark
  • Black Ships Before Troy (1993, posth.), illus. Alan Lee
  • Chess-dream in a Garden (1993, posth.), illus. Ralph Thompson
  • The Wanderings of Odysseus (1995, posth.), illus. Alan Lee
Adult novels
  • Lady in Waiting (1957)
  • Rider on a White Horse (1959)
  • Sword at Sunset (1963)
  • The Flowers of Adonis (1969)
  • Blood and Sand (1987)