Fintan mac Bóchra
Survivor of Ireland's Flood who lived for thousands of years
- Known from
- Lebor Gabála Érenn (11th century); 'The Settling of the Manor of Tara'
- Arrived with
- Cessair, before the Flood
- Survived by
- Becoming a salmon, then an eagle and a hawk
- Role
- Witness to and teller of Ireland's history
The only survivor of Cessair's company, who lived through Noah's Flood as a salmon and lived on for millennia to tell Ireland's history.
What is Fintan mac Bóchra known for?
Fintan mac Bóchra is one of the three men who came to Ireland with Cessair before the Flood, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions), an 11th-century compilation of Irish legendary history. When the Flood comes, everyone else in Cessair's company dies, but Fintan survives by turning into a salmon. He later becomes an eagle and a hawk before returning to human form.
Living for thousands of years, Fintan becomes a witness to all of Ireland's history. In the medieval tale 'The Settling of the Manor of Tara', he is summoned as the oldest and wisest man in Ireland to settle questions of history and land.
Scholars see Fintan as a device that lets Christian historians connect native Irish tradition with the biblical Flood. He is known only from medieval Irish literature.
He is the lone survivor of the Flood in the site's account of the Lebor Gabála Érenn.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeLebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions)
- PersonCessair
- PersonPartholón
Sources
- Nancy Effinger Wilson, 'Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions)', Irish Mythology (Texas State University Pressbooks)Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Lebor Gabála Érenn'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Fintan mac Bóchra'Reference
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