XVIII Legend of Knockmany
Source.—W. Carleton, Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry.
Parallels.—Kennedy’s “Fion MacCuil and the Scotch Giant,” Legend. Fict., 203-5.
Remarks.—Though the venerable names of Finn and Cucullin (Cuchulain) are attached to the heroes of this story, this is probably only to give an extrinsic interest to it. The two heroes could not have come together in any early form of their sagas, since Cuchulain’s reputed date is of the first, Finn’s of the third century A.D. (cf. however, MacDougall’s Tales, notes, 272). Besides, the grotesque form of the legend is enough to remove it from the region of the hero-tale. On the other hand, there is a distinct reference to Finn’s wisdom-tooth, which presaged the future to him (on this see Revue Celtique, v. 201, Joyce, Old Celt. Rom., 434-5, and MacDougall, l.c. 274). Cucullin’s power-finger is another instance of the life-index or external soul, on which see remarks on Sea-Maiden. Mr. Nutt informs me that parodies of the Irish sagas occur as early as the sixteenth century, and the present tale may be regarded as a specimen.