Salmon of Knowledge

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Scales on the Big Fish or Salmon of Knowledge sculpture, which celebrates the return of fish to the River Lagan

The Salmon of Knowledge (Irish: bradán feasa) is a creature figuring in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, sometimes identified with Fintan mac Bóchra, who was known as "The Wise" and was once transformed into a salmon.

Fenian Cycle[edit]



Related mythologies[edit]

In Irish mythology, several primordial beings that personify old age and ancient knowledge are described as taking the shape of a salmon. Most notably, this includes Fintan mac Bóchra and Tuan mac Cairill.

The Welsh Hanes Taliesin (16th c.) records a similar story of how the poet Taliesin received his wisdom,[4] that also involves the element of shape-shifting into the form of a fish, resp., an otter.

In the Icelandic Volsunga Saga (late 13th century), several motifs recur, as well: Odin, Loki, and Hœnir slew an otter that they later found to be the son of the dwarf Hreidmar. The treasure Hreidmar was receiving as ransom was then protected by his son Fafnir, who took the shape of a serpent or dragon. On behalf of his brother Regin, Fafnir was later slain by Sigurd. Regin asked Sigurd to cook Fafnir's heart for him to eat, but, like Fionn, Sigurd tasted it and gained the knowledge of the speech of birds. Thus he learnt about Regin's treachery and confronted him.[5] Similarly, Saxo Grammaticus (Gesta Danorum, V.2.6-V.2.8, 12th c.) describes how Eric acquired eloquence and wisdom by eating the snake-infested stew his step-mother Kraka had prepared for his half-brother Roller.[6][7]

The motif is well-known in European fairy tales and corresponds to Aarne–Thompson type 673 (KHM 17, see The White Serpent's flesh), frequently found in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, in the Baltic countries and occasionally also outside Europe.[8] As both the majority of fairy tales and the Germanic versions point to a serpent being digested, but not a salmon, it seems likely that the salmon is a substitute for an original serpent.

In popular culture[edit]


The Salmon of Knowledge is briefly featured in the 1973 film The Wicker Man. While Sergeant Neil Howie searches the town for a missing girl, he opens a cupboard to reveal a fish costume. The house owner says the costume is his and that it is The Salmon of Knowledge.

In 1999, in celebration of the return of fish to the River Lagan, the city of Belfast erected a sculpture titled The Salmon of Knowledge but locally called The Big Fish.[9] Each tile used to make the sculpture references part of Belfast's history. If following the local folklore, wisdom can still be gained by kissing the sculpture of The Salmon of Knowledge today.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ SEANETTA, ssm67alba. "The Big Fish". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  2. ^ Ériu. Royal Irish Academy. 1904. pp. Kuno Meyer, "The Boyish Exploits of Finn", pp. 185–186.
  3. ^ "The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn mac Cumhaill". Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  4. ^ "The life of Taliesin the bard". BBC Wales. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  5. ^ Raszmann, August (1863). Bd. Die Sage von den Wölsungen und Niflungen in der Edda und Wölsungasaga (in German). C. Rümpler.
  6. ^ Saxo (Grammaticus) (2015). Gesta Danorum. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-820523-4.
  7. ^ "Erläuterungen zu den ersten neun Büchern der Dänischen Geschichte des Saxo Grammaticus Teil I Bücher I-V – Wikisource". Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  8. ^ Ranke, Kurt (2010). Enzyklopädie des Märchens: Suchen-Verführung (in German). Walter de Gruyter. p. 647. ISBN 978-3-11-023767-2.