HERO TALES
Celtic folklore contains a great number of epic heroic tales, including stories of those who were exceptional valorous, despicable, saintly, or outstandingly charismatic or beautiful. The Ulster Cycle, set in the 1st century BC, tells of King Conchobar and the exploits of Cuchulain. The Ossianic Cycle recounts the deeds of Fionn Mac Cumhail (also known as Finn MacCool) and his offspring Oisin, around the 3rd century AD (The Salmon of knowledge)
The Welsh Mabinogion Cycle tells of the exploits of the Celtic dieties, and includes the tale of Taliesin. This is the legend of a bard or shaman whose journey is an archetypal model of the search for ultimate unity with all creation, and can be used today to draw lessons for the journey of life.
I wonder through native lands
to help the clans
Loudly I induce portent,
seeking answer at the Strong Door.
I am old, I am young, I am Gwion;
I am universal
I am gifted with perceptive spirit;
I remember the ancient wisdom.
From the legend of Talieson.
A recurring theme of hero tales is that of connecting with the Otherworld to gain inspiration from it. A common symbol of inspiration in these stories is the shamanic cauldron, which represents the source of knowledge and wisdom, abundance, and spiritual rebirth. In these hero tales, the world of the supernatural was worked seamlessly into ordinary events. The hero Fionn Mac Cumhail, for instance, starts out as an innocent child, finds wisdom by eating the salmon of knowledge, and acquires magical Otherworldly object's such as the Crane Bag (a shaman's medicine bag). He is the classic mythological warrior, seer, and poet.
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