Rabbit Ears Book Blog: Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #5: Finn McCoul

Friday, August 14, 2015

Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays #5: Finn McCoul

Hey there! Welcome to "Fairy Tale and Folktale Fridays," a new feature on my blog where I discuss about some fairy tales and folktales I have read throughout the years.

Finn McCoul

Type: Folktale

Country of Origin: Ireland

Main Character Hero or Heroine: Hero and Heroine

Recommend?: Yes!

This is the story of a friendly and mighty giant named Finn McCoul of Ireland and in this story, he must come face to face with the vicious giant Cucullan, even though Finn is truly terrified of the giant. Luckily, his wife Oonaugh has a plan that will save Finn from Cucullan!

I was always fascinated with the tale of Finn McCoul since it's a very unique type of tale where it focused exclusively on the life of a giant and a friendly one at that! I also loved the idea that Finn was well known as one of the greatest giants around Ireland since it gives the story a heroic edge and the fact that Cucullan wants to fight him was really interesting and intense at the same time! I also loved the fact that Oonaugh was a truly smart heroine who was able to bail Finn out of this mess by concocting plans that would trick Cucullan and it set a good example of having a strong female protagonist who uses her wits to get out of tricky situation.

1. Do you think there should be more stories about friendly giants?

I definitely think there should be more stories about friendly giants since it's so rare to find stories that are about friendly giants and I think that this story was pretty good at showcasing the friendliness of Finn McCoul.

2. Do you think that Oonaugh was a good female protagonist?

Yes, I think that Oonaugh was a good female protagonist because she used her wits to defeat Cucullan and using your wits is a great message to send to absolutely anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation!

3. How would you deal with bullies?

Depending on the circumstances, I would try to alert anyone who can help to diffuse the situation, just like Finn did with Oonaugh.

4. Would you like to read more Irish folktales?

I would like to try out more Irish folktales since I'm so interested in folktales in general and I want to broaden my horizons when it comes to folktales.