_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.