THE SALMON OF WISDOM
In Irish myth nine hazel trees of wisdom surround the sacred well of knowledge. The nine hazel trees are of wisdom, inspiration, and poetry. The salmon living in the well would eat the hazel nuts and it would make them wise, and it was said that any person who ate the Salmon of Wisdom would know all the wisdom and poetry, and gain the gift of prophecy. They would be able to remember their future.
In the Irish tale of Fionn macCumhaill (Finn MacCool) a boy named Finn went to learn poetry from the bard Finneces (White Wisdom) who had been seeking the Salmon of Wisdom for seven years. Finneces caught the salmon and gave it to Finn to cook, telling him to not eat any of it. Finn accidently burned his thumb while cooking the salmon, and immediately sucked his thumb, thus he was the one to gain the wisdom of the salmon and gained the gift of prophecy. From that day on, anytime Finn sucked his thumb he could see the future.
By remembering the dreams and stories of our ancestors, we too, like Finn MacCool, can remember our ancestor’s future, and reclaim a more balanced, holistic, and ecologically sustainable world.
