Ossian 1: The Scottish Highlands: Epic Mode
In this opening talk we’ll investigate the heroic stories and ballads of the Scottish Highlands telling of the adventures of the warrior band known as the Fèinn, and their leader Fionn mac Cumhail or Finn MacCool. These exciting, complex, and often moving stories are part of the common heritage of Scotland and Ireland. The earliest texts of the ‘Finn Cycle’ were composed well over a millennium ago, and the tales have been told and retold, written and read (and filmed!), added to and adapted, from then till now.
The stories can sparkle with life and creative energy. The Fèinn fight enemy invaders: mortal kings of Lochlann, or Greece, or even of the Entire World. They struggle to defeat otherworldly hags on land and sea. Again, disagreements among the heroes themselves can sometimes lead to quarrels and even murder. But these tales are about far more than violence alone: they tell of romantic encounters and love-affairs, of hunts and heroic quests, of romance, enchantment, and foolishness.
For previous generations, these tales were not counted as fiction, but as historical fact. The stories of these warriors were entwined with Scottish Highland genealogies and local landscapes, with proverbs and everyday life. Looking beyond the performances of the tales, we can appreciate just how deeply the lore of the Fèinn was woven into Scottish Gaelic culture.
Speaker Bio:
Dòmhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart is a leading Scottish scholar of Gaelic language, folklore, and oral tradition. He is Associate Professor in Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh and has long been associated with School of Scottish Studies, where he has contributed extensively to research on narrative tradition, belief, and vernacular culture.
His work focuses particularly on Gaelic storytelling, popular belief, charm traditions, and the cultural worlds of the Highlands and Islands, combining rigorous scholarship with a deep respect for living oral heritage. Stiùbhart is known for his ability to bridge academic research and community knowledge, often working closely with tradition bearers and archival materials alike.
In addition to his academic publications, he has played an important role in public folklore work in Scotland, including education, heritage projects, and the preservation and interpretation of Gaelic intangible cultural heritage. His scholarship is marked by clarity, cultural sensitivity, and a strong commitment to keeping Gaelic voices central to the study of Scotland’s past and present.
Curated & Hosted by:
Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
