Cumhal
In
Irish mythology,
Cumhal (earlier
Cumal, pronounced roughly "Coo-al" or "Cool") son of Trénmór ("strong-great") was a leader of the
fianna and the father of
Fionn mac Cumhail.
He was a suitor for the hand of
Muirne, daughter of the
druid Tadg mac Nuadat, but Tadg refused him, so he abducted Muirne. Tadg appealed to the
High King,
Conn of the Hundred Battles, who made war against Cumhal. Cumhal was killed in the Battle of Cnucha by
Goll mac Morna, who took over leadership of the fian, but Muirne was already pregnant with his son, Fionn.
Attempts to connect Cumhal with
Camulos, a
Celtic
god of war, are now largely rejected.
Old Irish cumal means "female slave", and it is possible that a noble father was invented for Fionn to obscure an ignoble origin. Alternatively, some early texts call the hero "Fionn mac Umaill", which may indicate his father's name was originally Umall.
Alternatives:
Coul,
Cool
