Fintan the Wise
Fionntán: either "white fire" or "white bull"

According to The Book of Invasions, he is the only person (other than Noah and his crew) who survives the great deluge. He had come to Ireland with Cessair, granddaughter of Noah, to escape the coming flood; however, while everyone else drowned, Fintan was able to turn himself into a salmon (a symbol of wisdom) and spend the next forty days swiming in the sea. When the waters receded, he was the first man to set foot on Ireland again, and watched all the subsequent invasions in the form of a hawk or eagle.

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Mary Jones © 2004