1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the production of 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: it is the week of St Patrick's Day. So I 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: thought it would be fun to turn our attention to 6 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: Irish mythology once more, And in this case we're going 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: to be considering the mythic hero Finn McCool, noted, warrior, 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: wonder worker. We're going to get into all of that. 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 1: But I guess what I was especially interested in, what 10 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: kind of pulled me in initially, was his thumb, the 11 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: thumb of knowledge, upon which he was said to suck, 12 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: or to at least to place the thumb inside of 13 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: his mouth in order to receive great inside or perhaps 14 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: even see into the future. Yeah, Robert was going to ask, 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: so this topic was your idea, and I was wondering, 16 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: did you come to it first or hero first? Was 17 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: it like you're reading about Finn McCool and all the 18 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: legends and then you come across this thumbs story and 19 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: you're like, let's talk about that, or were you reading 20 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: about legends of thumbs? I was reading about I was 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: actually reading about some other mythological figures, and then I 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: was like, oh, what am I doing? It's at St 23 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 1: Patrick's day. Irish mythology is so rich. There's got to 24 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: be something we haven't talked about on the show before. 25 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: And then I started reading about Finn McCool. And when 26 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: I read about the Thumb, which I somehow either they 27 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: had never read about before or forgotten about, I was 28 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: instantly in Now. Finn itself is a is a common 29 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: Irish hero name for characters of all genders, um related 30 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 1: to Finn or meaning white or fair I've read, but 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: refers to wisdom rather than skin tone, according to the 32 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: Encyclopedia of of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by A. Patricia Monagan. Yeah, 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: I was reading that Finn is a variant of the 34 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: Irish name fun, spelled like f i o in or 35 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: f i o n in, which means white or fair, 36 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: but usually I think referring to hair color. And there 37 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: are some legends of Finn McCool that say he had 38 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: white hair from an early age, possibly due to some 39 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: kind of magical rapid aging and d aging procedure. Alright, well, 40 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: I mean it would make sense like the the association 41 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: between uh like white hair and age, and age and wisdom, 42 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: and therefore if someone had prematurely white hair, there could 43 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: perhaps be some air of Oh they are they have 44 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: the wisdom of of an older man or an older woman, 45 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: despite the fact that they are otherwise quite young. And 46 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: speaking of the variant of the name Finn versus Fion, 47 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: I think it it's worth saying at the beginning that 48 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: there are two different ways of spelling the name that 49 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: are essentially the same character, or slight variations on the 50 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: same character. One is commonly spelled in the anglicized version, 51 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: just like we're saying at Finn McCool, but the other 52 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: one is spelled more like fion. And then the last 53 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: name is mac c u m h a i l 54 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,679 Speaker 1: or h a i l l, which, from what I understand, 55 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: I know pronunciation a lot of these of a lot 56 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: of these uh Irish words is notoriously tricky for English 57 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: speakers like us. But I think that is also pronounced 58 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: pretty much just McCool. So Finn McCool. Great name, by 59 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: the way, it's one of these names that, especially today, 60 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: with connotations of cool and coolness. It's it's instantly interesting 61 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: as the hero's name, but if you're not familiar with him, 62 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: he stands alongside um uh co Colin as one of 63 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: the two great heroes of Irish mythology. He's a much 64 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: later hero than Colin uh, and like any hero of 65 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: myth there are varying tales about him. It is interesting 66 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: that both characters are known for entering altered states of consciousness. Uh. 67 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: Finn for his prescient thumb state where he can you 68 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: know his well discuss can can place his thumb inside 69 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: of his mouth and uh and with with you know, 70 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: some other chanting effects uh stare into the future or 71 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: at least gain some sort of supernatural wisdom and co Colin, 72 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: as we discussed in our past episode on co Colin, 73 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: was able to enter the warped spasm in battle where 74 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: he's in this altered state of of of of barbarian rage, 75 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: he sort of transforms into a semi monster. Yeah, kind 76 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: of like a Hulk mode. Yeah. So anyway, Finn McCool uh, 77 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: you know what's the origin story? Right? Every hero has 78 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: an origin story. Well, we're told that his father died 79 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: when he was very young, either due to a crime 80 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: of his own doing or some conflict with a rival. Clan. 81 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: There are different variations on that. Either way, he ends 82 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: up being raised by his mother and um and Monican 83 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,240 Speaker 1: Uh in the the book that I referenced earlier stresses 84 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: the importance of female energy in his raising, especially as 85 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: his mother Erna claimed divine descent from Nauda of the 86 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: Silver Hand, the first king of the Tufa Dudon and 87 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: the Tufa Dudan and where the the sort of fairy 88 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 1: folk godlike beings of of Irish mythology, and I would 89 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: say often having a rather ambiguous character and relationship to humanity. 90 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: They're not like consistently either enemies or helpers. They can 91 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: kind of be either one. Yeah, you see a lot 92 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: of their spirit reflected in some of the modern ideas 93 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: of elves in fantasy settings. You know, they're they're superior 94 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: to humans, but they are of the previous age there 95 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: maybe not as invested in this world as they once were, 96 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: that sort of thing. Yeah, and according to some legends 97 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: like there, their strength in this world is waning. Like 98 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: I know, there's uh one story that involves Finn McCool 99 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,239 Speaker 1: and his his band of warriors, the Defenders of Ireland. 100 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: Who will we'll talk about more as we get on, 101 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: but they in one story, they end up going on 102 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: a journey across the sea to an island where they 103 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: have been I think, sort of lured by members of 104 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: the too author to done and to come join them 105 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: and sort of re energize them or or provide supplemental 106 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: strength to the waning strength of these beings from a 107 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 1: past age. By the way, if you've seen the movie 108 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: Hellboy Too, I believe the the antagonists in that film 109 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: are supposed to be the two offended Dan and I 110 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: believe in fact that we're supposed to see Nowada as 111 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: the as the primary antagonist there. That's the one that 112 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: Hellboy has a big fight with. Anyway, So Finn McCool, 113 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: he's raised by his aunt and his foster mother, the 114 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: druid uh Bode mall and H. He's trained in combat 115 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: by the warrior woman Luthus Logan, and he accidentally kills 116 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: her in combat, and then the incident with the Salmon 117 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: of Knowledge occurs around this time. We're gonna come back 118 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: to that because it's it's it's it's quite a tale. 119 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: And also shortly after this he ends up actually taking 120 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: the name Finn after he defeats his first enemy in combat, 121 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: but then he goes on to study his craft further 122 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: under the warrior woman Buanan as well as the male 123 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:07,239 Speaker 1: warrior Sethron mac Fountain. Basically he can completes his Jedi training, 124 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: he becomes this near perfect warrior who who also has 125 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: this ability to tap into hidden wisdom or see into 126 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: the future, and then he assembles this band of warriors 127 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: to defend his province of Leinster still called that today 128 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: in the southeast and east of Ireland and from the 129 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: here on out. The story you know, includes various exploits 130 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: and adventures, and we'll touch on some of these, but 131 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: he also engages in a number of romantic conquests. Uh 132 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: they don't They don't always go so well. His death 133 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: is told in various stories, and depending on where you're 134 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: hearing them or reading them, his death is said to 135 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,119 Speaker 1: have taken place at different points different places spread across 136 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: Ireland and Scotland, and there's also this idea that he 137 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: may have been reborn as the hero Mongan Uh. Still, 138 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: other tales say that he did not die at all, 139 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: but that he and his fianna uh weight in a 140 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: cave to one day rise up and defend I or 141 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: and once more more, you know very much in the 142 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: in in keeping with the tales of King Arthur, how 143 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: one day King Arthur will return and rise up and 144 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: protect England. Yeah. When I was reading these stories of 145 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,559 Speaker 1: Finn mcool, I kept noticing other parallels to King Arthur, 146 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: because so not only is there this idea that he's 147 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: you know, resting somewhere maybe one day to be called 148 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: up to to defend his his nation again, but there 149 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: is also a similarity to the Lancelot and Guinevere story 150 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: in that there's a story where where Finn mccool's wife 151 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: falls in love with one of his greatest warriors, a 152 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: man named Diarmid, who obviously it reminds me a lot 153 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: of Lancelot and Guenevere and uh, and they they ultimately 154 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: come to I think, not battle each other, but I 155 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: believe the legend goes that d Armid has to go 156 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: fight a boar, and then the boar gravely wounds him, 157 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: and uh that Finn McCool could save him by offering 158 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 1: up water from his hands that would be healing because 159 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: of his magic powers, but he essentially denies that healing 160 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: power to his rival and he dies. Yeah, that's try. 161 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,960 Speaker 1: One of the side effects I guess of acquiring the 162 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: Thumb of Knowledge is that is that we're told that 163 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: Finn McCool can conform his hands into a cup collect 164 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: water and that water will have healing properties. Pretty great. 165 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: Is even just like a second tier superpower if you 166 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: asked me, well, it feels like one of those pylon powers, 167 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: you know, where you know, I really like a folk 168 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: hero who has one power and it's a pretty specific power. 169 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: But but I don't know, the legendary heroes just tend 170 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 1: to accumulate more and more powers over the you know, 171 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,319 Speaker 1: in the telling, over the years. At least seems that way. Yeah, 172 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: in the same way that sometimes you'll have a mad 173 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: scientist in a fictional tale where uh, they seem to 174 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: have too many interests, too many technologies at their disposal, Like, 175 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: you know, are you a time traveler or you a 176 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: power armor guy? Are you are you building robots? Or 177 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: do you have an invisible hility about Like you need 178 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: to like really focus in on one and exploit that 179 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: because otherwise we really don't know what we're dealing with. 180 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: Seemed to see, I just make giant scorpions. That's it. There, 181 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: You go. It behooves you to specialize in the realm 182 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,719 Speaker 1: of mad science, or or or being a mythological hero. 183 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: That's right, you know those giant scorpions or quality. It 184 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: takes focus to make them. Thank all right, Well, let's 185 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: get into the exploits of Finn McCool here, and we're 186 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 1: gonna start with a with a big one one that 187 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 1: if you're if you're familiar with Finn McCool and you're 188 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,080 Speaker 1: otherwise not that familiar with Irish mythology, you probably know 189 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: this one. Yes, though it's weird because I think this 190 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: might be one of the best known Finn McCool stories. 191 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 1: But I think it's also sort of an outlier in 192 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: that it portrays Finn McCool with different properties than he 193 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,920 Speaker 1: usually has. And I think these legends probably also come 194 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,439 Speaker 1: later than a lot of the other legends. But anyway, 195 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: this one we're going to talk about is a piece 196 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: of geo mythology, a story created to explain geological features 197 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: of the Earth. Now, a lot of the geo myths 198 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: we've looked at in previous episodes explain big masses of 199 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,839 Speaker 1: rock or bodies of water as some part of the 200 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: body of a god, whether living or dead. But this 201 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: story is one of the other common types, which is 202 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 1: explaining natural formations as architecture that was built by the 203 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 1: Demi gods of old and the feature explained in this 204 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: story is known as the Giants Causeway. So to start 205 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,560 Speaker 1: with the plain observation of nature, there is a stretch 206 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: of coast along the north of Northern Ireland in County 207 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:46,719 Speaker 1: Antrum that is covered with tens of thousands of hexagonal 208 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: columns of basalt. Now, this is not the only place 209 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 1: in the world that has columns of this type. You 210 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: might have seen them at Devil's Tower in Wyoming or 211 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: or other places around the world. I know there are 212 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: some in UH in the Northwest and the United States, 213 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: like in Washington State, UM. But but you can find 214 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: these in various places. They're usually made of basalt, but 215 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: sometimes other volcanic rocks will will take this form. And 216 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: if you haven't ever seen these things known as columnar basalt, UH, 217 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 1: you should look them up because they're they're absolutely beautiful 218 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:22,959 Speaker 1: and they're one of those natural formations that just doesn't 219 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: look natural at all. I think many people who look 220 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: at the columnar basalt, they consult their intuitions and they 221 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:33,200 Speaker 1: immediately come to think this is artificial. Somebody built this, 222 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 1: somebody carved these rocks, and it might be an interesting 223 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,680 Speaker 1: question to ask why our intuitions work this way while 224 00:12:39,679 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: you look at these columns of rock that mostly take 225 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: the form of hexagon and think that this has got 226 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,319 Speaker 1: to be made by a person or by a god 227 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: instead of by nature. I guess it looks so strange 228 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: because we tend to assume that clean regular lines and 229 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: angles like the kind we see in polygons like like 230 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: a hexagon, are just not to be found in nature. 231 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:06,319 Speaker 1: Nature should have i don't know more more irregular, fractal 232 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: kind of edges. Yeah. I think that's a huge part 233 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: of it, along with the rough uniformity of everything. Like 234 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: it's not just uh oh, here's an interesting rock that 235 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: has these these properties. No, look at all of them. 236 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,319 Speaker 1: It looks like there was some sort of industrial scale, um, 237 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: you know, alien brickmaking project here, right. They look like 238 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,959 Speaker 1: they were extruded out of a machine. Yeah, But anyway 239 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: that there's been this stretch of the coast along northern 240 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: Ireland that that has had these columns there for for 241 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,839 Speaker 1: millions of years, and over the centuries there arose some 242 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: folk tales in order to explain the origins of these columns. Yeah, 243 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: so the the giants causeway again, this is the the 244 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: the Irish side in question. It's composed of roughly forty 245 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: thousand interlocking columns. Uh in a. Again, this is due 246 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,680 Speaker 1: to a volcanic fissure eruption. No no alien brickmaking involved here. 247 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: This all went down roughly fifty to sixty million years ago. Um, 248 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,200 Speaker 1: that's what we know now. But according to UH Irish mythology, however, 249 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: it was built by Finn McCool. And not just any 250 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: Finn McCool, not the regular sort of a superhero Finn McCool. 251 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: This is a giant Finn McCool. Yes, when you when 252 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: you read accounts of this, generally he's described as a giant, 253 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: despite the fact that he's not really described as a 254 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: giant in any other telling. Finn McCool is generally viewed as, uh, 255 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: you know, a human hero or a hero with human proportions. 256 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: It's only in this case where he's he's gigantic. Now, 257 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 1: one thing I did read was that there there's there's 258 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: some thinking that this formation may have originally been associated 259 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: with other mythological uh creators that there may have been 260 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: different geo mythology and play. It might have been attributed 261 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: to the monstrous flamori Ins which were this these you 262 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: know giant race that we're said to be. Um, you know, 263 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: previous occupiers of the territory who were cast out at 264 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: one point or another. Uh. So you know, it could 265 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: have been later on where someone's like, well, Pomorians are 266 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: all right, but but Finn McCool is awesome. Uh. Let's 267 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: let's adjust the story somewhat and Finn McCool becomes the 268 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: creator of the giants. Causeway, the basic idea with Finn 269 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: McCool and these formations as is that, okay, we have 270 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: the four these formations in Ireland, and then we also 271 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: have a very similar formations found at Fingles Cave on 272 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:37,520 Speaker 1: the Aisle of of Staffa in Scotland. And the idea 273 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: here is that, well, on both sides here we we 274 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: must have the remnants of a mythological bridge between these 275 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: two lands. And so the idea is that Finn is 276 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: said to have built the bridge as a means of 277 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: reaching the other side and battling a rival giant. Yes, 278 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: and this is the tale of of the Giants Causeway. 279 00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: So there appeared to be a lot of versions of 280 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 1: this story, and from what I can tell, this is 281 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,440 Speaker 1: a folk tale that emerges from from oral tellings without 282 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: a canonical original text, so I think it's pointless to 283 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: try to quest after the original here. I'm just going 284 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 1: to tell it as a kind of synthesis of the 285 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 1: multiple versions I have read. I have no idea which 286 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: form of this story is oldest or could claim to 287 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: be closest to the original, but here it goes in 288 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: my synthesized form. Once upon a time there was a 289 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: giant named Finn McCool who lived in Ireland with his 290 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 1: wife Una, and Finn McCool was brave and strong, but 291 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: he was also hot tempered and rash, and far across 292 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: the water in Scotland there was another giant. This was 293 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: a nasty brute named Ben and Donner or the Red Man, 294 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,000 Speaker 1: and Ben and Donner used to harass Finn McCool and 295 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: his neighbors, shouting vicious slander and hair raising taunts across 296 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: the water at them. You can imagine the kind of 297 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: the French taunter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail 298 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 1: just just brew at old brutal put downs, your mother 299 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: was a hamster, all that kind of stuff. And Finn 300 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: became so furious at the other giant that he uprooted 301 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: an enormous boulder and hurled it at the Scottish ogre. 302 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: But he missed, and the boulder landed in the sea, 303 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: and this boulder became the Isle of Man. And so 304 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: Finn sat around stewing, thinking I must destroy this fool, 305 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: but I don't want to get my feet wet by 306 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,439 Speaker 1: swimming over there, So how can I reach him? And 307 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: then he came up with an idea. He would build 308 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: a bridge out of stone. So between the Irish shore 309 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 1: and the rocky coast of Scotland he put together a 310 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,159 Speaker 1: stone causeway that would allow him to walk all the 311 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: way across. And this causeway was the was the origin 312 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: of the basalt pillars that we can still see today. 313 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 1: But of course the pillars don't go all the way 314 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:57,199 Speaker 1: across anymore. So what happened there? Well, having completed his causeway, Finn, 315 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: you know, he gets his blood up and he just 316 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: has to run across the sea to the other side 317 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: and give Ben and Donner a good walloping to shut 318 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: him up. But unfortunately, as brave and strong as Finn 319 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 1: McCool was. Once he got a look at the Scottish 320 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: giant up close, his blood ran cold because Ben and 321 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: Donner was a monster, a beast even bigger and stronger 322 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: than Finn himself. And Finn knew that he would not 323 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: win a fair fight with Ben and Donner, so bravely 324 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: ran away away uh he uh When when danger reared 325 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:34,719 Speaker 1: its ugly head, he turned his yellow tail and fled, 326 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 1: and so he ran back home to hide. But unfortunately, 327 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: now that he had built a causeway, it could be 328 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: crossed in both directions, so Ben and Donner soon came 329 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: over the bridge to Ireland looking for Finn. Finn did 330 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: not know what to do, but fortunately his wife Una 331 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,479 Speaker 1: was diabolically clever, much cleverer than her husband, and she 332 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: came up with a plan, and it goes like this. 333 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: Dressed Finn up as a baby and made him lay 334 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 1: down inside a giant cradle. You with me? So far? 335 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: So soon Ben and Donner came knocking at their door 336 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: and he said, open the door, Finn McCool, come out 337 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: and fight me and I'll give you a beating you'll 338 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 1: never forget. Instead, Una opened the door and she welcomed 339 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,960 Speaker 1: Ben and Donna inside and showed him hospitality. She said, 340 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: my husband is not home right now, but he'll be 341 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: glad to fight you when he gets back. In the meantime, 342 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: please sit down and help yourself to some bread. I 343 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,719 Speaker 1: baked it just the way my husband likes it. So 344 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: Ben and Donner broke off a piece of the loaf 345 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: and bit into it. But immediately he spat it out, 346 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,119 Speaker 1: and he shouted, this bread cracks my teeth. Because secretly 347 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: Una had baked bars of iron into the dough. And 348 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: so she feigned, uh, you know, she feigned ignorance and said, 349 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. I didn't think it would trouble such a 350 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: strong man as yourself. My husband loves that recipe. Even 351 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 1: our baby eats it that way. And this directed Ben 352 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: and Donner's attention to the baby, which was again Finn 353 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: himself in disguise as a baby in a crib. And 354 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: so when Ben and Donner went over and got a 355 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: look at the child, he said to himself, if the 356 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: baby is already an iron eating giant as he lies 357 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: in his crib, his father must be the size of 358 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: a mountain. I cannot beat this guy. So here at 359 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: this moment Ben and Donner is seized with fear. He's 360 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: he's he is fully bought into UNA's trickery, and Ben 361 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: and Donna runs away, and as he flees, he destroys 362 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 1: the bridge of stone that Finn had built so that 363 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: his enemy can never come and find him. And all 364 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: that's left is the part of the bridge on the 365 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: Irish shore and the part on the Scottish side again 366 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: that's near the place called Fingal's Cave. And this is 367 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: one of my favorite showdown stories of all time. Now, 368 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: defeating your enemy by dressing as a baby, it is 369 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: so good. I love it. Yeah, you think you're going 370 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: to get just this giant battle throw down and instead 371 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: you get this, uh, this comedic um a game of deception. 372 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 1: I love it. Now. There is another version that actually 373 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 1: has a fight, though it involves a lot of the 374 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: same elements. So this other version I was reading about 375 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: was I was reading about it in a book that 376 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,600 Speaker 1: I know you're going to reference later, the one by 377 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: James McKillop called Fian McCool Celtic Myth in English Literature, 378 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 1: published by Syracuse University Press in nineteen eighty five, and 379 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: McKillop draws attention to a version of the story told 380 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 1: in William Carlton's The Legend of Knockmny And this is 381 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: from the mid nineteenth century, and the variations in Carlton's 382 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:40,400 Speaker 1: version are that the other giant is not named Ben 383 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: and Donner, but is named Kuke Cullen. Interesting that you know, 384 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,160 Speaker 1: that's the name of another Irish folk hero that originally 385 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with this story. Uh so, I 386 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 1: don't know what's going on there. Maybe it's just sort 387 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: of blending together of strong man in in folk stories, 388 00:21:57,680 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: or just realizing we've got to have these two characters 389 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: at each other. This is like the Batman the Superman 390 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: of the day. Well, so many elements of the story 391 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: are the same as the version I just told, but 392 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: some things are different. This version includes a detail that 393 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: when Finn returns home to Una, he says he's afraid 394 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: that he will be skivered like a rabbit if he 395 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: has to fight Cullen. But Una knows that Kucullen's power 396 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: is contained in the middle finger of his right hand. 397 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: He has a magic middle finger, and she knows if 398 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 1: you can compromise the finger, you sap his beastly magic. 399 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 1: And he who loses strength, he won't be able to fight. 400 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: So it's kind of like I don't know Sampson's hair 401 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: or something, except this is the middle finger of his 402 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: right hand. So like in the version I told, Kucullen 403 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 1: comes over and uh and Una feeds him bread with 404 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,119 Speaker 1: metal or I think in this case it's stones of 405 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 1: granite inside, and he breaks his teeth on the bread. 406 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: Then when he hears that even their baby eats this bread, 407 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: Kucullen is incredulous and he has to go feel the 408 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: baby's teeth again. The bay be is actually Finn McCool 409 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: in disguise, and when Cullen reaches inside the baby's mouth 410 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:09,960 Speaker 1: to feel its teeth, Finn bites off the magic middle finger, 411 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 1: and now the giant is as weak as immortal man, 412 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,359 Speaker 1: so Finn beats him up very easily. All right, So 413 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: it started out like it was going to be like 414 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: this big throwdown, but again we have a comic game 415 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,080 Speaker 1: of deception em play once more. Yes, and McKillop points 416 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 1: out that in this story it's interesting that Finn is victorious, 417 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,439 Speaker 1: but only after both showing cowardice in running away from 418 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: the initial fight and resorting to trickery trickery. That wasn't 419 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,159 Speaker 1: even his idea. It's not even like he he's a 420 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: you know, a cunning fox like Odysseus. Una is the 421 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: real hero of the story. She comes up with the 422 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: whole idea of how to like she has the knowledge 423 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: about the magic middle finger, and she comes up with 424 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: the whole plan. So uh, And he has to dress 425 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 1: as a baby in order to defeat his enemy. So 426 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,439 Speaker 1: it's a weird kind of simultaneous victory and humiliation. He 427 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,719 Speaker 1: wins essentially by no virtue of his own. But there 428 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: are a couple of things I kept thinking about with 429 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: the story that are going to tie into what you'll 430 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: bring up in more detail when you talk about the 431 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: Thumb of Knowledge. Because so, first of all, it has 432 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: it's a story in which Finn McCool dresses up as 433 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: a giant baby. And one thing that we know Finn 434 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: McCool did in other legends is suck on his thumb 435 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:23,160 Speaker 1: in order to gain insight or knowledge, which of course 436 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,239 Speaker 1: is associated with you know, that's what babies do. But 437 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: the other thing is that Finn McCool has to bite 438 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: off the magic middle finger of his enemy in order 439 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: to defeat him, and steal his power. So his enemy 440 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: has a magic finger in this story, just like Finn 441 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: McCool does, though the magic thumb is not really mentioned 442 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 1: in this telling. Yeah, I mean this all has to 443 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:47,399 Speaker 1: be connected. I don't remember tales of Collin's magic middle 444 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: finger coming up when we researched the hero previously. Uh. 445 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 1: And and clearly, the idea of a Finn McCool who 446 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:58,679 Speaker 1: has this thumb of knowledge, the idea of him dressing 447 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: up as a baby feels like, I mean, it feels 448 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: like a perfect creation, Like you can imagine that just 449 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,640 Speaker 1: being you know, whatever the exact origins are, and we'll 450 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: get into that of the of the thumb of knowledge, 451 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: it just makes sense that somebody later would think of 452 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 1: But what if he also acted like a baby? Uh, 453 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 1: you can't help it go there, because of course, babies 454 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,199 Speaker 1: putting fingers and or their thumb in their mouth, sucking 455 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: on their thumb. It's it's a universal reality and it's 456 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: been you know, you see it reflected in various myths 457 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: and traditions around the world. So you couldn't help but 458 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: go in that direction. Than now, before we move on, 459 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: I did want to come back to the geological question 460 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: of what actually causes hexagonal columns to form in volcanic rock, Like, 461 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: what is the actual scientific origin of the rocks that 462 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: were believed to be part of the giants causeway? So 463 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: we settle that giants giants, right. So these columns are 464 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 1: are usually but not always, found in a type of 465 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: rock called basalt, which is a type of igneous rock 466 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: that's created when lava flows out of a volcano or 467 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: out of a fissure in the earth and then cools, 468 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 1: and under certain conditions the cooling process of that that 469 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: that liquid lava can give rise to columns like the 470 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: kind we see at the Giant's Causeway. So when molten 471 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: lava settles and begins to cool, what happens is its 472 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: surface begins to set, turning from a glowing orange liquid 473 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: into this this solid, dark shape. And this cooling happens 474 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: from the outside in so the part exposed to the 475 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: atmosphere or especially I think when this occurs in water, 476 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:43,119 Speaker 1: that the part that's exposed to either air or water 477 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,919 Speaker 1: that cools the fastest, and then the parts underneath retain 478 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: their heat the longest. And as the surface cools, it 479 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,919 Speaker 1: also contracts, it literally shrinks in volume. So this is 480 00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: something that's common to all kinds of materials, as there 481 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 1: as their temperature goes down, a shrink in volume. You 482 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: can observe this if you like you ever seen videos 483 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:09,479 Speaker 1: rob of people freezing balloons and liquid nitrogen? Um, I 484 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: feel like I have. What happens when you freeze the 485 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: balloon in liquid nitrogen. It's really interesting. It shrinks. So 486 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:16,439 Speaker 1: you can take a balloon that's inflated and kind of 487 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: plunge it into liquid nitrogen and then it shrinks down. 488 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: It looks like it's completely deflated. But then if you 489 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: take it out of the liquid nitrogen, sit it on 490 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: a table or something, it will gradually as it warms up, 491 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: reinflate again. So like what's going on. It's almost as 492 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: if it's magic. But what's happening is the cooling of 493 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: the gas inside the balloon causes that gas to contract, 494 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,040 Speaker 1: and it it shrinks down and down and down until 495 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: the balloon is essentially deflated. Then when it warms back up, 496 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 1: it expands again. Okay, maybe I haven't seen videos of 497 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 1: this before, It's worth looking up. It looks really cool. 498 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: I bet you can shrink a balloon by putting it 499 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,360 Speaker 1: in your freezer as well. Yeah, maybe that's what I've 500 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: seen before, but probably not as fully shriveled as the 501 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 1: liquid nitrogeneral get you, but anyway, um so, so, yeah, 502 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,239 Speaker 1: things tend to contract, they shrink as they cool. And 503 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,280 Speaker 1: the same thing is true if this lava. So the 504 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,439 Speaker 1: surface cools faster than the than the part down below, 505 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 1: and as the surface cools, it shrinks. But as this 506 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: contraction is happening, it's also setting up solid at the 507 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: same time, So the surface of the lava actually cracks 508 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: as it shrinks, and so especially if the cooling is 509 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:31,920 Speaker 1: happening in a fairly evenly distributed way, what tends to 510 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: happen is that these cracks occur around evenly spaced centers 511 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:40,240 Speaker 1: of surface contraction that occur at at pretty fixed intervals. 512 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: Sort of. You can map them, map them as a 513 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: bunch of dots around the surface of the lava formation 514 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: and uh, and they'll be pretty evenly spaced out. And 515 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: then the cracks form around those centers of cooling and 516 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: they one of the easiest ways for those cracks to 517 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: form is roughly into hexagons around those centers. And as 518 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: the cracks form on the surface, the lava mass continues 519 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: cooling and the cracks propagate vertically down into the center 520 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: of the mass, forming these columns, and so eventually the 521 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: mass cools and solidifies entirely and we're left with columnar 522 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: basalt like we find at the Giant's Causeway. It all 523 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: started with cracks on the surface from the cooling, and 524 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 1: those cracks penetrated deeper and deeper as the mass of 525 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: lava cooled, and again the result is just quite impressive. 526 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: I've not been to one of these sites and seen 527 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: it in person, but researching this a little bit and 528 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: looking at some of these photographs, so it makes me 529 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: want to go. I know I've seen some in person 530 00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: at a at a volcanic site in Oregon, and I 531 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: can't recall if I've seen any anywhere else. I know 532 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,959 Speaker 1: there is UH it's either an elaborate set or a 533 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: location that's used in the TV series Raised by Wolves 534 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:55,680 Speaker 1: that looks a lot like this, But it's my understanding 535 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 1: that that show is filmed in South Africa, so I 536 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: don't know if there's a South African UH location that 537 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:05,480 Speaker 1: has has similar geography going on, or if that's all 538 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 1: just you know, a set or something it At any rate, 539 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 1: it looks impressive in that show as well. If we 540 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: were only in the office, I could just yell at 541 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 1: Holly and ask her since she does the podcast for 542 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: Raised by Wolves. Oh yes, she's got the hook up 543 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,680 Speaker 1: for all your your basault information. All right. So that's 544 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: the giants causeway, that's a little geomethology, but we all 545 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: know that it takes a little more than geo mythology 546 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:31,040 Speaker 1: to to make a mythic hero. We also need some 547 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: sort of a monster battle. There has to be a 548 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,880 Speaker 1: slaying of some sort. If not a monster battle, then 549 00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: it'll at least some sort of epic battled against another 550 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 1: you know, humanoid adversary. Uh. And in this case, well 551 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: we've we've got a we've got a pretty good one. Uh. 552 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: We have the sling of Aileen mcmidna, a k a. 553 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: The Burner. So I apologize, but that makes me think 554 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: of him as a phone. Well my mind and instantly 555 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:00,080 Speaker 1: went to the possibility that he's really into going a 556 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 1: burning man in various regional burns and in a way 557 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: I mean he is a musician. So we're told that 558 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: Aileen mcmidna was the fairy musician of the Tapa to 559 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: Dine and again the powerful rulers of the other world. Um. Now, 560 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: Allen is often described in this case as a dark 561 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: figure with fiery breath, armed with both a supernatural harp 562 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: that could lull mortals to sleep, as well as a 563 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,160 Speaker 1: poisoned spear. Now the spear in this in this case, 564 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: it doesn't seem again all of these things that kind 565 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 1: of depends on the telling and who's writing it down. 566 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: But the spear doesn't seem to be poisoned in the 567 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: traditional sense, though I it also does sound like it 568 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: will still poison you if you're stabbed with it, but 569 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,640 Speaker 1: more to the point, it admits poisonous fume. So it's like, 570 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 1: it's pretty fat, fabulous vision to have in your mind, 571 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: this idea. Here's this uh, this is a dark, fiery 572 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 1: monster being and has a harp in one hand and 573 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: the other this this spear that is just smokeing with poison. 574 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: I'll also point out that if you start looking at 575 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 1: illustrations of of Allen, you'll find it's kind of all 576 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: over the place, Like there's there's a pretty famous one 577 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 1: where Allen looks like this kind of monolithic dark giant 578 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,520 Speaker 1: that kind of looks almost like a robot, uh firing 579 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 1: a blast of energy at Finn McCool and I really 580 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: love that image and it and it kind of keeps 581 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,440 Speaker 1: with this idea of sort of the the elder superpowers 582 00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:29,480 Speaker 1: of the two of Dadon. And but then I also 583 00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: found one where uh, Alan mc minnot just looks like 584 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: a big grotesque demonoid goblin creature shooting fire out of 585 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: his like his his pig like nostrils out of the nose, 586 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 1: like he's blowing his nose and fires coming out, and 587 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:48,080 Speaker 1: he's got one big horn in the middle of his head. Yeah. 588 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,719 Speaker 1: So I was reading a little bit more about Aileen 589 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: in Carol Rose's Fairy Spirits, Lepricns and Goblins, of course, 590 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:57,959 Speaker 1: has a section where she discusses, uh, this particular Ailen 591 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 1: and discusses how Alan comes to play for the Palace 592 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: of Tara uh on the Festival of Solon and uh, 593 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: he becomes irate because he's playing this music on this 594 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,960 Speaker 1: magical harp and what does it do. It puts everyone 595 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 1: to sleep. That is kind of his or this harp's 596 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 1: magical power. Uh So, I mean, really shame on him. 597 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: He should be expecting this, but he gets mad instead. 598 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: So he's like, what are you doing falling to sleep 599 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: during my beautiful music? He takes up his spear and 600 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: he blasts three blasts of fire from his nostrils, and 601 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: he destroys the entire palace. The entire castle just completely destroyed. 602 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:37,640 Speaker 1: So what do you do? Well? They rebuilt the castle, uh, 603 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: and then the same thing happened again the following year. 604 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 1: I don't know why they booked Allen again, the same 605 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: gig that destroyed the castle. I actually I don't think 606 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: they booked him. I think the ideas he keeps coming back, uh, 607 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: such as his rage at this place, such as his 608 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 1: lust for vengeance. Uh. And then every time he destroys 609 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:56,959 Speaker 1: the place, they have to build it back up, and 610 00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:00,720 Speaker 1: this cycle repeats itself for more than two decades. After 611 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: twenty three years of this, Finn McCool steps up and 612 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: defeats the beast. He comes in very much like um, 613 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 1: it's it's very much like a Baywoof and Grendel situation. Uh. 614 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:14,239 Speaker 1: You know, here is a here's the monster that keeps 615 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:18,280 Speaker 1: attacking the center of culture and civilization. And then eventually 616 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 1: you need an outsider, a hero to step in and 617 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: really put the boots to the monster. Now I'm thinking 618 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 1: a big challenge with fighting this monster is going to 619 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:29,640 Speaker 1: be if he's got it like a like a lute 620 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:32,319 Speaker 1: or or a dulcimer or whatever, that when he plays it, 621 00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:36,319 Speaker 1: everybody goes to sleep. Can't he lull any conquering hero 622 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:40,359 Speaker 1: to sleep? Yeah? But luckily Finn McCool, he's a sneaky one. 623 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: Uh he Uh. I read that one of the tactics 624 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,440 Speaker 1: he employs here to make himself immune to the magic. 625 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 1: Uh he he huffs the fumes from the spear, which 626 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: are so one of like the poisonous effects of it 627 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 1: is that it keeps you from falling asleep. Um. I'm 628 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,520 Speaker 1: not exactly sure how that that would work, but in 629 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: in the story that's that is what is said to 630 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:05,319 Speaker 1: have occurred. So he's immune to the music, and then 631 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 1: he's able to get in close battle uh the Allen 632 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:12,440 Speaker 1: and then stab the Alen with his own poisonous spear uh, 633 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: thus killing him. In some versions, he he doesn't stab 634 00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:18,279 Speaker 1: him with it, He just like holds it close enough 635 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 1: to where he has to breathe in all of those 636 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 1: poisonous fumes and then dies of the poison. Now, he 637 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: referenced that book by James McCullough earlier, and uh McKellop 638 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 1: points out that, yeah, this is basically the same model 639 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 1: found in Beowulf as well. Uh. The oldest Allen tales 640 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: date back in writing to the twelfth century. But there 641 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 1: are also other accounts, and McCullough goes into these a 642 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:46,280 Speaker 1: fin doing battle with other fire based creatures. Now, according 643 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: to Monaghan, this ailen Alan mcmigna is the most famous Aillen, 644 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 1: but there was another Ailen of note as well, Allen Tretchen, 645 00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:00,000 Speaker 1: the triple headed Aileen, and it would attack the Irish 646 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:05,439 Speaker 1: cities Tara and Domain Macha. And sometimes it's described as male, 647 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,279 Speaker 1: sometimes it's described as female, and it's said to live 648 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: in a cave, and it may be associated with the Morrigan. Uh. 649 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:17,160 Speaker 1: The difference between the two aliens is quote difficult to discern. 650 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,919 Speaker 1: You know, this is not unique to Irish legend and myth, 651 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 1: but it does seem like there's a lot of sort 652 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,680 Speaker 1: of mythime contagion, little elements of one mythic figure or 653 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:32,200 Speaker 1: story just bleeding over into the other. Yeah, yeah, okay, 654 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:34,640 Speaker 1: Now I know we've been building up the thumb the 655 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:37,120 Speaker 1: whole time. You at home are thinking like when are 656 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: they going to get to the thumb. We got to 657 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:40,839 Speaker 1: know about the thumb, so we are going to talk 658 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:42,400 Speaker 1: about that, but I think we need to save it 659 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,319 Speaker 1: for the next part in the series, which is going 660 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: to be all thumb. Yeah, all thumb right in the 661 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,240 Speaker 1: mouth it's or in this case, in the ears because 662 00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 1: we'll be listening. Uh yeah. So next next episode we 663 00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:57,440 Speaker 1: will get into the story of Finn McCool and the 664 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:01,360 Speaker 1: Thumb of Knowledge, the different versions of it, how and 665 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:05,719 Speaker 1: to what extent it bleeds over into other hero stories 666 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, well it maybe get into it 667 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,920 Speaker 1: a little a little bit of the potential science of 668 00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:14,040 Speaker 1: of the Thumb of Knowledge as well. And hey, that 669 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 1: episode is going to come out on St. Patrick's Day itself, 670 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:21,240 Speaker 1: so I think that's perfect brilliant all right. In the meantime, 671 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:23,520 Speaker 1: if you would like to listen to other episodes of 672 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:27,320 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, it publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 673 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:31,239 Speaker 1: and the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed. On Monday's, 674 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: we do listener mail, on Wednesdays we do an artifact 675 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: or monster Fact, and then on Fridays we do Weird 676 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,800 Speaker 1: House Cinema. That's our time to set aside most serious 677 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 1: concerns and just talk about a strange film. Huge thanks 678 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 1: as always to our excellent audio producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. 679 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:49,879 Speaker 1: If you would like to get in touch with us 680 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,360 Speaker 1: with feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest 681 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,440 Speaker 1: topic for the future, or just to say hello, you 682 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,200 Speaker 1: can email us at contact at stuff to Blow your 683 00:37:57,239 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 1: Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production 684 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,240 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 685 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:12,800 Speaker 1: this is the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 686 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:27,120 Speaker 1: wherever you listening to your favorite shows