Episode 54
Den Finella: Where Stories and Shadows Collide
Today, we’re diving into the wild world of Scottish folklore with the story of Finella, a name that echoes through the ages like a catchy tune you just can’t shake off. Picture this: late 10th century Scotland, where power plays are the name of the game, and our girl Finella is caught right in the thick of it. After losing her son to some royal nonsense, she goes from grieving mother to crafty avenger, luring the king to her lands like a pro. But when he reaches for something shiny, bam! – the king's toast, and Finella’s off like a flash, making her escape towards the sea. What’s left is a haunting tale of a woman wronged, leaving us with more questions than answers, and a reminder that some stories are meant to stick around and make us think. So, grab your headphones, kick back, and let’s get into it!
Takeaways:
- In Scotland's wild past, Finella's tale of loss and revenge shows how powerful stories can be.
- Finella's journey from noble birth to vengeance highlights the complexities of power and grief.
- The mechanism of Finella's revenge remains a mystery, but the outcome is crystal clear: justice served cold.
- Diving into folklore, we see how stories about women like Finella evolve over time, often adding magic to their narratives.
- Finella's story reminds us that not all tales offer comfort; some are meant to linger and provoke thought.
- The location of Den Finella stands as a haunting reminder of Finella's choices and the legacy of her actions.
Transcript
Hello and welcome back to Bitesized Folklore, the show for curious tales, odd history and the stories that cling to the quiet corners of the world.
Today, we're in Scotland not for a ghost or a fairy road, but for a woman whose name stayed with the land long after the details of her life began to blur. This is Finella. Our story begins in the late 10th century in a Scotland that isn't yet a single settled thing.
Power shifts, alliances tangle, kings rule, but not comfortably, and not always for long. Finella is born into a noble family, we're told. Her father is a powerful lord, the kind of man whose name carries weight.
Finella grows up knowing how authority works, who gets listened to and who doesn't. She marries. She has a son, and that son is killed on the orders of the king. The reasons are unclear.
Politics, probably a feud, maybe a threat that needed removing. Medieval records are quite brief on this one, and folklore is quite selective. What the story keeps is the loss.
Finella is left with grief and with no clear path to justice. Time passes. This is something the story insists on. Not a scene, a sudden act, not a flash of anger.
Years go by, long enough for the edges of grief to dull, long enough for patience to take shape. Then Finella sends word to the king. She invites him to her lands. It looks like a reconciliation, or at least acceptance.
The sort of gesture that suggests old wounds have healed or been set aside. Kings, historically, are inclined to believe this. He comes. The setting is small. It's a lodge, a cottage, somewhere modest enough to feel safe.
Inside, there is an object, sometimes described as a statue, sometimes simply a wooden figure. It holds something bright, often an apple. When the king reaches for it, the mechanism is triggered. Now, the details on this one vary wildly.
Crossbows hidden in the walls, spears released by pressure. A device so clever, later writers can't quite agree how it worked. But all versions end the same way. The king is killed.
At this point, the story stops lingering. Finella runs. She flees across her lands, pursued by men who suddenly have a very clear sense of right and wrong.
She heads towards the coast, towards a place where the land drops away sharply. She reaches a ravine near the sea. Rather than be captured, she throws herself into it. Her body is never recovered.
The ravine becomes known as Den Finella because landscapes, like stories, remember what people do not. Later generations struggle with Finella. Some tell her story as a warning, others as a marvel. Over time, she gathers new attributes.
She becomes a witch, an enchantress, a woman using unnatural knowledge. It's a familiar move in folklore. When a woman acts decisively, cleverly and outside accepted roles, magic is often added to make the story safer.
But if you remove the embellishments, what remains is quieter. A woman wronged by power. A system that offers no redress. A decision made slowly and carried through. Den Finella still exists.
A narrow wooded hollow, sheltered. The sort of place where sound seems to settle rather than travel. The kind of place you might understand why a name stuck around. So who was Finella?
A murderer? A mother? A political actor? A story shaped by those who came after. Like many figures in folklore, she resists being pinned down.
She doesn't resolve neatly. She leaves questions behind her. And perhaps that's the point. Some stories aren't meant to comfort. They're meant to be remembered.
That's it for this episode of bitesized Folklore. If this tale kept you company, you can follow the show or leave a review. It helps these stories find their way to curious ears.
Until next time, Travel kindly and keep a little space for wonder.
