For this interpretation, the Irish folktale The Salmon of Knowledge and the Kuwaiti folktale Hemarat Al Gayla will be compared and contrasted. Their similarities and differences will be further explored below.
The two tales’ premises are vastly different from one another. The Salmon of Knowledge centers around the protagonist, a young warrior by the name of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, who came to live with the famous poet Finegas by the river Boyne. There, a magical fish was rumored to reside, that if tasted, would make that person the wisest one alive. Finegas has failed to catch it for seven years. So, he instructed Fionn to catch and cook it, knowing that the warrior did not know about the legend. When he succeeded, he did as he was told. While cooking it, Fionn accidentally burned his thumb, and instinctively put it into his mouth to soothe the pain. Thus, he tasted the fish and gained unparalleled wisdom.
On the other hand, Hemarat Al Gayla is about how a woman was cursed to become a donkey that hunts people, especially children. She was the victim of a mischievous genie called Al Sealu, who was enchanted by the woman’s beauty, and transformed himself into a human to speak to her. When they fell in love, he brought her to his castle, and kept her captive there, allowing her to roam anywhere except his bedroom. But she was disobedient, and ventured in one day, only to find the corpses of his other victims. Upon getting caught, the genie gave only two choices for her punishment: death, or turning into a creature, and she chose the latter. So, he transformed her into the donkey Hemarat al Gayla, who now comes out by noon to hunt people and children too.
Within both tales, some symbols were identified. For The Salmon of Knowledge, the fish symbolizes the higher self, luck, and change. The silver shine of the fish may symbolize wealth and success. Lastly, spring, which was when Fionn caught the salmon, is a symbol for new beginnings and transformations. For Hemarat Al Gayla, the donkey symbolizes humility,, suffering, and service. Children, which the woman and the genie preyed on particularly, symbolize innocence and purity. Finally, the period of high noon is usually associated with heightened, otherworldly power, which all sorts of creatures take advantage of.
Different meanings can also be derived from the two tales. The lesson that can be taken from The Salmon of Knowledge is that with great power comes great responsibility. Acquiring “the greatest wisdom” must lead to appropriate actions, meaning it should not be abused. Thankfully, Fionn did no such thing, as after tasting the salmon he went off to become the greatest warrior ever known.
For Hemarat Al Gayla, a lesson to heed from this could be to be very careful with your feelings, with people that you let into your life and trust. The genie had deceived her from the beginning, and the woman did not really know him before falling in love with him. Because of her naivety and curiosity, she was forced to face a terrible fate of either death, or becoming a donkey.
A similarity in theme can be seen in both tales, and it is that both luck and misfortune can equally find the most unsuspecting people. Fionn was blessed with the former and as such, was bestowed brilliant wisdom that would go on to merit him for the rest of his life. On the other hand, the woman, who in reality, only wanted to love and did not want to die, was met with the latter. Both tales show that fate is unpredictable, and unprecedented consequences may arise from seemingly trivial events.
The Salmon of Knowledge in terms of Cultural Dimensions
Power Distance Index
It seems like the level of PDI is supposed to be quite high in the Irish folktale “The Salmon of Knowledge”. It’s quite obvious that there’s a definite acknowledgment of a leader’s status in this society. Those who are wiser and more powerful – lead, and those who stand lower – follow.
Individualism VS Collectivism
Probably, the IDV is low in this society, even though we cannot say much about the significance of society’s harmony maintaining. Key factors that identify low IDV are the importance of wisdom and emphasis on building skills and becoming a master of something (example: Finegas).
Masculinity VS Femininity
This tale doesn’t show us the way genders interact in this society. However, logic would suggest that the level of MAS can be relatively high there. As we see, individual achievements and status are quite important to the average person. This society reminds old times when men were considered wise and powerful leaders and women played the role of housekeepers, good wives, and mothers.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index
The UAI level is more inclined to be high though it’s not so apparent from the text. This society seems to be quite conservative and organized. However, there is no clear indication of this.
Long- VS Short-Term Orientation
Orientation appears to be short-term in the presented society. It’s logical to suggest that people tend to place more emphasis on principles and consistency, they’re usually not willing to compromise and seem weak, and also sometimes turn out to be quite religious.
Indulgence VS Restraint
Whether indulgence or restraint prevails in this society is very hard to derive from the tale. However, we assumed that this society is more likely to be inclined to indulgence. There’s no evidence that it’s pessimistic or its members radiate negativity and restraint.
The Hemarat AlGayla in terms of Cultural Dimensions
Power Distance Index
It seems like the level of PDI is quite high in the Kuwaiti Folktale because it’s obvious there are a leader and commands in the story. However, it's not as high as the other Irish folktale “The salmon of Knowledge”
Individualism VS Collectivism
I would say that the level of IDV is quite low because what I see from Folktale is that the cursed women did not use any of the importance of wisdom.
Masculinity VS Femininity
From the Folktale, we can see that there are gender interactions. It’s mentioned that woman has to choose death or become a donkey which is quite not feminine. And we can see the male gender is the one who is taking control and giving commands while the female blindly follows them being driven by the power of love.
Uncertainty Avoidance Index
Even though it’s not quite apparent from the text, we concluded that the UAI level is relatively high in this society.
Long- VS Short-Term Orientation
Orientation appears to be long-term. We have mentioned pragmatic and modest attitudes in this folktale.
Indulgence VS Restraint
The “Hemarat AlGayla” illustrates a bit more restrained society. It seems to be quite conservative and strict as the man was the one who managed the situation and gave orders.
Lastly, we viewed the stories from various angles, and other individuals may notice details t we missed, all of which contribute to the tales' deeper meaning. Both stories were great, and we believe that people can learn from the characters' actions. It is a way to learn some life lessons and it is a fantastic way to learn about other cultures.
written by : Dalal , Lyra , Daria and Mohammad
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