“Finn and the Man in the Tree” Revisited

Abstract

When he takes refuge in a tree along with animal familiars, Derg Corra, the fugitive in the anecdote "Finn and the man in the tree", not only positions himself between culture and nature but also extemporizes a world tree, complete with various insignia of the tripartite cosmos as conceived in early Irish thought. Thus sacralizing the tree, he hopes to escape Finn’s retribution through the creation of a personal sanctuary.