Wisdom, Inspiration, Rejuvenation
Revered as extremely sacred, Bradan is one of the oldest Celtic totem animals. Inhabiting the pools or wells of wisdom, the salmon is naturally imbued with Wisdom, Inspiration, Rejuvenation. Salmon, and indeed all fish, see clearly to the bottom of the pool, and are therefore held to be wisdom-keepers and teachers. The salmon also miraculously returns to the place of its birth to mate, instinctively retaining the knowledge of navigation to find their way home.
Celtic stories tell of the Salmon of Wisdom. In the Otherworld, the Salmon swims in the Pool of Wisdom at the source of all life. This shining pool has five streams flowing from it and is surrounded by nine magic Hazel Trees. The salmon feed upon the hazel nuts which fall into the pool. These salmon can be caught and consumed by humans, who receive the gift of inspiration and wisdom.
The Irish story of Fionn Mac Cumhail relates how the wisdom of the salmon is given to a humble servant boy named Demne. While cooking the salmon of knowledge for his druid master, Finnegas, he accidentally scolds his finger when three drops of the broth leap from the cauldron. Instinctively, the boy sucks on his sore finger and thereby ingests the broth, which instantly imbues him with all the salmon’s knowledge and wisdom. Recognizing what has happened, Finnegas names the boy Fionn (bright, blessed, fair, just, true). The child Fionn goes on to become the leader of the famed Irish warrior band the Fianna.
The Welsh story of Taliesin also tells of a boy named Gwion Bach who, along with the aged but blind wise man Morda, is chosen to be caretaker of the Matron Goddess Ceridwen’s magical cauldron, in which the brew of divine inspiration, or Awen, is cooking for a year and a day. The Awen distills down to three drops, which leap from the cauldron and scald young Gwion’s thumb. He, much like his Irish counterpart Fionn, sucks on the sore thumb and is instantly imbued with divine knowledge and wisdom. The Awen was meant for Ceridwen’s disfigured son, and the Great Goddess furiously chases Gwion through the four seasons and four subsequent transformations before eventually consuming the boy. The story does not end there however, for Ceridwen becomes pregnant and births the infant Gwion. Despite her fury, Ceridwen is unable to destroy the child, and instead places him in a basket and sets him upon the sea. He arrives caught up in the salmon weir of a fisherman named Elphin, who upon looking at the radiant child exclaims, “Taliesin,” meaning bright, radiant, and blessed. Taliesin goes on to become the greatest Bard in Albion.
In the Arthurian story of Culhwch and Olwen, the young nephew of Arthur, Culhwch falls in love with a giant’s daughter named Olwen. The giant, hoping to rid himself of the boy, gives him thirty-nine impossible tasks, one of which is to recover the long-lost divine youth Mabon. Culhwch goes to Arthur for help and is advised by Merlin to seek out the oldest animals in the land, for they alone might have knowledge of the whereabouts of Mabon. Arthur and his knights accompany Culhwch as they travel to successively more ancient totem animals until they eventually arrive at the oldest animal in Albion, the Salmon, who leads them to the Mabon, who in turn bestows upon Culhwch the gifts of rejuvenation and eternal youth.
The following account from Norse mythology (Cited from https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/others/salmon/salmon-mythology-and-folklore/) links the salmon to the trickster god Loki: “Loki, the trickster god in Norse mythology tricked the blind god Hod into killing Baldur, the most beloved of all the gods. To escape the wrath of the other gods, Loki transformed himself into a lithe salmon and leapt into a pool. However Thor was quick enough to catch Loki. The taper towards the back of the fish’s body was said to be the result of Thor’s grip.”
Spirit of the Alleghenies 