Hi, Rebecca Shear here. Before we get to our story, exciting news.
Circle Round is going back on tour. with live recordings across the united states our first stop Sunday, October 5th in Parker, Colorado at the Pace Center.
And Circle Round Club members are invited to a special post-show meet and greet with me and composer Eric Shimalonis.
Get your tickets at wbur.org slash circle around and click on events.
We're announcing more tour stops soon, so stay tuned.
We look forward to circling around with you live.
Produced by the iLab at WBUR Boston. What do you think is the most powerful part of your body?
Is it your big strong arms? Your long sturdy legs?
What if I were to tell you that the most powerful part of your body is right up top?
In your head? In other words, your brain.
In today's tale, we'll meet a mighty giant who learns the true value of brain power.
Thank you. I'm Rebecca Sheer, and welcome to Circle Round, where storytime happens all the time.
Today our story is called The Giant's Causeway.
Versions of this tale come from Ireland. an island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe, Some really great people came together to bring you our telling of this tale, including Allison Wright. whom you grown-ups may recognize from Snowpiercer on TNT, along with two FX series, The Americans and Feud, Betty and Joan.
So circle around, everyone. For the Giants, Causeway.
On the northern coast of Ireland, where the waters of the North Channel separate the Emerald Isle from Scotland, you'll encounter an amazing sight.
It's kind of like a road, only it juts out into the water, and it isn't made of the usual asphalt, dirt, or gravel.
Instead, this road, or causeway more like, is made out of stone columns.
40,000 stone columns, all of them with six sides, like a hexagon.
And these hexagonal columns are all different heights, but they're packed together side by side, pieces of a puzzle or the cells of a honeycomb.
This curious stone structure is known as the Giant's Causeway.
But the Giant's Causeway isn't just off the coast of Ireland.
It's off the coast of Scotland, too, across the North Channel on the Scottish island of Staffa, you'll find these same hexagon-shaped stone columns.
And in between, you'll find nothing but water.
Now, scientists will tell you that these matching stone columns in Ireland and Scotland were created by volcanoes.
Ancient volcanoes that erupted tens of millions of years ago.
When the lava cooled and cracked, It formed into these curious hexagonal structures. but legend will tell you that they were created by this guy.
That's right. Finn McCool's my name. Being a mighty warrior is my game.
It's true. In Irish lore, Finn McCool is known as one of the greatest warriors the Emerald Isle has ever seen.
Now wait there just a minute. One of the greatest four years the Emerald Isle has ever seen?
Oh, no, no, no. You mean... the greatest warrior the Emerald Isle has ever seen.
Fair enough. The greatest warrior the Emerald Isle has ever seen.
But that's not all. Finn McCool is also the biggest warrior the Emerald Isle has ever seen.
Legend has it that Finn McCool was a giant who stood more than 50 feet tall.
That's higher than a three-story building.
His legs were as thick as tree trunks. and each of his hands was as big as a bathtub.
Across the North Channel from Finmacool, a dozen miles away over in Scotland, there lived another giant, His name was Benin Donner.
Ha ha ha! That's me! Ben and Donner, my name means Mountain of Thunder, so trust me.
You don't want to mess with this fella. The water between the two giants was too wide and deep to cross, so Finn McCool had never met Benandonner.
He'd never even seen him. But he had heard him.
You see, Ben and Donner was a bully. And every day, the Scottish giant's rumbling voice across the North Channel as he hurled insult after insult at Finn McCool.
Hey, Finn McCool. You may call yourself a giant, but I'll bet you're so small When you pull your socks all the way up, they cover your eyes!
I'll bet that you're so small, when you step in a puddle, you think you're drowning.
I'll bet that you're so small That when you applied for a job at the butchers, they turned you down? because the stakes were too high.
Get it? Stakes stakes too high, you know, like you can't reach them because you're super As Ben and Donner's jokes wore on.
Finn McCool's patience wore thin. Who does that blustery Scottish bloke think he is?
Endlessly poking fun at me. the greatest warrior in all of Ireland.
Enough is enough. I'm going to show this smart-alecky Scotsman who's boss.
In person. So Finn set to work building a path of stepping stones from Ireland to Scotland.
Night after night, he worked from sundown to sunup, Collecting big pieces of rock and hurling them into the North Channel, After some time, Finn's stones stretched all the way from the coast of Northern Ireland to Staffa, an island off the Scottish mainland.
That should do it. Oh, I can hardly wait to show Una.
Una was Finn's wife. The giant and giantess lived in a tidy cottage atop Knock Many Hill.
A steep, wind-swept knoll with an exquisite view of the coast.
Finn bounded up Knockmany Hill and called through the cottage's front window, Una!
Oh, Una! Come and take a look at my gorgeous new road.
Una stepped outside and cast her eyes down the hill.
The morning mist still clung to the water, but if she squinted, She could make out thousands of stone columns extending toward the horizon.
Oh, Finn, it's a fine road. So technically, I would call it a causeway because you built it over water.
A road just goes from one place to another.
Finn beamed at Una. He had never known anyone so quick, so clever.
You're right, my wise and wonderful wife.
You're right. It's a causeway. And thanks to my causeway.
He swept his arm toward the sea. Now I can march right across the North Channel and prove to that soul called Mountain of Thunder that I am a formidable foe. that I am every bit as mighty and powerful as...
Finn? You alright? You've gone as pale as a birch tree.
Finn didn't respond to his wife. He just stared at the causeway, his wide eyes frozen.
Una followed her husband's unblinking gaze out on the misty North Channel, figure had appeared through the fog.
It was crossing Finn's Causeway, heading straight for the Irish coast.
Immediately, Una and Finn knew exactly who it was.
The Mountain of Thunder. And boy, what a mountain he was.
Ben and Donner was at least four times the height of Finn McCool.
So instead of being as tall as a three-story building, Ben and Donner was as tall as a 12-story building.
Instead of having legs as thick as tree trunks, his legs were as thick as grain silos.
And forget hands as big as bathtubs. Ben and Donner's massive mitts were as big as modern-day SUVs.
Finn felt a lump form in his throat. For the first time in his life, the greatest warrior the Emerald Isle had ever seen, was petrified.
Una, what am I going to do? When Benidorm gets here, he's going to squash me like a bug.
Crush me like a grape. Flatten me like a pancake.
Squeeze me like a lemon. Enough, my dear.
Una laid a hand on her husband's trembling shoulder.
Her eyes were fixed on the burly brute lumbering down the causeway.
But her mind was racing faster than a jackrabbit.
Listen, Finn, I know exactly how we'll deal with that mountain of thunder.
Just leave everything to me. What do you think Clever Una is planning?
What would you do if you were the giantess?
We'll find out what happens after a quick break.
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Welcome back to Circle Round. I'm Rebecca Shear.
Today, our story is called The Giant's Causeway.
Before the break, the Scottish giant Benin Donner, the Mountain of Thunder, was coming for the Irish giant, Finn McCool.
As Ben and Donner crossed the causeway that Finn had constructed between Ireland and Scotland, Finn's wife, quick, clever Una, got to work formulating All right, Finn, I want you to go inside, find some baskets, and fill them with as much food as you can.
Loads of food. Gobs of food. As much food as you can possibly carry.
Finn didn't know what Uno was up to, but he knew better than to ask questions when she was cooking up one of her schemes.
So Finn bustled into the house and swept through the kitchen, filling basket after basket with Loaves of bread, wheels of cheese, sacks of potatoes, strings of sausages.
He also threw in a few sides of bacon, plus the 100 golden-crusted scones that Una baked fresh for him afterwards. every morning.
Out in the yard, Una raced to the clothesline and plucked off one of her frilly, lacy bonnets plus a whole mess of bed sheets.
When Finn came out with the food, Una grabbed an old flour sack and stuffed it full of linens.
Now follow me down Knockmany Hill, my love.
Ben and Donner is getting closer. We don't have a moment to lose.
Una and Finn darted down the steep, mossy hill.
At the bottom, Una found a sunny grassy spot right next to an abandoned tumbledown shack and a big pile of boulders.
Una laid out one of the sheets like a picnic blanket.
She covered it with the baskets of food Then she pulled the rest of the sheets from the sack and thrust them into Finn's arms.
Wrap these sheets around yourself, Finn, nice and tight.
Like a baby in its swaddle. Again, Finn didn't ask any questions.
He just wrapped himself up in the sheets until they covered his whole body.
Good. No, we just need to add this. She popped the frilly bonnet onto Finn's head.
And we're ready for Ben and Donner. Lie down, make yourself comfy, follow my lead.
Finn lay down on his back and just in time too for all of a sudden an enormous shadow fell across the hillside, and as Finn and Una cast their eyes upward, Who should they see looming over them but the menacing mountainous figure of Benin Donner?
Who there? The name is Brennan Donner. I'm here to see the roustabout known as Finn McCool.
Una took a breath, then flashed the Scottish giant her sweetest smile.
You're looking for Finn McCool, are you?
Well, it just so happens that Finn McCool is my husband. but he's out at the moment.
The valley people a couple of counties over wanted one of their mountains moved.
Pesky thing was always blocking the sun.
They asked Finn if he would pull it out of the earth for them.
Ben and Donner put a hulking hand on his hulking hip.
So, Finn McGhoul's strong enough to move mountains, is he?
That's nothing. Back in Scotland, I moved 20 mountains before breakfast.
Oh, I'm sure you do, a fine strapping bloke like yourself.
Oh, and speaking of breakfast, the baby and I were just about to have ours.
Ben and Donner peered down at the swaddled figure by Una's side.
"'Baby,' you say?' That big fella there is just a baby?
Of course, he's just a baby. He's only a few days old, actually.
And he's the spitting image of his father.
Though, by the time Finn was his age, he was already sprouting whiskers on his face.
Una could have sworn she saw the Scottish giant shudder.
Was he falling for her plan? Oh, but where are my manners?
I should invite you to join us for breakfast, Ben and Donner.
I just hope you don't mind if the baby eats first.
He is always so hungry in the mornings. definitely has his father's appetite.
Una opened the picnic baskets and laid out the loaves of bread, wheels of cheese, sacks of potatoes, strings of sausages, sides of bacon, and 100 scones.
She gazed at Finn and patted his frilly, bonneted head.
Here you go, sweetheart. Enjoy your breakfast.
From the gleam in Una's eye, Finn knew just what to do.
He raised himself to his knees, held out his hands, then tore into the food, gobbling up entire loaves of bread and whole wheels of cheese, He wolfed down all the sausages and bacon, then popped the potatoes into his mouth one by one like pieces of candy.
Finally, he devoured all 100 scones, leaving nothing behind but crumbs.
Ben and Donner's big bushy eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead.
If Finn McCool's baby could polish off such a meal, imagine what Finn McCool himself could do.
Again, Ben and Donner shuddered. Again, Una noticed.
Oh, I'm so sorry, Ben and Donner. There isn't a morsel of food left.
It's all in my baby's belly. She gave Finn's tummy a tickle, then tapped him on the nose.
Now listen, sweetheart. Now that you've finished your breakfast, would you like to go and play?
Your favorite toys, all right. Una grinned as she pointed toward the hillside.
And do you know what she was pointing at?
The big pile of boulders. One look at Una's mischievous smile, and Finn knew exactly what to do.
He crawled over to the great heap of rocks.
Then he reached up hoisted one of the biggest boulders over his shoulder, and tossed it into the air.
Up, up, up the boulder flew, soaring higher and higher into the sky. before plummeting back to Earth and landing right on the abandoned, tumble-down shack.
Benandonner's gigantic jaw dropped. His hefty hands trembled.
His jumbo-sized heart thumped in his chest.
After witnessing Finn McCool's baby accomplish such tremendous feats of strength, The mountain of thunder suddenly felt no mightier than a molehill. with a very uncharacteristic cry and whimper.
Meow! I'm out of here. Ben and Donner spun on his colossal heel and went barreling toward the sea.
And when he reached Finn's causeway, do you know what he did? he clenched his fists and began smashing it up.
As he raced back to Scotland, he tore the causeway to pieces, stone by stone, so he could never receive an unwanted visit from the fierce and ferocious Finn McCool.
But, like we said at the start of our story, portions of the Giant's Causeway, as it's now called, still remain in both Ireland and Scotland.
They're an eternal reminder of the greatest warrior the Emerald Isle has ever seen. and the brilliant brainy giantess who saved his life.
¶¶ Now it's your turn. If you were a giant or giantess.
What would you look like? What would you wear?
Where would you live? What would you eat?
Find a piece of paper or maybe even a big piece of poster board and draw a picture of yourself as a giant or giantess. show every enormous detail, and then, if you'd like, share your picture with us.
Grown Ups, our email address is circleround at wbur.org.
Thank you. This week's story, The Giant's Causeway, was adapted by me, Rebecca Shear.
It was edited by Anne-Marie Sievertson. Circle Round's original music and sound design is by Eric Shimalonis.
Our artist is Sabina Han. Want to color while you listen?
Sabina has drawn a black and white picture for every Circle Round story, and you can find them on our website.
Grownups, visit wbur.org slash circle round and click on soundtrack and coloring pages.
Special thanks to this week's actors. and Allison Wright.
Grownups, look for Allison Wright in Snowpiercer on TNT.
You can also see her in the FX series The Americans, as well as Feud, Betty and Jones.
Our featured instrument this week was the boweron.
You can learn more about this traditional Irish drum and see a photo of Eric Shimalonis playing it on our website.
Again, that's wbur.org slash circleround.
Want to keep the Circle Round experience going all week long?
You grown-ups can follow us on Instagram at And check out behind the scenes photos, artwork from our listeners, and tons of other fun stuff.
Our Instagram handle is at CircleRoundPodcast.
Circle Around is a production of WBUR, Boston's NPR news station.
I'm Rebecca Shear. Thanks for circling around with us.
One of the best things about creating Circle Round is hearing from listeners like you.
Circle Round fans have been telling us about their favorite Circle Round stories, and we're excited to share some of their voices with you.
My name is Danielle. I live in Toronto. My favorite single-room story is Long Hair because she helps everybody.
Hi, my name is Hannah, and I'm from Harupa.
Valley, California. And my favorite circle around is Stella and the dragon because the dragon thought the 100
Kids were gonna eat him. Hi, my name is Hiram.
I live in Haru. Valley, California. My favorite circle round story is the Skylark.
I like it because The Skylark keeps tapping on the worker's head.
Did someone mention an episode you missed?
No problem. You can find every single Circle Round story on our website.
That's WBUR.org slash CircleRound, or wherever you and your grown-ups get your podcasts.
