Fantastic Friday: Fingal’s Cave

Photo: Courtesy WikiMedia Commons

I came upon an article about Fingal’s Cave, a unique cave near Scotland. This article from Outdoor Revival contains lots more pictures and a brief explanation of how it formed. What I find most fascinating about the cave is not its unique layout or the otherworldly sounds produced in its recesses; it’s the way it’s been inspiring artists and storytellers for generations.

Mendelssohn, for example, wrote  “Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave)” after being inspired by a visit to the cave. Keats wrote a poem based on the poem (“Fingal’s Cave”), and several others were inspired to visit.

If you prefer videos, here is a great four-minute clip with an overview of the cave and its history.

The fantastic part of this post–aside from the amazing-ness of the cave itself–is that a place on Earth can be so inspirational that generations of artists create work based on it, which consumers then enjoy, even if they’ve never been to–or heard of–the location itself.

It’s why I read: to go places I may not have the chance to visit.

It’s also why I write and what I strive to do in my work–to bring a little slice of something to the reader that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.

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