Dave the Barbarian Inspired Dog Names

While the exact details of Brand and Sceolan's origins are ambiguous, it's believed that a cruse created the two dogs. Ages ago, a relative of Fionn mac Cumhaill's was pregnant with two twin boys. Fionn's relative (some believed to be his sister, others his aunt,) expected to deliver her children within a few days. Fionn was elated, looking forward to the idea of taking the two young boys under his wing and teaching them everything he'd learned about life and warfare. Unfortunately for the mac Cumhaill clan, dark forces would intrude upon their lives and change their world forever. 

Some dark and twisted entity transformed Fionn's relative into a dog while she was still pregnant with her twins. When Fionn's polymorphed family member gave birth shortly after being turned into a hound, out popped Bran and Sceolan. Stunned by this catastrophic change, Fionn initially didn't know what to do next. In time, Fionn snapped out of his catatonic state and took Bran and Sceolan in as he initially planned. Fionn, Bran, and Sceolan bonded together and became a tightly knit family unit, despite the tragedy that befell them. The three of them proceeded to embark on numerous adventures together, leaving their mark on Irish culture and history in the process. 

To this day, it's debated whether or not Bran and Sceolan were ever humans in the first place; certain scholars believe that Fionn, Bran, and Sceolan were extremely close and had a relationship that was more akin to a family than a master/servant dynamic. In truth, we may never learn how Bran and Sceolan came into Fionn mac Cumhaill's care for sure. What we do know, however, is that the two hunting hounds loved Fionn immensely and traveled with him through thick and thin. Consider naming your dog Bran or Sceolan to pay homage to Fionn mac Cumhail's canine companions.