Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and Songs

by Sharon Paice MacLeod

Overview

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Celtic mythology and religion, encompassing numerous aspects of ritual and belief. Topics include the presence of the Celtic Otherworld and its inhabitants, cosmology and sacred cycles, wisdom texts, mythological symbolism, folklore and legends, and an appreciation of the natural world. Evidence is drawn from the archaeology of sacred sites, ethnographic accounts of the ancient Celts and their beliefs, medieval manuscripts, poetic and visionary literature, and early modern accounts of folk healers and seers. New translations of poems, prayers, inscriptions and songs from the early period (Gaulish, Old Irish and Middle Welsh) as well as the folklore tradition (Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) complement the text. Information of this kind has never before been collected as a compendium of the indigenous wisdom of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose traditions have endured in various forms for almost three thousand years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786464760
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	10/31/2011
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sharon Paice MacLeod is a Harvard-trained Celticist, grant-funded researcher, historical consultant and professional musician. She has taught Celtic literature, mythology and folklore at the university level and lives in New England.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface     
Introduction: Journeying to the Well of Wisdom     

Part One: Celtic Religion and Mythology
1. The Sacred Elements of the Tradition     
2. Sources of Knowledge     
3. Druids, Seers, Poets and Priestesses     
4. The Celtic Otherworld     
5. The Gods of Britain and Gaul     
6. Irish Gods and Goddesses     
7. The Ritual Year     

Part Two: Celtic Shamanism and Wisdom Traditions
8. Elements of Celtic Shamanism     
9. The Feathered Cloak     
10. The Song of the Shaman     
11. Celtic Cosmology     
12. Celtic Wisdom Traditions     
13. The Knowledge of Trees     
14. Symbolism of Animals and Birds     

Part Three: Celtic Legends and Folklore
15. The Wisdom of the Ancestors     
16. The Legend of Arthur     
17. The Mabinogi     
18. Fairies, Healers and Seers     
19. Folklore of Spring and Summer     
20. Folklore of Autumn and Winter     
21. The Path of the Old Ways     

Appendix A: The Rights of Women in Early Celtic Culture     
Appendix B: The Celtic Folksong Tradition     
Appendix C: Suggested Reading and Further Study     
Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

this well-organized, readable book unites a widely scattered body of primary information on the myths, ritual practices, songs, cosmology, poetry, folklore, and symbolism created within and shared among the Celtic cultures of western Europe...a good general volume on Celtic myth and religion. Recommended”—Choice; “excellent”—Witches and Pagans; “well researched and richly diverse scholarly study”—Story Circle Book Reviews.

From the Publisher

"well researched and richly diverse scholarly study"

Story Circle Book Reviews

excellent

Witches and Pagans

this well-organized, readable book unites a widely scattered body of primary information on the myths, ritual practices, songs, cosmology, poetry, folklore, and symbolism created within and shared among the Celtic cultures of western Europe...a good general volume on Celtic myth and religion. Recommended

Choice