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Celtic Myths And Legends

3.27 of 5 stars 3.27 · rating details · 22 ratings · 5 reviews

A collection of legends from early Christian times, in which the author retells the stories with a directness and simplicity which makes them refreshingly modern. The stories have a literary merit and a style and character of their own; their sophistication not dissimilar to that of the great tales of ancient Greece. Included in this collection are: 'The Children of Lir',...more

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Published by Mercier Press

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Jul 14, 2010 Jack rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A book of various Irish stories of their ancient heroes, though not the best one. It has some flaws in its telling that I found disturbing (such as in the "Christianized" ending of "The Children of Lir".)

If you are one that calls themselves a Druid and think that being one means that you believe all the "flower-power love and peace stuff," you should read this book, though you probably won't like it putting pin-pricks in your romanticized notions of what the Celtic People really were like.

While...more A book of various Irish stories of their ancient heroes, though not the best one. It has some flaws in its telling that I found disturbing (such as in the "Christianized" ending of "The Children of Lir".)

If you are one that calls themselves a Druid and think that being one means that you believe all the "flower-power love and peace stuff," you should read this book, though you probably won't like it putting pin-pricks in your romanticized notions of what the Celtic People really were like.

While Druidry and Celtic heritage is Earth-Centered, the Irish Warrior Class was one of the most respected, in much the same way that the USMC, Navy Seals or Special Forces are respected amongst modern society.

Druidic Celts were not "tree-hugging hippies who liked to play-act at Stonehenge, smoke dope and expound about peace." They were fierce, barbaric (by today's standards), yet creatively complicated individuals... Warriors and poets who could slay a man and then compose a poem about the beauty of a flower at dawn. They loved passionately, lived passionately and died the same way.

Like the original Grimm Fairy Tales, these stories all contain lessons, but they are not rewritten and "romanticised" so that they were politically correct and "suitable for a child's ear." Their stories were about strength, courage, jealousy, deception, good vs evil and tainted with a pale shade of sadness and melancholy for which the Irish are most famous.

And, if you're like me, you may want to look at a Gaelic pronunciation guide to learn how to pronounce names and places so that you can see how Gaelic was affected by the various invaders, from the Milesians from Turkey (via Spain) and the Scandinavian Vikings. "Eioe" now becomes "Joey" in a Scandinavian accent. "Fion" or "Finn" as in Finn McCool makes you realize his ancestors were Finnish Vikings. "Cian" is pronounced "Ken" and Aoife said as "Effie". Once I learned a little about the language, I could see the paths from whence they originated and understand a little more about these people and their tales of how they lived in peace with those they conquered.

Lastly, if you are a fan of Irish/Scottish folk music, a fan of Silly Wizard or of Andy M. Stewart and you wondered what the inspiration was for "The Queen of All Argyle", I'd have you read the tale of "Dierdre and the Sons of Usna". It will all make sense at some point.

That alone made this book worth reading.

It will give you insight into the intrigues and history of this most fascinating race of people.(less)

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Sep 29, 2011 Frank Peters rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a well written and entertaining introduction to the Myths and Legends of Ireland. The editor (author) did a great job of including selections from different time periods. Unfortunately, even as it was supposed to be an introduction, there were numerous characters that the reader was evidently supposed to know all about, but were never introduced. This made some of the stories a bit less understandable than they may otherwise have been.

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Sep 27, 2009 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mythology, ireland

I found this book in a gift shop while visiting the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. These beautiful and tragic tales of heroic warriors, intoxicating women, spirits, druids and giants have reaffirmed my love for mythology and written. The more familiar I become with the norse and celtic mythology, the more I realize that Tolkien . It was a pleasure to read of places which I had seen or heard of while touring Ireland.

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Aug 05, 2007 Ellen Chronister added it

full of short stores from interviews of Irish people, mostly farmers and stories about the fairies.

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Mar 31, 2010 Monday rated it 3 of 5 stars

beautiful stories... i got this in ireland and it is kind of a hard read... written with language format that's hard to follow in some parts... but worth it!

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Apr 17, 2013 Leonardo Sampaio rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 02, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ireland

Mar 26, 2013 Conor Murphy added it

Feb 19, 2013 Bill marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: storage-crate-2

Feb 08, 2013 Devnet marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Feb 21, 2013 Ginny Grafton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jan 11, 2013 Katelynne is currently reading it

Nov 11, 2012 Samuel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nov 26, 2012 Maria Frida is currently reading it

Shelves: own

Oct 07, 2012 Houman Sadri added it

Jul 12, 2012 Kelsey marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, historical

Jun 17, 2012 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sep 17, 2012 Sabrina marked it as to-read

Shelves: own, hiatus, own-but-havent-read

Mar 06, 2012 Michelle Ervin marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Mar 02, 2012 Annika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Feb 09, 2012 Ari Lynn marked it as to-read

Jan 13, 2012 Carolyn added it

Nov 19, 2011 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nov 16, 2011 Tim Mckinstry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jul 28, 2011 Mark Woodland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jul 28, 2011 Mark Woodland added it

Jul 26, 2011 Teresa added it

Jun 10, 2011 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: research, religion, mythology

Jun 08, 2011 Víctor H rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: myth

May 08, 2011 Alexa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

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