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Myths And Folklore Of Ireland
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
204 pages, Paperback
Published June 17, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 8, 2014
I can't count how many times I've picked up this book after finishing it, just to reread a story or two.
While you may love Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm, this is something you have to check out. The stories feel similar to our beloved and popular ones, but they have stronger heroines, stronger tests and sillier conquests. Yes, it seems strange that to kill a giant, you have to cut down a tree, to set free a fox, with a duck inside the fox and an egg inside the duck that holds the heart or lifeforce of the villian... but at the same time, our heroes don't falter and remain strong, conquering their nemesis.
My favored would have to be the Thirteenth Son, it's like Cinderella, but the main character is the prince and he's uses his wit to get what he wants and disguise himself.
While you may love Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm, this is something you have to check out. The stories feel similar to our beloved and popular ones, but they have stronger heroines, stronger tests and sillier conquests. Yes, it seems strange that to kill a giant, you have to cut down a tree, to set free a fox, with a duck inside the fox and an egg inside the duck that holds the heart or lifeforce of the villian... but at the same time, our heroes don't falter and remain strong, conquering their nemesis.
My favored would have to be the Thirteenth Son, it's like Cinderella, but the main character is the prince and he's uses his wit to get what he wants and disguise himself.
April 21, 2016
My edition of this interesting book was purchased at a "Friends of the Library" book sale and published in 1996 by Wing Books.
"Myths and Folklore of Ireland" is not an easy read (I was asked, while reading it, if the book was "for children" -- no it is not), but it is a satisfying one. Author Curtin traveled to Ireland in the late 1880's to seek out Gaelic speakers in remote areas. Once found, he wrote down their recollections of the old tales. It's at this point that readability issues factor in. Some of the myths are more clearly recalled than others, and it's obvious that some of the storytellers were more gifted at spinning a yarn than their neighbors. In general, the "writing" is choppy, often repetitive, and jumps around (not Curtin's fault as his job was not to fix or embellish, but to get the stories down on paper).
I enjoyed learning about the old heroes and villains of Irish myth, and, if you're into "original" folklore as I am, I think you'll enjoy it on that level, too. Jeremiah Curtin is owed a debt of gratitude for his faithful recording of these ancient tales.
"Myths and Folklore of Ireland" is not an easy read (I was asked, while reading it, if the book was "for children" -- no it is not), but it is a satisfying one. Author Curtin traveled to Ireland in the late 1880's to seek out Gaelic speakers in remote areas. Once found, he wrote down their recollections of the old tales. It's at this point that readability issues factor in. Some of the myths are more clearly recalled than others, and it's obvious that some of the storytellers were more gifted at spinning a yarn than their neighbors. In general, the "writing" is choppy, often repetitive, and jumps around (not Curtin's fault as his job was not to fix or embellish, but to get the stories down on paper).
I enjoyed learning about the old heroes and villains of Irish myth, and, if you're into "original" folklore as I am, I think you'll enjoy it on that level, too. Jeremiah Curtin is owed a debt of gratitude for his faithful recording of these ancient tales.
May 6, 2015
This collection of Irish folk tales, as told by Jeremiah Curtin, will most likely be at least slightly enjoyable to anyone who is interested in the subject, and the author’s own explorative introduction does well to give substance to the collection and demonstrate that Curtin is a writer of merit who is concerned with his own understanding of the material.
That said, it is important for the reader to note that these are folk tales as “told” by Curtin rather than “retold” by Curtin, meaning he seems to have done little to reinvigorate the tales with his own sense of style and story telling, which, in the opinion of this reviewer, is part of the point of passing down these stories: continuing a tradition of imagination and a sense of contribution to a culture rather than merely its preservation. While this does well to maintain a good level of authenticity, it unfortunately makes the telling of these tales a bit flat and lacking in drama and dynamics. However, the reading remains enjoyable enough, considering the quaint, antiquated style and absence of gratuitous melodrama and sentimentality. All in all, Curtin seems to be an adequate story-teller with a penchant toward conservatism rather than a great story-teller who is able to maintain authenticity while still capturing the spirit of spontaneous flare and embellishment.
The content of the stories themselves makes for an interesting read if one considers their cultural and symbolic significance, but it can get a bit tedious when one reads the book from cover to cover, as there is a lot of repetition of certain tropes with sometimes minimal variation. The ubiquitous usage of sets of threes (when regarding characters and elements of quests) can make the tales a bit predictable, and the reoccurrence of certain objects, such as the sword of light and the cloak of darkness can make them a bit dull at times. The reader is sometimes saved from these pitfalls, however, by a certain meandering style; though, formulaic elements are still apparent.
One must also be warned of a few things: The presentation of violence is unflinching (especially regarding decapitation), possibly making the book a concern for parents who may want to read the tales to their children. It is not, however, entirely tasteless or particularly grotesque, nor is it beyond what any reader may expect from older, unrefined (or un-Disney-fied, for lack of a better term) tales. (Then again, these are not fairy tales. Instead, they are folk tales more concerned with the creation of national heroes than entertaining or teaching children.) Also, though the development of female characters goes somewhat beyond what is to be expected by western folk tales, the tales are still dominated by masculine complexity and focus. This may be a product of the time of publication and the selectivity of the author as well, but this reviewer is not knowledgeable enough of Irish folklore to be sure. There is also one brief but somewhat glaring instance of anti-Semitism, but that is unfortunately also to be expected. However, it is also fortunately not entirely malicious and does not involve anti-Semitic violence.
All in all, if one is interested in Irish folklore but does not have a wide knowledge of it, this may be a good place to start, and it certainly plants the seeds for further exploration. The book starts to hold the reader's interest particularly when the the stories delve into the saga of Fionn Mac Cumhail, which allows for the sense of a wider cultural mythos.
That said, it is important for the reader to note that these are folk tales as “told” by Curtin rather than “retold” by Curtin, meaning he seems to have done little to reinvigorate the tales with his own sense of style and story telling, which, in the opinion of this reviewer, is part of the point of passing down these stories: continuing a tradition of imagination and a sense of contribution to a culture rather than merely its preservation. While this does well to maintain a good level of authenticity, it unfortunately makes the telling of these tales a bit flat and lacking in drama and dynamics. However, the reading remains enjoyable enough, considering the quaint, antiquated style and absence of gratuitous melodrama and sentimentality. All in all, Curtin seems to be an adequate story-teller with a penchant toward conservatism rather than a great story-teller who is able to maintain authenticity while still capturing the spirit of spontaneous flare and embellishment.
The content of the stories themselves makes for an interesting read if one considers their cultural and symbolic significance, but it can get a bit tedious when one reads the book from cover to cover, as there is a lot of repetition of certain tropes with sometimes minimal variation. The ubiquitous usage of sets of threes (when regarding characters and elements of quests) can make the tales a bit predictable, and the reoccurrence of certain objects, such as the sword of light and the cloak of darkness can make them a bit dull at times. The reader is sometimes saved from these pitfalls, however, by a certain meandering style; though, formulaic elements are still apparent.
One must also be warned of a few things: The presentation of violence is unflinching (especially regarding decapitation), possibly making the book a concern for parents who may want to read the tales to their children. It is not, however, entirely tasteless or particularly grotesque, nor is it beyond what any reader may expect from older, unrefined (or un-Disney-fied, for lack of a better term) tales. (Then again, these are not fairy tales. Instead, they are folk tales more concerned with the creation of national heroes than entertaining or teaching children.) Also, though the development of female characters goes somewhat beyond what is to be expected by western folk tales, the tales are still dominated by masculine complexity and focus. This may be a product of the time of publication and the selectivity of the author as well, but this reviewer is not knowledgeable enough of Irish folklore to be sure. There is also one brief but somewhat glaring instance of anti-Semitism, but that is unfortunately also to be expected. However, it is also fortunately not entirely malicious and does not involve anti-Semitic violence.
All in all, if one is interested in Irish folklore but does not have a wide knowledge of it, this may be a good place to start, and it certainly plants the seeds for further exploration. The book starts to hold the reader's interest particularly when the the stories delve into the saga of Fionn Mac Cumhail, which allows for the sense of a wider cultural mythos.
January 7, 2023
The goals of Curtin as stated in the introduction are troubling (i.e the preservation of Irish stories for the glory of the white race) and there are of course instances of antisemitic stereotypes, intense misogyny, etc. That is not entirely unexpected given the age of the book and when the stories were collected, but fair warning to anyone who would like to avoid that.
That being said, the care and effort given to collecting these stories is apparent. I have seen some complaints about the repetitive nature of the stories, which is actually a mainstay of Irish mythology and story-telling across the board. It was interesting to see the variations on some of the popular myths (particularly Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge). I particularly enjoyed seeing the ways that regional variation and synctretism connected many of the stories. The language itself is a bit dry at times, though I chalk that up to translating decisions.
That being said, the care and effort given to collecting these stories is apparent. I have seen some complaints about the repetitive nature of the stories, which is actually a mainstay of Irish mythology and story-telling across the board. It was interesting to see the variations on some of the popular myths (particularly Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge). I particularly enjoyed seeing the ways that regional variation and synctretism connected many of the stories. The language itself is a bit dry at times, though I chalk that up to translating decisions.
December 11, 2022
INTRIGUING
This is as intriguing as I’d thought it would be, as I know little of Irish Myth and Folklore. The stories are easy to read and digest, sure enough, but I had been expecting explanations/summaries/analyses either as epilogues to each tale, else as a chapter at the end of the book (expanding on the ‘Notes’ section, maybe?) that would cover common themes, their etymology, meaning(s), and historical interest
This is as intriguing as I’d thought it would be, as I know little of Irish Myth and Folklore. The stories are easy to read and digest, sure enough, but I had been expecting explanations/summaries/analyses either as epilogues to each tale, else as a chapter at the end of the book (expanding on the ‘Notes’ section, maybe?) that would cover common themes, their etymology, meaning(s), and historical interest
March 14, 2019
Looking back, I made the mistake of reading all the stories at once. For my sanity, the best way to read them is with breaks, read one or two, then come back to it later. Many story structures and phrases are repeated throughout the text. That's not to say the book wasn't interesting and informative of the traditional folklore of Ireland.
January 10, 2009
I'm going to buy a copy today. These folktales have the earmarks of good, fun oral tradition: plots veer one way and another but all retain repeating elements, sometimes quests start out with one objective and end up with another, and sometimes things are just fun and weird.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
October 5, 2010
Great retelling of Irish folk stories, but order of the stories can get confusing because the timeline jumps around so much.
September 3, 2012
A wonderful Christmas gift from Niki. I can't wait to dig in!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews