The Old Grey Magician

by George W. Macpherson

George Macpherson connects us with Scotland's oldest legends and traditions. His stories of Fionn and the Old Grey Magician reclaim a world of heroic exploits and honour, of wizardry, and druidic mystery. These tales are more ancient and authentic than James MacPherson's 'Poems of Ossian'. They provide a vital missing link in the Fionn cycles of Scotland and of Ireland. In this groundbreaking volume Ossian is truly reclaimed by the oral tradition.

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Emily Mazzara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on recommendation by a bookseller in Scotland when I was there. It was a really interesting delve into some traditional Scottish folklore and storytelling history. As a HUGE fan of Arthurian Legend, I’m super interested in exploring more of how the Fionn Cycle may have direct influence on both stories and characters we mainly know from Camelot.

Welcome back my obsession with Merlin and King Arthur! It’s been a few months. :)

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything I wanted it to be. When I first heard that George MacPherson was publishing a collection of Fianna tales, I could not have been more excited, and the book does live up to expectations. It contains details about well-known stories - like Diarmuid and Gráinne, Ossian's birth, and Scathach's warrior school on Skye - that MacPherson himself collected from the oral tradition, and has never written down before. Many of them contain missing links for the cause-and-effect logic of these long and elaborate stories.
The common thread connecting the tales is the figure of the Old Grey Magician, a powerful and mysterious person that appears in Scottish tradition frequently. Sometimes he helps to heal people, or win battles; in other times, he stirs up trouble, or makes deals with dire consequences. In the Introduction MacPherson talks about how the Old Grey Magician caught his attention, and how he traced some of these tales through decades and variations. He provides information for many of the stories, talking about where he heard them and how they were explained.
Donald Smith's afterword about the Scottish Fianna cycle and the Songs of Ossian is also a very entertaining read - I have never read an essay that was this clear and concise about the whole James MacPherson and Ossian controversy. It put the whole thing into context, and the light of the oral tradition.
All in all, instant classic. I highly recommend it both to lovers of Celtic tales and mythology, and to anyone who is folklore- or storytelling-inclined.

[Terri Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fascinating book of stories by George W. Macpherson. Excellent read.