Celtic Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Sagas and Beliefs

by Hourly History

★ Celtic Mythology ★ The gifted W.B. Yeats wrote of his own people “...even a newspaperman, if you entice him into a cemetery at midnight, will believe in phantoms, for everyone is a visionary if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt, unlike any other, is a visionary without scratching.” This introduction to Celtic Mythology will serve the novice well – for it is a complicated history with the earliest written records destroyed by the marauding Vikings. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Arrival of the Tuatha dé Danann ✓ Hibernia ✓ The Main Gods of the Celtic Pantheon ✓ Celtic Life and Rituals ✓ Sources of Celtic Mythology ✓ The Effect of Christianity and Beliefs and Superstitions The oral tradition harks back to 4000BCE and is a compilation of myths and cultures of many different peoples including the Indo-Iranians, Slavs, Greeks, Germans, Austrians and finally, the Gauls, who washed up on the shores of the Emerald Isle. Whatever aspect of this rich, mystical and lavishly embellished heritage you would like to investigate further you will find the author has supplied a marker to guide you on your way.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Ebooks, Religion, Historical, Reference

116 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2016

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid first introduction into Celtic mythology. Asides from detailing some of the major gods and mythological stories associated with them, it also gave a brief overview of the history of the land and how both intersected with and affected the lives of the inhabitants of ancient Ireland.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactamente lo que promete. Una guía muy breve y concisa con las bases de la mitología Celta, desde la introducción a los principales dioses hasta los rituales más importantes pasando por el efecto que el Cristianismo tuvo sobre esta cultura. Ideal como primera toma de contacto con el tema.
Lo mejor: El autor es consciente de la brevedad de su obra y recomienda recursos para el que quiera ampliar conocimientos sobre el tema.

[Apollo Hesiod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love greek mythology, but it's interesting to learn about all different kinds of mythology...very informative & will definitely read more about Celtic Mythology

[Lorellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Celtic people seldom built temples—they had no need. The sanctity of nature was an inescapable part of their worship, and the land itself was a permanent temple".

Again, this series has peaked my interest in an assortment of subjects. What an astounding and inventive history the Irish have! I'm sure I'll be digging deeper. In fact, I've already purchased a book of folktales.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting - more like a history book, and dryer than a dead dingo's donger.

[Heideblume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pensato per essere letto in un'ora. Fornisce un'infarinatura generale a chi si approccia per la prima volta e rinfresca la memoria a chi conosceva già la materia ma, col tempo, inevitabilmente, finisce col dimenticare qualche dettaglio.
Fa parte di una collana in lingua inglese di cui posseggo anche "The Black Death", "Titanic" e "Nikola Tesla". Sono tentata di acquistarne anche altri.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celtic mythology is probably one of the few I know the least about so I thought this book was super interesting. It mainly focused on Irish mythology which I liked a lot because Ireland is one of those countries that I love learning more about, whether it's about its history or mythology.

I do have to say that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as some of the other Hourly History books I've written. It was still fascinating but there I just thought it was not quite as good. And it dragged a tiny bit at some places in the book.

Other than that I liked the book for sure. I especially loved reading about everything surrouding the Tuatha dé Danann. Also the chapter of Celtic Life and Rotuals was a favorite of mine.

[Bio Logic · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I started reading "Mythos" by Stephen Fry, I began looking for more mythology books. But unlike those captivating story-based works, this book mostly gives you an introduction to Celtic Mythology and the publisher made it clear by the title. It's truly a "concise guide" rather than a story book.

This book brought back the feeling of school level history books - you know, when you buy the book you feel like finishing it in 2 days, but that excitement leaves as swiftly as the numerous dates, unpronounceable names, and shifting borders uncovers themselves. Likewise, this book resembled more to a textbook or exam prep book.

There are however beautiful poems, short stories, and useful links for further reading and research. It gave me an opportunity to know about Newgrange, Lindow Man, origin of river names (like Danube, Boyne) and various Christian mythological figures. If you are a beginner to Celtic mythology and archeology, this book is probably a good start.

[Just Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice briefly overview of the Celtic mythology.

[Young Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book can work as a college text- or reference-book...

Dealing with the ancient mythology is not an easy task for any writer, especially if the author just tries to briefly introduce it to the readers within limited page numbers.

Clearly ancient mythology is not a good subject to talk about in a brief manner at all, and this book, too, like other books of this “Ancient Mythology Series” by the same author and publisher, tells why.

This book, too, like the same author's other mythology books, got so many links to other websites for the readers to read further to really understand the subject, meaning this book alone is NOT complete.

While going on with the "not-so-brief" journey through this book, due to the many, many links, you will constantly ask yourself the same question, even without reading the links: “Gosh, so diverse. Is this really the same, "one" people's myth?”

Among the many ancient mythologies known to us, the Celtic Mythology must be one of the toughest; it is probably not the author's fault though that the story's so difficult and confusing for the beginners to follow with many different stories about one, same figure in the same myth since each different tribe in Ireland, according to the book, must have had various stories that had passed down to following generations.

It so happened because of the “di-vision” of ancient Irish society, which was also the reason why the country couldn't effectively fight off the foreign invasions until the recent centuries.

It is a good lesson for the world that unity is the vis'ion for the future of an'y Human society.

Unfortunately we find a huge error the author has made with this book.

As a matter of fact the ancient Celtic people were found all over the modern-day Western European Continent in France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, yet he hasn’t made it clear if the many, many different stories for one, same figure in the very same myth were of the Celts in Ireland alone "or" from the Celts in the whole Western Europe.

But as you move through the pages towards the end, you will feel like the author was actually focusing on Ireland again and again ignoring all the other Celts in the whole continent. At least that’s how I felt after finishing the last page, which wasn’t really a good “con-clos'/ -clus'ion”, but more like an other “entr-/ intr-o-duction” after all.

He has NOT finished the book.

(Kindle Ed. p. 29)
Some linguists call Gaelic, the native language of Ireland, the “Chosen Language” and claim that it was spoken in the Garden of Eden—that it came with Jacob’s tribe to Egypt, then Carthage and via Galicia in Spain, to Ireland. The more conventional linguists will say the roots are Indo-European, and the reason why it is so incredibly rich is that it, like the people, has developed from 72 different languages. However it happened, Gaelic has been the spoken and written language of Ireland for thousands of years and was well established by 600 BCE. The oldest ancient Irish inscriptions we have are on stones that date from the fifth and sixth centuries. It is also spoken in Scotland, and today it is still the vernacular in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwell, and Brittany.

In fact it feels like the author is seriously Ireland-centered. What he says sounds a lot like the blind "crazy" Korean nationalists who claim that every nation has originated from ancient Korean civilization. No, it was quite opposite as the Koreans and the Korean states, like all other Human societies, were also originated from the Red Sea area where we find the traces of the early Humans we call the Homo Sapiens.

His Irish-centered idea and the confusing direction of this book that self-contradicts himself makes it sound like Ireland, not the whole Celtic world, had so many different stories for each the same figure telling us it was the division among only-the Irish people in that small island that caused all the hardships in the country's history.

Truth is that it sounds like he is trying hard to lift up the Irish spirit, but he is actually killing it without realizing it.

Celtic has never only meant the Irish, and the author said that, too...maybe like twice contradicting the main flow of the book, although they are the only story lines in this book told in balance.

(Kindle Ed. p. 24)
Broadly speaking, the Celtic expansion reached its height around 225 BCE, and the mythology we are exploring dominated the cultural milieu for people’s lives right down through the Middle Ages. It was an agrarian culture for the most part, but it was not without wealth; archaeological investigations have come across over 400 Celtic gold mine sites in France alone. They had an oral tradition, and bards would recite the great sagas of the people at the three yearly gathering at the Feis of Tara, where the governing rules were reviewed, major disputes were resolved, and new laws and regulations would be promulgated. It is said that five great roads radiated across the country from Tara Hill to the five regions, each ruled by a king or a Ri Tuath. These are Ulster in the north, Connaught in the west, Munster in the south, Leinster in the east, and Mide (Meath) at its center. Returning to Julius Caesar’s description of the Celtic people, he characterized them as mysterious and superstitious. One description of the Irish people states they were a “conglomeration of tribes with remarkable staying power.”

Imagine if all these Celtic Kingdoms were united. Then there wouldn't be Roman Empire we remember today. There might not be the Great Germanic Expansion into the modern-day European Continent during the 4th century, either. In what a different world we could have been living now then, huh, with standards and perspectives pretty different than ours, right?

Look at these words - car, carr’y (carry) and carr’i-er (carrier).

This is the Oxford Dictionary definition of our English word “car.”

car (n.): from late Middle English (in the general sense ‘wheeled vehicle’) and from Old Northern French carre, based on Latin carrum, carrus...

And I’d add more lines as follows:

...based on Latin carrum, carrus of “Celtic” origin.

As a matter of fact as we’ve all learned the ancient European history at school, the Romans learned how to build chariots from the Celts, who sacked Rome long Before the Christ. You tell me if the “expert” linguists have been right about most of our words’ etymologies from, they’ve been claiming, Greek and Latin, as if the ancient Greek and Latin words had just fallen from the Heaven lol

God, gut, good, 가-다 (to go), 코 (core), 콕/ 콱/ 꽉/ 꼭 (coq/ cock), Gaul, Gallia, 갈 (car), chariot, 찰/ 참 (Charles, Tsar, Karl, Carlos and Charm): Google "young h d kim" and read my books if you desire to kn-ow.

Our heads are full of Greece and Rome as the very "origin (or-i-gin)" and "beginning (be-gin)" of so-called the "Western" Civilization, and why do you think that is? It's kind of funny that the same author's book "Greek Mythology" tells why.

(Kindle Ed. p. 19)
...and the nuts used to fall into the well and feed the speckled salmon who lived there...

Just out of curiosity, why the personification: Intended or a typo?

(Kindle Ed. p. 33)
...Now this hound was no ordinary dog; he was the size of a pony...

So, not a typo, but just the author's preferred way to describe things: Personification, and I like that too.

This one’s definitely a typo though, so the book has only one typo...not bad:
(Kindle Ed. p. 28)
...I am the head of the spear the draws blood in battle...

Typo: ...that draws blood in battle...

The bottom line is I do not recommend this book to anyone, but only to those who are really in mythology, history or/ and linguistics for studies.

However, I think this book can work as a college textbook, and the students can use all the links throughout the pages as great references.

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about the Gods and Goddesses and that's what I was hoping for!

[Steffi]

Fuck off Christianity u destroyed every culture!!
Goddess Brigit is now St.Brigid?!

[Mike Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Captivating History book on Celtic Mythology first, and this one was more of what I was looking for.

While very basic and lacking depth - I don’t expect depth from an Hourly History book, just a basic overview - it touched on who the Celts were how the myths developed and evolved over time, and the basics of their belief system.

Like a solid 101 type class, the Hourly History books do a great job of helping you wrap your head around the basics of a topic before digging deeper.

If you are looking for a short collection of Irish/Celtic stories - the Captivating History book may be more to your liking, but for how those stories fit into a larger context, this is a good title.

[S.L. Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is far from a definitive history of the Irish Celts, but it’s a good introduction for those who are interested in learning more about them and don’t know where to begin.

Years ago, I had read numerous books about the Celtic gods and heroes, and I found it a good refresher read for me.

I also appreciated the links to websites that are included. I’m currently writing a book that begins in ancient Ireland, and I know I’ll be hitting some of them for research.

[Katrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick introduction to the Celtic people, gods and mythology. In this it was very good, informative, links for further reading and explaining the most basic things. What really put me off is that in this book basically Celtic=Irish. That is SO not true. Wales gets mentioned ONCE. Wales with its own fantastic mythology and bardic tradition! There was no mention of Anglesey, Scotland is terribly left out, too. Although this is a good quick introduction, I'm really not happy with how Irish centered this is. Celtic people were all of them, not confined to Ireland at all! This is something that should be revised.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good. It was a bit vague and broad but I expected that from such a small book. It had some interesting stories and was an overall good book.

[Suresh Ramaswamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written small book less than 60 pages, it is indeed an anthology of Irish folktales and mythologies. There are more than three hundred deities in Irish Folklore.

The gifted W.B. Yeats wrote of his own people “...even a newspaperman, if you entice him into a cemetery at midnight, will believe in phantoms, for everyone is a visionary if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt, unlike any other, is a visionary without scratching.” The oral tradition harks back to 4000BCE and is a compilation of myths and cultures of many different peoples including the Indo-Iranians, Slavs, Greeks, Germans, Austrians and finally, the Gauls, who washed up on the shores of the Emerald Isle. Whatever aspect of this rich, mystical and lavishly embellished heritage you would like to investigate further you will find the author has supplied a marker to guide you on your way. There are six chapters which enumerate – The Arrival of the Tuatha dé Danann, Hibernia, The Main Gods of the Celtic Pantheon, Celtic Life and Rituals, Sources of Celtic Mythology and The Effect of Christianity on Celtic Beliefs and Superstitions. Each chapter is short – less than ten pages.

While I would not like to reproduce the précis of the book in this review I was impressed by the coverage, though I yearned for greater details. Be that as it may, I would like to reproduce some excerpts from the chapter on ‘Sources of Celtic Superstitions’ below:

The great Sagas and Heroes of Ireland are captured in four cycles all based on literary sources. The first is the Mythological Cycle which is mostly taken up with Tuatha de Danann and the creation of Ireland.


The Dagda’s harp was one of his most treasured possessions. It was fashioned of noble oak, beautifully decorated and embellished with a doubled headed fish with jewelled eyes. He used it for many purposes; for instance, he played it to cause one season to follow another in proper order. He played it to instil hope and bravery in his men as they went into battle, and he played it at the end of a battle to soothe the weary warriors, assuage their grief at fallen comrades, and to mend their wounds. When the Fomorians were preparing to fight the Tuatha dé Danann in the second Battle of Moytura, they decided to steal the harp to distract their enemies in their war preparations.

They succeeded in both objectives; the Dagda was furious, and after the battle, which the Tuatha won notwithstanding, he, alongside his son Aonghus and Lugh of the Long Arm, set out to fetch it home. They tracked the defeated Fomorians down to the castle where they were gloating over the magnificent harp they had hung on the wall as their consolation prize for losing the battle. The Dagda sang out his magic chant to call the harp to him as follows:

“Come Daurdabla, apple-sweet murmurer
Come, Coir-cethair-chuir, four-angled frame of harmony, Come summer, come winter,
Out of the mouths of harps and bags and pipes!”

The harp immediately swept off the wall and flew to the Dagda’s hand, striking nine men dead as it travelled through the air. Hundreds of warriors awoke and grasped their weapons, turning on the three men. The Dagda struck the strings with his hands, and he played the Three Noble Strains of Ireland. First, he played the Geantraí, the strain of merriment, laughter and drunken foolery, and the Fomorians began to laugh out loud and toast one another as they danced; their weapons fell from their hands. They soon recovered and picked up their weapons to advance again upon the three. The Dagda then called forth the strain of Goltraí; the Fomorians began to weep in grief for the fallen, and again their weapons slid from their hands as their tears flowed and men hid their faces. Finally, the Dagda brought forth the strain of Suantraí; the warriors struggled, but slowly started falling asleep, dropping their weapons once more. The Dagda, his son, and Lugh left them sleeping there, and they made away with the harp, which was never stolen again.

The second cycle is the Ulster Cycle, which brings together many stories of the cult of great warriors and splendid battles. The central story is the Táin Bó Cúailnge, or the Cattle Raid of Cooley, and the story of the magnificent Celtic warrior Cú Chulainn. The following story is how this exceptional youth acquired his name.

Conchobar, king of Ulster, was going with a small retinue to feast at the house of the well-renowned weaponsmith Cullan. On the way, he stopped at the boy’s camp to watch the young men at their games. He was much struck by the boy Setanta, who excelled at all the games, particularly the sport of hurling. This old game is played with a ball about four inches in diameter and a hurley, a three-foot-long stick made of ash with a flattened and curved lower end. The game takes great strength and skill to play. The king invited Setanta to come along to the feast, and it was arranged that Setanta would follow when his training had finished by tracking the chariot tracks of the king’s party.

When all his guests had settled down to the feast, Cullan inquired of the king whether he could set free the dog he had trained to guard his property. He explained that, as a tradesman who lived from his craft, he had very little land, and he did not retain warriors to keep him safe. Now this hound was no ordinary dog; he was the size of a pony, had the strength of over a hundred men, and had been trained by Cullan to attack and kill unless otherwise directed by his master. He was set free, and after doing a round of the property, the great dog settled down at the front door, his great head resting on his paws, but his red eyes alert and staring, unblinking, into the night.

Setanta, meanwhile, was following the king’s trail swiftly. He passed the time by hurling a ball ahead of him and then racing to catch the ball before it fell to earth. He moved quickly, but he was also highly distracted; when he got to the house, the great hound let out a ferocious howl and headed straight for him. The only weapon Setanta had about him was the flimsy hurling stick and ball. Instinctively, he hurled with all his might—the ball went straight into the great dog’s mouth and caused him to start choking. Setanta grabbed the dog by its hind legs and swung it around with all his might, dashing its brains out on a rock.

The guests came rushing out and rejoiced greatly that the boy had survived the encounter. Cullan, too, was relieved, but was also devastated by the death of his faithful servant; he wept for the hound that had protected him for so long. How was he to safeguard his household now? Setanta felt terrible when he heard the story, and he asked Cullan if he knew of a pup sired by his dog anywhere in Ireland. Cullan said he could get one, but it would take a long time to train him—how would he protect himself in the meantime? Setanta said he should acquire the pup, and for as long as it took Cullan to train him, Setanta would come and guard the household every night.

The chief druid, Cathbad, was among the guests. He said that henceforth Setanta would be called Cú Chulainn, i.e., “Cullan’s hound,” and he prophesied that one day that name would be renowned throughout the world. Cathbad also put a geis, or a prohibition or taboo of a kind, on Setanta, not to ever eat the flesh of a dog. Setanta accepted the change and was henceforth known as Cú Chulainn. For an entire year, he returned to the place every evening, made a circuit around the house holding, and settled down, like a dog, at the door – one eye open to protect Cullan’s property from whatever arises.

There are many sagas about Cu Chulainn and his colourful life. One of the most entertaining is how it came that he could claim the Champion’s Potion. It is very long and complicated, as well as thought provoking and enjoyable.

The third cycle is called the Fenian Cycle and deals with sagas involving the warriors and the lore of the Fianna – a roving, nomadic, almost outlaw band, whose main occupations were hunting and undertaking wondrous quests that usually involved fighting. Their mottoes were: “Strength of limb, purity of heart, and actions to match our words”. The Fianna were respected wherever they went, led by Finn Mac Cumhaill. They possessed a particular treasure, Cumhaill’s Oxter Bag made of
stork skin, and whatever Cumhaill wanted, he just had to put his hand into the bag and it would be his. Below is the story of ‘The Hostel of the Quicken Trees’. Once the Fianna were called upon to beat back the invading army of king Lochnann and his sons. Generous in victory, Finn Mac Cumhaill spared the king’s youngest son, Miadach and brought him up as his own foster son, settling him with his own lands when he reached adulthood. Once Cumhaill and his party were hunting a giant boar, Finn and a few companions got separated from the main group. They came across Miadach, who greeted them pleasantly and invited them for a drink at the nearby Hostel of Quicken Trees. Finn left his son Oisin and three young warriors to wait for the hunting party, while Finn, his son grumpy Conan Maol and his brother Goll went to have a drink. The place was luxurious with fine tapestry and rugs on the floor, with a perfumed fire burning in the hearth. For a few minutes they took in the luxurious setting, but when they looked around for Miadach, he was missing. The luxurious settings turned to mud floor. Realizing something was amiss they tried to leap up, but found they were firmly struck to the floor. Finn bit his thumb which was burnt on the Salmon of Knowledge and everything was made clear to him. Miadach had brought the king of Torrents across the sea and they were on the way to kill them. The spell had been cast by the king and only his blood could break the spell. The three men sounded the Dord Fiann, the war cry of the Fianna. It brought Fiancha and Innsa two warriors from the waiting party on the run. When they heard the story they set out to find the invading army. They made their stand at a ford at the bottom of the hill, which was the only approach to the pavilion, all night long. Meanwhile, Oisin and Caoilte, the fastest runners went off to gather the rest of the Fianna. Both Fiachna and Innsa died of their injuries, but held the ford, till the rest of hunting party arrived. Diarmuid and Fodla hunted down the king of Torrent’s three sons and cut off their heads. Diarmuid rushed the heads back to the pavilion, where he first bathed Finn and then Goll Mac Morna in the blood setting them free. Lastly he came to Conan Maol and set his arms and legs free, but his back still stuck firmly to the ground, by now the blood had run out. Though weakened by the effects of the spell, Finn and Goll helped Diarmuid to pull Conan to his feet, but all the skin ripped off his back and he was bleeding profusely. Finn whose strength had returned killed a black sheep that was grazing nearby and covered Conan’s back with the sheepskin, but the skin stuck to his back because of the leftover of the adhesion spell. Thy all set off to join the rest at the ford. The invaders were driven back with very few survivors. Every spring after that Conan Maol’s back has to be shorn of its wool.

The final cycle is known as the King’s Cycle or Historical Cycle. These tales are about the various fortunes of Celtic kings. The well – being of the realm was in the quality of the king. Most kings were semi – historical figures with god – like powers and influence, but also quite helpless in the face of a supernatural restriction called geis placed on them by a senior druid. To break a geis would immediately break a sacred bond between a leader and his people, so it was never done. A geis, the nearest one can get to explaining it, is a taboo.

The book is interesting and informative with links for further reading. Recommend it for readers interested in Mythology and Folk Tales.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief guide to Celtic Mythology and all that entails. This guide allows you to develop basic knowledge to then go and research in more detail.

[efa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheeky bitta Irish mythology love to see it. However NO FINN MAC CUMHAILL??/!1 get it sorted

[BookmarkedOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When they said "concise," they seriously were not kidding.

But since so often a study of mythology involves dusty tomes, scholarship by deceased writers with somewhat stiff and archaic language, and a knowledge of various languages and translations, it's somewhat refreshing to see the topic in the hands of a modern author.

It's by no means comprehensive. But as a brief introduction, there's some nice overview of the main story cycles here made accessible for the average reader...as opposed to those of us who are folklore-obsessed.

[Maggies Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tweaked my interest on Celtic religions and now find myself drawn to more of these enchanting perilous tales from our history.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Be forewarned that this is not, strictly speaking, a book about Celtic mythology. While it does heavily mention it, the book suggests all sorts of practices for the reader to do, including invocations of the various deities, and makes frequent references to Wicca and Neo-Druidism, neither of which represent the actual pre-Christian Celtic pagans’ beliefs or practices.
Furthermore, the author at one point states that Irish Gaelic is the vernacular in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Mann. Of course, Scotland, Cornwall, and Mann mainly speak English, but the indigenous languages of all these countries, except Ireland, of course, are separate Celtic languages. This is a small detail, but it makes the author’s credibility suspect.

[Nihal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Celts and Irish mythology, so when I found out that hourly history had written a book on Celtic mythology, I couldn't wait to read it.

This book gave me a brief idea of Irish myths and beliefs. I could learn about Celtic Gods, heroes, tribes, and myths. I can't believe that Celtic Mythology is broad and comparatively interesting to other famous mythologies like Greek and Egyptian myths.

It was a very interesting read. If you are interested in history, I recommend you this book. Loved it!

[Ivy - Hearts Books. · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Hourly History books deliver what they promise. Light reading, informative and lay a good foundation for future in depth reading. Loved reading about The Celts always been curious and this beats reading about them on Wikipedia. If you are wondering whether you should read this or not and you either want a quick recap of prior knowledge you have on them or like me - before this - just know they existed - this read will not disappoint. Happy reading!

[María López Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectura rápida, se lee en una hora más o menos. Es una introducción a la mitología celta, muy interesante para los amantes de Irlanda y el mundo celta. Disponible para descargar gratuitamente en amazon.es versión Kindle.

(Libro en inglés)

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great starting place

- Quote: The well-being of the realm was directly linked to the quality of the king.
- Thoughts: This is a simplified and broadly encompassing research about the theme.
It does not, nor does it intent to, tell the tales and sagas of the celt heroes and gods, it does instead tell you where to look for then and explain some of what you can look up for.
it's a great starting place.
▶◀
These are my personal opinions, you may discord, my final rating of the book is not necessarily linked to this system and may diverge from it.
Real life research
- Development: 4/5 stars
- Research: 5/5 stars
- Enjoyment: 4/5 stars
- Writing stile: 4/5 stars
- Translations: 5/5 stars
- Violence level: Old religions had human sacrifice
- Tech level: starting before the piramids of egipt until Christendom
- Religion level: real life Druidism and Celtic beliefs
- Main genre: Research
- Subgenre: Religion, Lore
- Best of it: It covers a broad array of things, it's also fast to read
- Worst of it: It doesn't really goes deep into anything
- Aftertaste: Thinking of those ugly Irish Uilleann pipes
World
- Real world (Y/N): ✓
- Main scenario: Ireland
Setting
- Historical importance: 4/5 Stars
- Historical deep: 5/5 Stars
- Historical score: 4/5 Stars
- Geopolitical importance: 2/5 Stars
- Geopolitical variety: 1/5 Stars
- Geopolitical score: 2/5 Stars
- Setting overall score: 3/5 Stars
- About the setting: Scottish

[Virginia O'Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celtic Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Sagas and Beliefs (Kindle Edition)
Author & Publisher: Hourly History

This book is typically my type of book and is a delightful short read. I'm very interested in mythology anyways and is a subject close to my heart. I was delighted to find this free copy on Amazon, catching up on some of the best Celtic events/stories, all wonderfully captured in this book.

This book is very nicely presented and written. There are also very useful additional clickable information links. There is a sign up at the end of the book for a free ebook-Friday which I'm really looking forward to. This is a wonderful incentive for history and mythology book lovers.

Sections that are covered:
The Arrival of the Tuatha dé Danann
Hibernia
The Main Gods of the Celtic Pantheon
Celtic Life and Rituals
Sources of Celtic Mythology
The Effect of Christianity and Beliefs and Superstitions

The book contains some lovely poetry but this section is my favourite:
“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world, For I would ride with you upon the wind, Run on the top of the dishevelled tide, And dance upon the mountains like a flame.” —By William Butler Yeats, from The Land of Heart’s Desire

I highly recommend this book to history, archaeology, and mythology lovers.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

We go back to the early Celtic mythology which actually is older than Stonehenge or the Sphinx. It lasted a long time until Christianity began to pick it apart, challenge it and take parts and convert it to their own view.

The book goes into the various groups of people to inhabit Ireland and what happened to each of them. It talks about The Book of Invasion, various myths, the Celtic gods and goddesses and ones like Danu, the earth goddess (which the Christians considered to be demonic.)

It covers Celtic life and rituals, clans, seasonal festivities, sources of Celtic mythology and how various Celtic rituals got changed into Christian holidays.

I find the whole thing to be interesting and I wonder if some of the mythological being were real human beings that, through their accomplishments, over time were changed into gods or goddesses.

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview: If you have ever heard of the fairy folk, then you've run across some of the Celtic mythology. Is there more to these stories? Maybe, at least this book intends to look into this kind of history. What will we learn? Let's find out.

Dislikes: My version of this book had hyperlinks throughout it. Perhaps the physical copy includes more of the actual myths.

Likes: The myth of Conor was absolutely fascinating. The fact that some of the Celts wanted people to learn, means that they would be angry at their redneck descendants.

Also, the weekday superstitions were fun. And I enjoyed Mr. Yeats' poems as well.

Conclusion: This was a fascinating book. If you have some Irish in your background (or other Celtic nationalities) then give this book a shot. It might even work for those who just like myths. Enjoy the read.

[Kayla Kinakin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very quick introduction on IRISH mythology, a good starting point.
But only one mention of any other Celtic countries.
There were a few points that made me question the validity of some of the information (see: saying Ireland, Wales, I.O.M, and Scotland all use the same Gaelic. Their only mention.)


***Warning. Controversial opinion***

It felt biased when covering history by completely ignoring the cultural genocide enacted by the Catholic church. Making it sound more like the church embraced Celtic traditions to make Irish people feel comfortable, rather than utilising them for indoctrination to soften the blow of trying to eradicate their beliefs (read: what they actually did).
Also felt like they tried to blame that on the Vikings, but I digress.