Heroes of the Dawn: Celtic Myth

Myth and Mankind

by Fergus Fleming, C. Scott Littleton, Linda A. Malcor

Generation after generation has passed down the ancient legend of a boy-king named Arthur who pulled a sword from stone, loved the beautiful Guinevere, and presided over the Round Table. And we still celebrate the ancient Celtic holy day of Samhain, only now we call it Halloween. The earth itself has preserved sacred Celtic cauldrons designed to raise soldiers from the dead.

These legends and artifacts are all found in Heroes of the Dawn: Celtic Myth, an exciting new book that explores the fascinating world of ancient Celtic legend and belief.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Ireland, Folklore, Religion

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[Linda Malcor]

This is what happens when you write so many chapters in other people's books that you forgot you wrote something. Amazon found this little gem from my past and posted it to my Author's Page.

C. Scott Littleton and I wrote the section about King Arthur in this book.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful myths and beautiful illustrations. includes pics of archaeological pieces as well

[Melinda Gauthier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It gives some interest information. But the names are hard to pronounce... I'm going to go on YouTube to see how they are pronounced then read again hopefully.

[Linh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this volume out of the collection I had as I recently went on a trip to Ireland and thought that this will remind me of all the amazing stories I heard during my time there. Perhaps, it's because I've never been very close with Celtic Mythology or the history of the Celts that I actually found this volume very confusing. There were a lot of names that blurred together and a lot of stories sounded the same (because in fact, a lot of them were variations of the same story).

I have only had the experience of reading two volumes of this series. One (Chinese Myths) because very close to my heart and I even knew all the dynasties from the childhood stories my parents told me about, then this being the second one. I'll continue to read the Myths and Mankind stories to see what my thoughts are on the others.

[Roger Rosenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A recent trip to Ireland piqued my curiosity about the Celts. This volume helped define for me what they believed, who they were, and from whence they came. I admit to surprise that a book about myths and legends helped with that, but who we are is defined much by what we believe. The stories are a bit confusing for one lacking a background in Celtic lore, but they are food start. The stories are interspersed with a little history and there are comparisons with Roman mythology that helps with context. I need a lot more study to learn about the mysterious isle, but this was a helpful read.

[Jentrian]

This is definitely a synopsis of the Celtic culture. It barely scrapes the surface of all the many Celtic peoples of the British Isles and Europe. A fact which swept me away was the fact that the Arthurian Legends have roots and elements deriving from Celtic mythology and culture. The sad part is that much of the Legends were rewritten for Christian audiences and thus lost their pagan elements to the whims of time.

Definitely a great read and a good resource for historical papers and projects.

[Cathy Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of unpronounable names; but interesting overview of the origins of Celtic culture

[Shu Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not finish reading. Not a bad book, just more for coffee table browsing than sitting down and reading through for mythology studies.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes you on quite the journey, leading to an extensive section on the Arthurian legends, which was unexpected and quite enjoyable. Very interesting.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just gives an overview of celtic myths...
Nothing special

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style and I didn't jive. Good accounting though.

[Joseph Pearce]

A very interesting and enjoyable book on Celtic Culture and Mythology.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember where I ran across this book exactly, and I didn't realize it was a Time-Life book with lots of illustrations and pictures of Celtic artifacts. It was quite informative for someone like me who has only a passing awareness of Celtic culture and myth. For example, I hadn't realized that the Celts were spread through most of Europe at one time. I also appreciated extensive coverage of the King Arthur legend and the explanation of what parts were drawn from Celtic myth, what was added by Christian monks, and what was added by French fans of courtly love (Lancelot; I knew that last part). It's not a book you just read through like a story or most non-fiction I read, but it is quite good if you're interested in learning more about the Celtic contribution to Western culture.

[Theodora R. R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was all right. I love Celtic mythology, and I learned a lot about it from this book. There were a few iffy parts in it that hinted at inappropriate themes, but it was never too explicit, and that's something you learn to expect at least a little of in mythology.

So yes, I enjoyed it overall, and even borrowed a few characters and concepts from it to use in a short film script I'm writing.

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A broad overview of the Celtic world and what we know of its myths and legends. It is a collection of myths loosely tied together by history and culture. This is interesting, but it is not an in-depth study. It does track the history of the King Arthur legends and the influences and changes they went through as they were influenced and reimagined in light of Christian influences. It was well done, but I think some of the history of Celtic civilization has been reconsidered more recently.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good starting point for gaining information on the Celtic myths, including monsters, hags, and the Arthurian Legends. I found it interesting and delightful that many of the characters mentioned are also in my favorite YA series, The Alchemyst: the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

[John]

Heroes of the Dawn: Celtic Myth (Myth and Mankind) by Time-Life Books (1998)

[John]

Heroes of the Dawn: Celtic Myth (Myth and Mankind) by Time-Life Books (1998)

[Amy Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and interesting timeline of myths and history.