The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore

by Patricia Monaghan

From the back cover:

Celtic peoples were skilled storytellers who passed down recollections of history and religious ideas orally, developing a strong mythological and folkloric tradition through the generations. Once Christianity brought literacy to the Celts, converted monks recorded in various languages many of the stories, thereby passing along the rich Celtic culture.

The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore explores the lore of the people of the Celtic lands, including Ireland, Scotland, Celtic Britain, Wales, Brittany and central France, and Galacia. This reference begins with an overview of Celtic history, language, society, and religion and explains fundamental aspects of Celtic mythology. Entries emphasize the original sources of myths and traditions and include cross-references and bibliographic citations.

Approximately 1,000 entries cover mythic figures, sacred places and objects, heroic figures, historical places, narrative and epic cylcles, theories and controversies, and themes and religious concepts.

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

512 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Patricia Monaghan was a poet, a writer, a spiritual activist, and an influential figure in the contemporary women's spirituality movement.

Reviews

[ece ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read all of it but had to read the most of it.

[Cass Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no other encyclopedia in my vast collection that has more highlights, notes, and use than this one. As a writer who has set a world and story around Celtic lore, this book was a must have. Rarely do I not find a category or name I'm seeking and rarely do I not find some nugget that sends me down a rabbit hole of even more research. Love this resource.

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad collection of Celtic mythical/folklore figures, places, tales. Entries are cross-referenced. Again, the only thing that would make a book like this more user-friendly, since it does include an index, would be a sub-division of the entries by specific culture.

[Brittany Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serves its purpose of being an encyclopedia, but I was hoping for something a little easier to tie narratives, myths, etc. Which this book does not do for beginner students of the subject.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview with various references for everything Celtic.

A must-have for authors infusing their stories with Celtic faeries and folklore.

[Shannon Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this Encyclopedia. It is a world of knowledge towards Celtic history and information. Many of the creature and their story's, as told by my grandmother, are inside and I get to hear and learn about them on much more knowledgeable grounds.
The information is endless and I even learnt a few things, I had missed through my Grandmothers skittish approach to storytelling, about the stories I grew up with.

Such an interesting read. I recommend it to anyone who loves a little fairy-tale and who loves a little History.

[Gwen Tolios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome detail

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to how we know what we do about Celtic mythology, and many of the more substantial entries have sources listed right after the entry. That's what I like to see in a reference book!