Decoding the Celts: Revealing the legacy of the celtic tradition

by Claire Hamilton

Describes the customs, beliefs and mythology of the Iron Age Celts and how their identity has survived into the modern era.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mythology, British Literature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Paul De Belder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wat een onzinnig boek. Het had als titel moeten hebben: « Een rommeltje bijeengesprokkeld uit oude mythen en verhalen, waarvan de schrijfster gelooft dat ze allemaal echt gebeurd zijn », inclusief mensen die veranderen in dieren, druïden die magische krachten demonstreren en 300 jaar oude helden die hun verhaal doen bij St-Patrick. De weinige historische vermeldingen in het boek zijn verdacht, meer op het magisch geloof van de schrijfster gebaseerd dan op feiten.

Ik ben fan van mythologie en heldenverhalen, maar zonder New Age onzin saus. De schrijfster slaagt erin om ze ontdoen van hun pracht door ze in stukjes te kappen en voor te stellen als bewijzen voor dikwijls uit de duim gezogen « feiten ».

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very thankful to have picked this up from the bargain table at my local bookshop a few years ago. What a great find! This was a really enjoyable read and easily accessible for those who are quite new to the subject. The artwork and photos were fantastic, as well.

My only complaint is that I wish there had been more info on the Cailleach, though. I was so excited to see Her included but it was a really short writeup. But that's a personal thing and has not diminished my enjoyment of the book at all.

[Natacha 4E · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I knew most of what was written from the fiction books I had read that were about or based on the culture of the Celtic peoples, I liked this book. It is an easy yet informative read. A lot of myths are described and the illustrations are very nice.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I'd like to know something about the celts, this is the book I'd open first.

[MeriBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decoding the Celts is a very quick light read regarding the history and mythic tradition of the Celts. The book keeps a narrow focus on the Anglo-British Celts of Ireland, Wales, Scotland with small remarks about the Isle of Man. It makes no attempt to cover the entirety of Celtic culture in Europe. This book is almost encyclopedic in style and scope with short two to four page chapters on each topic discussed. Short text is greatly enhanced by the photographs and drawings included in the book. Enjoyable but light and very much an introductory book though it suffers from a lack of source notes and a very short bibliography of mostly secondary works. I would recommend this to someone just beginning to investigate the Celts as a culture in order to discover what areas the reader would like to explore further or to middle school students seeking information without overwhelming academic details.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive, since I had just finished another Celtic history book, but it focused more on the Celts of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and some mention of the Isle of Man, which was nice. Short chapters, good information, covered a wide variety of the different facets of life in this book. Spiritual, basic living, fighting, men, women, etc. Enjoyable read, gorgeous photos.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable with information split into short sections that cover a wide range of topics and the book contains a lot of images to illustrate what is being discussed in the text. I'd definitely recommend this as a good, gentle introduction.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am truly glad I own a copy. Lots of information

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

decent read. not really what I was looking for.