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James MacKillop.
Dictionary of Celtic Mythology.
Oxford University Press, 1998.
ISBN 0198691572;
ISBN-13: 0198691570.
Hardback, stitch bound.
160x239x35mm.
xxix,402pp.
English.
Unused bargain: some mild shelf wear to the dustjackets.
This item £12.00
903g.
This accessible work explores the whole of Celtic mythology, legend, saga, and folklore. Subjects covered in the 4,000 alphabetically arranged entries include:
These are not stories for the faint-hearted: bloody vengeance is wreaked upon treachery and real or imagined insults. Warriors jockey for positions of prestige and fall to blows over who deserves the champion's portion. Mysterious monsters prey upon the unwary at crossroads and on lonely hills. Adultery is common, and portrayed with an earthy sensuality, but cuckolded husbands find violent ways to avenge their injured pride. Yet love is sometimes fulfilled, in a world of unimaginable beauty and vivid detail. Boats of white bronze sail on glassy seas, and strange, seductive women entertain heroes for 300 years in what seems an instant. The fullness of the Celtic legacy, traced here from the evidence of ancient shrines to tales recorded in the late twentieth century, is the fullness of life. The entries - from brief definitions to extended essays - feature authoritative spellings and etymologies and are fully cross-referenced. There is also a topical index and a pronunciation guide to the major Celtic languages.
- characters in Celtic myth such as Deirdre, Cüchulainn, and Branwen
- places, real and imaginary, revealing the mythological and legendary associations of places such as Anglesey, Bath, and the river Shannon
- creatures from folklore such as the glaistig, brownie and leprechaun
- gods and goddesses and their classical parallels
- tale cycles and narratives such as Y Goddoddin and the Táin Bó Cuilnge
- real and legendary figures such as St Brigid, Caradog, and Geoffrey of Monmouth
- animals and plants such as the deer and the foxglove
- Arthurian parallels such as Perceval, Galahad and Tristan
- artifacts such as cauldrons and the Sheela-na-gig
- regions and countries from Brittany and Caerphilly to Galatia in Asia Minor
- archaeological sites such as Dinas Emrys and the Uffington White Horse
- vital concepts and ideas including flood legends, the dead, female warriors, kingship, druids, and the Otherworld.
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