A Brief Guide to Celtic Myths and Legends (Brief Histories) - Softcover

A very readable guide which fills the gap between academic analysis and less critical retellings of the myths and legends.

Marytn Whittock provides an accessible overview while also assessing the current state of research regarding the origins and significance of the myths. Since all records of the myths first occur in the early medieval period, the focus is on the survival of pre-Christian mythology and the interactions of the early Christian writers with these myths.

A wide-ranging and enthralling introduction to Celtic mythology, from the Irish gods before gods, the Fomorians, to the children of Llyr, the sea deity; from the hunter-warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill, whose exploits are chronicled in the Fenian Cycle, to Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster; and from the Welsh heroes of the Mabinogion to Arthur, King of Britain, though the mythical, Welsh version who predates the medieval legends.

An insightful and accessible guide that breathes fresh life into the enduringly popular Celtic myths and legends

In this wide-ranging and very readable introduction to the myths and legends of the Celts - a world of giants, tumultuous storms, magic cauldrons, fierce warriors and severed heads that talk - Whittock draws extensively on up-to-date archaeological evidence, Greek and Roman inscriptions and medieval Irish and Welsh manuscripts. He also examines the later Breton literature - and, where written evidence is scarce, enduring oral traditions.

His interpretation is both thrilling and authentic of such characters as the Irish gods before gods, the Fomorians; the children of Lír, the sea deity; the hunter-warrior Finn mac Cumhaill, whose exploits are chronicled in the Fenian Cycle; Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster; the Welsh heroes of the Mabinogion; and the mythical, Welsh Arthur, who predates the medieval legends. In addition to examining the myths of the Irish and the Welsh, this account also explores the related mythologies of Scotland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany.