Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and Songs

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Celtic mythology and religion, encompassing numerous aspects of ritual and belief. Topics include the presence of the Celtic Otherworld and its inhabitants, cosmology and sacred cycles, wisdom texts, mythological symbolism, folklore and legends, and an appreciation of the natural world. Evidence is drawn from the archaeology of sacred sites, ethnographic accounts of the ancient Celts and their beliefs, medieval manuscripts, poetic and visionary literature, and early modern accounts of folk healers and seers. New translations of poems, prayers, inscriptions and songs from the early period (Gaulish, Old Irish and Middle Welsh) as well as the folklore tradition (Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) complement the text. Information of this kind has never before been collected as a compendium of the indigenous wisdom of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose traditions have endured in various forms for almost three thousand years.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface      Introduction: Journeying to the Well of Wisdom      Part One: Celtic Religion and Mythology 1. The Sacred Elements of the Tradition      2. Sources of Knowledge      3. Druids, Seers, Poets and Priestesses      4. The Celtic Otherworld      5. The Gods of Britain and Gaul      6. Irish Gods and Goddesses      7. The Ritual Year      Part Two: Celtic Shamanism and Wisdom Traditions 8. Elements of Celtic Shamanism      9. The Feathered Cloak      10. The Song of the Shaman      11. Celtic Cosmology      12. Celtic Wisdom Traditions      13. The Knowledge of Trees      14. Symbolism of Animals and Birds      Part Three: Celtic Legends and Folklore 15. The Wisdom of the Ancestors      16. The Legend of Arthur      17. The Mabinogi      18. Fairies, Healers and Seers      19. Folklore of Spring and Summer      20. Folklore of Autumn and Winter      21. The Path of the Old Ways      Appendix A: The Rights of Women in Early Celtic Culture      Appendix B: The Celtic Folksong Tradition      Appendix C: Suggested Reading and Further Study      Chapter Notes      Bibliography      Index     

About the Author :
Sharon Paice MacLeod is a Harvard-trained Celticist, grant-funded researcher, historical consultant and professional musician. She has taught Celtic literature, mythology and folklore at the university level and lives in New England.

Review :
“this well-organized, readable book unites a widely scattered body of primary information on the myths, ritual practices, songs, cosmology, poetry, folklore, and symbolism created within and shared among the Celtic cultures of western Europe...a good general volume on Celtic myth and religion. Recommended”—Choice; “excellent”—Witches and Pagans; “well researched and richly diverse scholarly study”—Story Circle Book Reviews.