Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations [Paperback]

Alexander Carmichael (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1992

This is the most complete anthology of Celtic oral tradition ever assembled. During his travels, Alexander Carmichael spent hours with peasants in their huts in front of peat fires listening as they "intoned in a low, recitative manner" these poems and prayers. This unique collection of living spirituality drawn from the depths of Celtic Christianity, represents a hidden oral tradition of great power and beauty, handed down through countless generations of Hebridean peasants.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Lindisfarne Books (August 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940262509
• ISBN-13: 978-0940262508
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing piece of preservation, February 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations (Paperback)

This collection has become a sourcebook for those interested in Celtic Christianity and even in pre-Christian ritual. I use it frequently as a reference to find out common folk themes running through Christianity on the fringe. The tradition was dying out when Carmichael chronicled it, and now the richness of imagining is preserved for future generations. If you are interested in spirituality, particular in Scotland, you must get this book!

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The One and Only, September 25, 2001

By 

Thomas F. Ogara (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations (Paperback)

The number of books on Celtic spirituality in the past ten years is stultifying. The inane banalities poured out in most of these books is paralleled only by the repititiousness of most of their contents.

This book, however, is the real thing. These poems were collected in the last century by Alexander Carmichael in his work in the Scottish highlands. They truly display the sense of closeness to the earth, and closeness to God, in daily life that is the hallmark of Celtic spirituality, and as expected in a collection of poems from the poor and humble, there is not a speck of pretension in any of it. The book has been a minor classic in its own field ever since it was first published, and now it is finally getting the widespread recognition it deserves.

My only regret is that this version doesn't include the Gaelic versions that Carmichael collected alongside the English translation; I believe that the original edition included these. If you're burned out on the absurdities of Celtic spirituality which are served up by the truckload nowadays, this book will give you your faith back.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Blowingly Beautiful Verses, August 24, 2001

By 

M. Hartman (East Coast, Etats-Unis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations (Paperback)

This is NOT a another modern book about the ancient traditions of "Celtic Spirituality". I, for one, am extremely grateful. This is a collection of traditional prayers and incantations used by the Gaelic speakers living in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. These "poems" are simple, sparse, superstitous and incredibly beautiful. When Carmichael documented these in the 1800's, the Gaelic culture and its belief systems were quickly dying out amidst a wave of modernisation, protestantism and urban flight. These poetic artifacts are a true window on the beliefs, hopes, fears and superstitions of the pre-modern world. Many of these were used to ritualize common daily tasks. These chants find the sublime in the pedestrian, in a way that is completely devoid of self-conciousness. The poems in this collection are unique and priceless. Carmichael did a wonderful thing in preserving these gems for future generations. If you are interested in understanding the unromanticized and complicated truth of the spiritual side to Gaelic culture, this is indispensible. If not, perhaps the latest coffee table book of "Celtic Prayers" is more your speed...