Customer Reviews

Celtic Myth & Legend: An A-Z of People and Places

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this book just after finishing Peter Berresford-Ellis' dictionary of Irish mythology, and I'm afraid this one does not hold up at all. The author apparently has no knowledge of any Celtic language, and it shows- there are embarassing errors on nearly every page as a result. For instance, he defines Alba as a "poetic name" for Scotland, whereas it is simply the ordinary Gaelic word for Scotland, still in everyday use by thousands and thousands of people. He makes bizarre claims, such as that Scotland was never really a Celtic country (in fact, Scotland was almost entirely Gaelic-speaking for centuries), and he defines the "Celtic period" as ending with the arrival of Christianity, which is nonsense especially because literally all of our sources for Celtic myth were written during the Christian era. He frequently indulges in unsupported speculation, using phrases such as "some have claimed" (in other words "I made this part up myself")and he seems to accept Barry Fell's claims of Ogham inscriptions in the new world, even though Fell's works are themselves wild flights of fancy based on ignorance of Celtic linguistics. He edits a number of stories to remove Christian elements, thus distorting the original version. Overall, this book is a classic example of the folly in trying to write about the Celts without knowledge of a Celtic language. As the author can only read secondary sources, he obviously didn't know when he was making a mistake.

I agree with the reviewer who said that there were errors on every page. Dixon-Kennedy doesn't recognize Scotland as a Celtic country. What he frequentlly called 'Irish' should be called 'Gaelic' because the folklore of Gaelic Scotland and Gaelic Ireland is very similar as these countries once formed a single cultural entity.

Fionn MacCumhail was the equivalent of King Arthur and Robin Hood for the Gaels. One hundred different motifs of his legend were collected in Ireland and four hundred in Scotland. (Almqvist et al., The Heroic Process: Form Function and Fantasy in Folk Epic)

The book 'Leabhar na Fèinne' is a collection of all the literature of Fionn MacCumhail, as well as Cuchullain and Fraoch, that could be found in Scotland in the mid-nineteenth century. Every poem and song was composed in Scottish Gaelic (a Celtic language).

Peter Beresfore Ellis is a better reference for those new to Celtic myth and folklore, and MacKillop's Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology is the best, most detailed reference to date.

The Green Man is featured on the cover of this book.
I question the inclusion of the Green Man in a book of Celtic mythology; all the provenances of this entity are in countries where a Germanic language is spoken or was spoken in the 'Dark Ages'.

Although the book is a fairly good broadrange reference
for celtic mythology, it does come with a few inherent problems.
For a start, the author does not give references in his entries. The more and more I do research into celtic mythology and their way of life, the more I find one needs to be able to find references to 'primary sources'.

But, for someone begining in the area of celtic studies or someone merely curious, this book is a great start point.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It would make a great collection on any Witches Shelf. Comprised of all different Celtic Myths, it is a fascinating book,and I reccomend it 100%~! Blessed be, Travis

As a writer, I am always looking for good reference material. What Celtic Myth & Legend lacks in depth and detail, it makes up for in the sheer number of references.

The book is an excellent jumping-off point for more detailed research elsewhere. I can scan the pages and easily find a tidbit of information that whets my appetite to learn more.

If you're looking for an in-depth study, this book probably isn't for you. But if you're like me and enjoy picking up clues that will eventually lead to a broader understanding of Celtic myth and legend, this is a good book.

Hello,
I thought that I would review this book to help people who are interested in it, since there is no description or any other reviews. Well this book is a great resource guide, but that is exactly what it is. A dictionary of people and places in Celtic Myths and Legends. Don't get me wrong though, it is well done. I was just expecting there to be a few stories and some resources as well. :) Okay Bye!

I am 15 and I an really interested in celtic stuff and this book is a great guide to all things celtic.