Celtic Tales of Birds and Beasts: Stories from the Otherworld [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Mara Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stories from the Other World

Celtic tales of animals and shape-shifters: wise and humorous; retold by British storyteller Mara Freeman & set to the exquisite music of harps, pipes, and keyboards.

"These sagas are engrossing, with vivid details of setting and costume that re-create the mystique of an ancient culture. Storyteller Mara Freeman adopts Scots, Welsh, and Gaelic accents for different characters, but her intonation is clearly for American ears. Gerry Smida's beautiful musical track (featuring bagpipe, Celtic harp, whistle, and drum) is so finely attuned to the stories that it greatly enhances their impact. All folktale collections will be enriched by these tapes." Gretchen Furber, BOOKLIST

Editorial Reviews

Review

...like a true seanachie, Mara uses rich and poetic language to open the door to the otherworld ... -- Mary-Eileen McClear, Second Story Review, Winter 1996

...lyrical retellings.... stories that are too good to miss! -- Reviewer: Harlynne Geisler, Storybag

About the Author

Mara Freeman is a leading writer, teacher and ritualist of Celtic, Druidic and related Western mythology and magical traditions. She is the founder of the Avalon Mystery School, a comprehensive training program in the Arts of Sacred Magic, and author of many published articles, and the book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions To Illumine your Life throughout the Seasons (HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.) Dividing her time between California and West Wales, Mara teaches at universities and educational centers in the United States as well as leading annual retreats and pilgrimages in the British Isles and Ireland. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Chalice Productions; Unabridged edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890851019
• ISBN-13: 978-1890851019
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 2.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,497,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mara Freeman is from Britain and has been a leading teacher of Celtic spirituality and magic for over twenty years. She is an initiate of the Western Mystery Tradition, an Archdruidess of the Irish Druid Clan of Dana and Honored Bard with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. (See: www.chalicecentre.net.)
Her book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit, (Harper SanFrancisco, 2001) has been hailed as the best modern introduction to Celtic spirituality and sacred traditions. She has also produced three albums of Celtic stories and meditations set to music.
Dividing her time between California and West Wales, Mara teaches at many universities and learning centers, including Omega Institute, New York, Naropa University, Colorado, and the University of California in Santa Cruz. She leads annual retreats and pilgrimages in the British Isles and Ireland. (See www.celticspiritjourneys.com.) In 2005, Mara founded the Avalon Mystery School, a three-year training program in the Western esoteric arts, which can be taken online or at intensive workshops in the U.S. and abroad. (See www.avalonmysteryschool.net.) Mara also has a spiritual counseling practice in the Celtic tradition of Anamcara, or soul-guidance work, using her extensive training in the arts of psychotherapy and seership.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing!, February 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Celtic Tales of Birds and Beasts: Stories from the Otherworld (Audio Cassette)

These sagas are engrossing, with vivid details of setting and costume that re-create the mystique of an ancient culture. Storyteller Mara Freeman adopts Scots, Welsh, and Gaelic accents for different characters, but her intonation is clearly for American ears. Gerry Smida's beautiful musical track (featuring bagpipe, Celtic harp, whistle, and drum) is so finely attuned to the stories that it greatly enhances their impact. All folktale collections will be enriched by these tapes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Good to Miss!, February 22, 1999

By 

Harlynne Geisler, Storyteller ([e-mail]) (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celtic Tales of Birds and Beasts: Stories from the Otherworld (Audio Cassette)

Some materials invite immediate attention, and such was the case with these beautifully packaged tapes. It was a pleasure to discover that their exterior quality reflected the care that was given to the production of the stories themselves. Mara Freeman, a British storyteller now living in California, has adapted the stories from a variety of sources, and much of the strength of the tapes is in her lyrical retellings.... and they are stories that are too good to miss!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wide-ranging appeal, February 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Celtic Tales of Birds and Beasts: Stories from the Otherworld (Audio Cassette)

"I listened the first time in my car -- with great pleasure. And was pleasantly surprised when my 6 year old grandson said, "Play it again. I have to hear it again!" Great tapes, and the appeal is wide-ranging."