Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford Paperback Reference)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is wonderfully useful for Irish and Welsh mythology. Irish and Welsh entries are generally quite comprehensive and individually mostly of a high quality.

The major flaw, and it is quite a major one, is the horrific dearth of Scottish and Breton entries, which appear quite randomly and often are only of very low quality. So for instance, Irish "kings" of minor historical or mythological importance occur in abundance, yet figures such as Macbeth, Malcolm II and Malcolm III are totally unaccounted for. Dublin has a huge entry, Glasgow has no entry (although admittedly St. Kentigern does). There may be entries for Goidel Glas and Scota, of supreme importance in medieval Scottish origin myth, but nothing is said of them in relation to Scotland or in how they were used there. Every half-significant Irish geographical feature has an entry, yet a location like Scone has nothing. Likewise, there are no entries for the "Prophecy of Berchan" or the "De Situ Albanie." I could go on and on.

There is much in this book that is useful about Celtic folklore and mythology. However, the etymologies are usually incorrect. This may not matter to some. It does to me.

The back cover claims that this book has "authoritative...etymologies for Celtic names..." when they are in fact neither authoritative nor correct.

For example, MacKillop gives for the entry Deva an etymology from Latin meaning goddess "[L. goddess]." However, the Latin for Goddess is _diva_ not _deva_. The word _Deva_ is transparently Brittonic from (Proto)-Celtic *_deiwa_.

Especially annoying for me is the etymology of English words used as headings, which are out of place in a Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (I believe).

So, while the entry for "Stag" is indeed useful, giving the etymology of 'Stag' from "[OE stagga]," (while at least correct in this instance), is just absurd.

As for careerist motivations and cut and past "druidical" names: ...

Lastly, my motivations were not careerist, but one of informing others. A book that claims to be authoritative in Celtic etymologies, I belive ought to live up to that claim. Unfortunately, this one doesn't, and others should be aware of that.

I'm really enjoying skimming through this interesting reference. Lots of great entries and cross-referencing. Unfortunately, I've run across several big errors. For example, MacKillop has Bran mac Febal turning to dust at the end of the story, where reference to Kuno Meyer's translation reveals that it was not Bran but one of his men that was turned to dust. Bran relates his story and then 'from that hour his wanderings are not known'. This was only one of several obvious errors. I sincerely hope they are corrected in subsequent editions!

This is a scholarly reference work that had an entry for every topic I could imagine ever wanting to look up. This book is a good antidote for a lot of the poorly researched or downright fanciful material that's been published regarding Celtic religion/myths/etc. Full of references to both the original stories & other scholarly works.

Quite frankly, if this is the best reference work on Celtic legends and culture, this only goes to show how very bad the rest are. Other reviewers have pointed out the irrelevant English items and very bad etymology; I would like to add that the book is infuriatingly uneven in its references. Some I have been able to track down; other entries have no origin listed at all, which has resulted, in one case, in a desperate and completely unavailing trawl through EVERY TITLE in the Brittany bibliography - and that for a reference which is absolutely fundamental to my research. I know this particular character and folk-tale exist; they must, because other facts I encountered confirm that they must; but because Mr. MacKillop has not given his source for his description, I am unable to proceed. And that is not the only case in which the entries let me down. It is pointless to write a reference dictionary if you are not going to give references!

Less expensive dictionaries of Celtic mythology are available, but this carefully researched, extensive volume is well worth the price. Entries cover tales and characters both mythological and historical (in Celtic materials, the difference is not always easy to discern). Besides describing what is known about the topic, each entry includes the primary references. For tales, the references include the published editions. No other dictionary offers this depth of information. Those unfamiliar with Celtic languages will appreciate the guides to pronunciation that accompany the entries. Although not faultless, this source is a necessary addition to the home library for anyone who intends to explore Celtic culture and literature. You'll use it to keep track of the players as you read the tales!

So you listen to Loreena MacKennitt and love you a good Celtic knot. You know vaguely that Brigid is a Christian saint who started as an Irish goddess, and that Taliesin had something to do with bards. If you want to learn more, pick up this book. Sure it's a dictionary, but if you have a couple hours, you could read it cover to cover and come away with more colorful stories of heros and gods and beasts than you ever could have imagined. For being a reference book, it reads as well as most short story compendiums. Informative and a fun read!

My copy of this tremendously helpful book is completely dog-eared. Interestingly enough, I bought the book not because of my interest in Celtic and Druidic studies, but because I play an online multiplayer game called Dark Age of Camelot. As I was playing I noticed a couple of "mobs" (monsters) which seemed curiously in tune with their natural meanings. I work at a bookstore and picked this book up on my break to look up a few more of the mobs and found them all in there. Over time, I found that the game was startling on target with mobs, non-player characters and mythic storyline.

I have since used it for a number of other Celtic "look ups" and just love having this book handy. It is nearly indespensible in my mind.

While covering an extensive amount of Celtic material, which is very useful, MacKillop's etymologies are usually not accurate. In fact some etymologies seem to be based on his looking up words in a modern dictionary rather than from a true command of Celtic linguistics, quite spurious. Also, he tends to assign Gaulish and Brittonic words to Latin. In addition, his showing us the etymologies of English words, e.g. stag, in a Celtic mythological dictionary is just asinine.

This reference book isn't perfect, but I have found that its comprehensiveness makes up for its problems. Another big plus in its favor is that it is clear and accessible, allowing both the reader with a casual interest in Celtic mythology as well as the more serious student to appreciate it.