King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land: The Divine Feminine in the Mabinogion [Paperback]

Caitl?n Matthews (Author), Caitlín Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Reveals how the ancient Celtic text of the Mabinogion was the mythical predecessor to the legends of King Arthur.

• Revised edition of Arthur and the Sovereignty of Britain (UK) that includes the author's latest research and insights.

• A comprehensive reader's companion with synopsis of stories and full commentary.

• Written by renowned scholar Caitl�Matthews, author of The Celtic Wisdom Tarot (15,000 sold).

The ancient Celtic stories of the Mabinogion have received universal recognition from scholars as both sources of the Arthurian legend and keys to insights into the ancient magic of the Celtic Otherworld. Now renowned Celtic scholar Caitl�Matthews, drawing on a full range of medieval texts and ancient Welsh writings, provides a fully revised and updated reader's guide to these rich and far-reaching tales. 

In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews sheds particular light on Sovereignty, the Goddess of the sacred land of Britain, and the spiritual principle of the Divine Feminine. Clearly revealed are the many alternate forms taken by the Goddess of the Land--including her incarnation as Morgan of Avalon, who plays a dominant role in the Arthurian cycle. Also established are links between the legendary characters of the Mabinogion and their counterparts in other living myths of the Western world. Through the marriage of the Celtic kings to the Goddess of the Land, the sacred contract between political rulership and responsibility for the land's well-being is dramatically revealed. In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews once again articulates definitively the continuing relevance of ancient Celtic thought and belief as illustrated in the powerful myths and legends of ancient Britain.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Once again Caitlin Matthews has used her tremendously rich powers of imagination and presentation to produce a personal interpretation of Celtic literature that inspires and enchants."
(Ronald Hutton, Ph.D., author of The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles )

"As with its companion Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, I have found King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land to be essential reading. No other study takes the reader through the Mabinogion more masterfully. This book is an indispensable guide to indigenous Celtic literature and myth."
(Ari Berk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mythology and Folklore, Central Michigan University )

"The heart of the Celts beats in these tales from the ancient Welsh, interpreted by one of today's most astute and sensitive writers on mythology."
(Patricia Monaghan, author of The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines )

About the Author

Caitlin Matthews is internationally renowned for her research into the Celtic and ancestral traditions. She is the author of 36 books, including The Celtic Tradition, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, and Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom. She is co-founder of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to oral, shamanic, and sacred arts. Caitlin Matthews has a shamanic practice in Oxford, England, and teaches worldwide. 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; 2 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892819219
• ISBN-13: 978-0892819218
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #904,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello! I'm Caitlin Matthews. I live in Oxford, England with my partner, John Matthews and two warring white cats who, despite our best efforts, can't abide each other and live on different floors of our small house.

I'm primarily known for being the author of many books including Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, Psychic Shield, and Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom. I write in the fields of metaphysical non-fiction, poetry, fiction, folkstory and myth, as well as writing books for children. I'm known for my research into the Celtic and ancestral traditions, and the ways in which I provoke exploration of the creative metaphysical field, and how we can apply it to our spiritual path.

With John Matthews, I've written the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, the Arthurian Tarot and Walkers Between the Worlds. Our latest collaboration is the StoryWorld series of cards and books for storytellers of all ages, which started coming out in 2009 - many more titles to come in 2010.

Although I'm the author of over sixty books, most of my work is oral rather than written. As a teacher of ancestral, shamanic and metaphysical traditions, I go all over the world, working with communities and spiritual institutions. With John Matthews, and my dear colleague Felicity Wombwell, I co-founded The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the mythic, oracular and sacred arts. Our FiOS shamanic training programme teaches students the ancestral wisdom and healing arts as living sacred traditions in which we still engage.

As a singer, I play Celtic & medieval harps, sruti and psaltery. My CDs include Deep Well in the Wild Wood: Songs from the Place Beyond and the latest, Earth's Own Heart: Songs from the Faery Hills appears in 2010. I was the Pictish language originator and song-writer of Song of the Exile for the 2004 Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur and I appear frequently on international radio and television.

For the last 20 years, I've had a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to healing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation. I use my voice to help open the way between the worlds, to sing the soul's essential nature, tracking it through the client's story and bringing it homeward, with the help of spirit allies who have chosen to work with me.

I'm currently working on Rekindling Ancestral Hearths: a book to help us come into good relationship with our ancestors. I believe that being in commuinion with our ancestors and gifting spirits is essential for the wellbeing of our world, and lies at the root of war and peace.

If you want to know more about my courses, events and forthcoming books, you are cordially invited to visit www.hallowquest.org.uk.

For new readers of my work, there is no 'one book' that conveys all that I teach, but the following practical books may be a helpful guide for you to begin somewhere:

Walkers Between Worlds - for a grounding in where our spiritual traditions arose.
Singing the Soul Back Home - for a guide on how we come into come relationship with our gifting spirits
Celtic Devotional - for a post-denominational way of spiritually acknowledging each day and season
Psychic Shield - for those who need a friendly guide to how the universe and ourselves rub off each other and how we can do it more harmoniously

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indespensible Pair, May 31, 2006

By 

R. F. Benson (Toms River, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land: The Divine Feminine in the Mabinogion (Paperback)

Both this title and Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain: Hero Myths in the Mabinogion are essential to a student's understanding of these wonderful Welsh classics; however the need to re-release them with different titles escapes me....

Nota bene: I got a personal response from Ms Matthews, informing me that publishers in the UK are not allowed to simply reprint a book, but must change the title.... Quaint. But now we know.
Rx 2-11-10