Table Of ContentCeltic Mythology
The Celts controlled Ireland. Wales,
western Scotland, Cornwall and much
of Europe for many centuries. Most of
the impressive material remains have
been found in continental Europe. Hut
the great stories of supernatural crea
tures and superhuman heroes which
make up Celtic mythology nearly all
derive from Ireland. The Celts were
supreme in Ireland for well over a thou
sand years, and their influence, includ
ing their language, has lasted longer than
in any other region.
The Celtic gods resembled those of
Rome. There w ere counterparts of all
the main gods and. in addition, the ant
lered god Cernunnos. 'lord of the ani
mals’. But Celtic mythology isaboveall
rich in the daring exploits of swash
buckling heroes. Cti C'hulainn engages
in one single combat after another to de
lay the advance of the Connaehtmen as
they attack the Ulstermen in search of
the mighty bull ofCuailnge. Cú Chulainn
can be overcome only by trickery and
magic. The fantastic adventures of Kionn
mac Cumhaill and his companions are
still told by Gaelic story tellers. The story
of the love of Diarmaid and Grainnc is
comparable vv ith those of Adonis and
Aphrodite and of Tristan and Iscult.
The author gives an enthralling ac
count of the development of these and
many other stories, and shows how they
express the beliefs and hopes of a great
civilisation. Significantly the Celts re
garded the Underworld as a land of
primeval innocence and happiness filled
yy ith enchanting music, beautiful women
and exquisite food and drink - an inv it-
ing contrast to their hard and danger
ous lives on earth.
The book is beautifully illustrated
with outstanding examples of the work
of Celtic artists and craftsmen.
24 pages in colour. Over 100 illustrations
in black and white. Index.
Celtic
Mythology
Celtic
Mythology
Proinsias
Mac Cana
Hamlyn
Colour plates
The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited Carved stone pillar from Pfalzfeld Post Office, Dublin page 102
London New York Sydney Toronto page 13 Portal dolmen at Kilclooney, Co.
Hamlyn House, Feltham, Middlesex, Bronze mask from Garancières-en- Donegal page 103
England Beauce page 20 Benbulben in Co. Sligo page 103
Janiform head from the sanctuary of Decorated stone at entrance to New
ISBN 0 600 00647 6 Roquepertuse page 21 Grange page 106
Bronze relief of a bust from a German The Turoe Stone in Co. Galway
Copyright © Proinsias Mac Cana 1970 chariot grave page 24 page 107
Cemunnos as ‘lord of the animals’ from Slaying of a bull from Gundestrup
Second impression 1973
Gundestrup cauldron page 38 cauldron page 124
A deity holding a stag in either hand Stone fort of Grianán Ailigh, Co.
All rights reserved
from Gundestrup cauldron page 39 Donegal page 125
Filmset by Filmtype Services Gold bracelet from Rodenbach page 42 Bronze pony-cap from Torrs,
Panel from North Cross, Ahenny Kircudbrightshire page 128
Manufactured in the page 43 Statue from Boa Island, Co. Fermanagh
United States of America Detail from anthropophagous monster page 128
of Noves page 46
A pair of fourth-century
wine-flagons page 62
Stone fort of Dun Aonghusa on
Inishmore page 63
North side chamber of New Grange
page 67
The evangelical symbols, from the
Book of Kells page 70
Handle of Irish bowl from Miklebostad
page 71
Loughcrew, site of an important
passage grave cemetery page 88
The Paps’, twin hills in Co. Kerry
page 89
Standing stones at Cloghane, Co. Kerry
page 92
The dying Cù Chulainn, in the General
Contents
Introduction page 11 The Tuatha Dé Danann page 57 Sacral kingship page 117
The rise of the Celts page 11 The Book of Invasions page 57
The decline of the Celts page 12 The Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh The otherworld page 123
The conservators of tradition page 14 page 58 The Feast of Samhain page 126
The sources page 16 The coming of the Gaels page 64 The land of the dead page 128
The diversity of Celtic mythology The retreat of the Tuatha Dé page 64
page 18 The Daghda page 66 The integral tradition page 131
Irish Nuadha: Welsh Nudd page 67
Gaulish gods and insular equivalents Manannán mac Lir page 69 Further Reading List page 138
page 23
The gods as noted by Caesar page 23 The gods of Britain page 75 Acknowledgments page 138
Gaulish ‘Mercury’: Irish Lugh page 27 The family of Don page 75
Teutates, Esus, Taranis: ‘Mars’, The family of Llŷr page 76 Index page 139
‘Jupiter’ page 29 Pwyll, Rhiannon and Pryderipage 80
Gaulish ‘Apollo’: various Irish deities
page 32 The goddesses of the insular Celts page 85
Gaulish ‘Minerva’: Irish Brighid Medhbh of Connacht page 85
page 34 Goddesses of war page 86
Gaulish ‘Vulcan’: Irish Goibhniu, Macha page 90
Welsh Gofannon page 35 Goddesses of the happy otherworld
Gaulish Ogmios-Hercules: Irish page 91
Oghma page 37 Édaín page 91
Gaulish ‘DisPater’: Irish Donnpage41 The goddess of sovereignty page 94
Sucellus and Nantosvelta page 44
Cernunnos page 44 The heroic tradition page 97
Triadic groups page 48 The Ulster Cycle page 97
Goddesses: divine consorts, Matres The foretales: Deirdre and the sons of
page 49 Uisnech page 97
Cult associations of inanimate nature The Feast of Bricriu page 99
page 50 CÚ Chulainn page 101
Cult associations of animate nature The Fionn Cycle page 106
page 50 The elopement of Diarmaid and
Gráinne page 110
Fionn and Arthur page 115
The Gundestrup cauldron. This silver-
plated copper bowl was discovered in
1891 in a peat bog at Gundestrup in
Denmark and probably belongs to the
first century B.C. It is richly decorated in
high relief, on the outside with images of
unidentified deities and on the inside with
mythological scenes. It was obviously a
cult cauldron. National Museum,
Copenhagen.
