Approaches to Religion and Mythology in Celtic Studies

Approaches to Religion and Mythology in Celtic Studies PDF

Author: Alexandra Bergholm

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2009-03-26

Total Pages: 315

ISBN-13: 1443808768

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This publication is the first interdisciplinary collection of articles focusing on religion and mythology in Celtic studies. The first part presents various current viewpoints within the field from scholars of history, art history and literary studies. In addition to more traditional approaches, the other two parts of the book illustrate the possibilities of applying new theories and methods from the discipline of Comparative Religion to the analysis of Celtic materials. They introduce previously unpublished results of the international research network “The Power of Words in Traditional European Cultures”, and the research project “Religion, Society, and Culture: Defining the Sacred in Early Irish Literature” funded by the Academy of Finland at University of Helsinki. The present collection serves as a significant contribution towards a better understanding of issues that have not been previously brought together in a single volume. As such it is of interest to scholars in Celtic studies as well as other related disciplines.

Celtic Myth in the 21st Century

Celtic Myth in the 21st Century PDF

Author: Emily Lyle

Publisher: University of Wales Press

Published: 2018-02-07

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1786832062

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This wide-ranging book contains twelve chapters by scholars who explore aspects of the fascinating field of Celtic mythology – from myth and the medieval to comparative mythology, and the new cosmological approach. Examples of the innovative research represented here lead the reader into an exploration of the possible use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in Celtic Ireland, to mental mapping in the interpretation of the Irish legend Táin Bó Cuailgne, and to the integration of established perspectives with broader findings now emerging at the Indo-European level and its potential to open up the whole field of mythology in a new way.

Understanding Celtic Religion

Understanding Celtic Religion PDF

Author:

Publisher: University of Wales Press

Published: 2015-11-20

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1783167947

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Although it has long been acknowledged that the early Irish literary corpus preserves both pre-Christian and Christian elements, the challenges involved in the understanding of these different strata have not been subjected to critical examination. This volume draws attention to the importance of reconsidering the relationship between religion and mythology, as well as the concept of ‘Celtic religion’ itself. When scholars are attempting to construct the so-called ‘Celtic’ belief system, what counts as ‘religion’? Or, when labelling something as ‘religion’ as opposed to ‘mythology’, what do these entities entail? This volume is the first interdisciplinary collection of articles which critically reevaluates the methodological challenges of the study of ‘Celtic religion’; the authors are eminent scholars in the field of Celtic Studies representing the disciplines of theology, literary studies, history, law and archaeology, and the book represents a significant contribution to the present scholarly debate concerning the pre-Christian elements in early medieval source materials. Contents 1 Introduction: ‘Celtic Religion’: Is this a Valid Concept?, Alexandra Bergholm and Katja Ritari 2 Celtic Spells and Counterspells, Jacqueline Borsje (available Open Access at the University of Amsterdam Digital Academic Repository) 3 The Gods of Ireland in the Later Middle Ages, John Carey 4 Staging the Otherworld in Medieval Irish Literature, Joseph Falaky Nagy 5 The Biblical Dimension of Early Medieval Latin Texts, Thomas O’Loughlin 6 Ancient Irish Law Revisited: Rereading the Laws of Status and Franchise, Robin Chapman Stacey 7 A Dirty Window on the Iron Age? Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Pre-Roman Celtic Religion, Jane Webster

The Religion of the Ancient Celts

The Religion of the Ancient Celts PDF

Author: John Arnott MacCulloch

Publisher:

Published: 1911

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13:

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Scant records remain of the ancient Celtic religion beyond some eleventh- and twelfth-century written material from the Irish Celts and the great Welsh document Mabinogion. This classic study by a distinguished scholar, builds not only upon the surviving texts but also upon folk customs derived from the rituals of the old cults. A masterly and extremely readable survey, it offers a reconstruction of the essentials of Celtic paganism: fascinating glimpses into primitive forms of worship involving rites centered on rivers and wells, trees and plants, and animals; and examinations of evidence from Celtic burial mounds to explore beliefs and customs related to the culture of the dead, including rites of rebirth and transmigration.

Celts and Christians

Celts and Christians PDF

Author: Mark Atherton

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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A collection of eight essays, formerly lectures of the Centre for the study of Christianity and Culture presented in Oxford in 1999.

CELTIC MYTHOLOGY (Illustrated Edition)

CELTIC MYTHOLOGY (Illustrated Edition) PDF

Author: J. A. MacCulloch

Publisher: DigiCat

Published: 2023-11-16

Total Pages: 1313

ISBN-13:

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This meticulously edited collection present the mythology, religion, history and the legacy of Celts. Contents: Introduction: Earliest References Golden Age of the Celts Alliances with the Greeks The Era of Alexander the Great The Sack of Rome Celtic Place-names in Europe Early Celtic Art Celts and Germans Downfall of the Celtic Empire Unique Historical Position of Ireland The Celtic Character Cæsar's Account Strabo on the Celts Polybius Diodorus Ammianus Marcellinus What Europe Owes to the Celt Religion: The Religion of the Celts The Gods of Gaul and the Continental Celts The Irish Mythological Cycle The Tuatha dé Danann The Gods of the Brythons The Cúchulainn Cycle The Fionn Saga Gods and Men The Cult of the Dead Primitive Nature Worship River and Well Worship Tree and Plant Worship Animal Worship Cosmogony Sacrifice, Prayer, and Divination Tabu Festivals Accessories of Cult The Druids Magic The State of the Dead Rebirth and Transmigration Elysium The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries Myths: Mythic Powers of the Gods Myths of Origins The Irish Invasion Myths The Early Milesian Kings Tales of the Ultonian Cycle Tales of the Ossianic Cycle The Voyage of Maeldūn Myths and Tales of the Cymry The Mabinogion

Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture

Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture PDF

Author: Bernhard Maier

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 718

ISBN-13: 9780851156606

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This dictionary, with more than 1000 articles, provides a comprehensive survey of all important aspects of Celtic religion and culture, covering both the prehistoric continental Celts and the later, medieval culture that found written form long after the Celts had settled in the British Isles. Articles in the dictionary also cover the interaction between Celtic and Roman civilisations, and the seminal input of medieval Celtic legend into the Arthurian tradition. The continental and insular Celtic languages, both ancient and modern, are described, and there is a full account of the Celtic deities known to us from the inscriptions and iconography of the classical world. Celtic art and agriculture, the Ossian myth, the Irish Renaissance, and the history of Celtic studies are among other areas treated in depth.

Celtic Mythology & The Religion of the Ancient Celts

Celtic Mythology & The Religion of the Ancient Celts PDF

Author: John Arnott MacCulloch

Publisher: DigiCat

Published: 2023-11-16

Total Pages: 608

ISBN-13:

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"Celtic Mythology" is a study on ancient folk tales and legends of old Ireland, Wales and other Celtic regions, which remained a precious legacy to their illustrative history. The book deals with different aspects of folklore and mythology: myths of the creation, tales of gods and their position and behavior, the mythical creatures and animals, folk tales of the divine land and many more. Well grounded in history and sociology, the author relates these folk tales, legends and myths of Gaelic, Brythonic and Gaulish people to each other and explores the influence of Christianity on their development through the ages. "The Religion of the Ancient Celts" is an exhaustive and comprehensive study of the Celtic religion. It provides insights into Celtic religious practices, and comparisons geographically as well as with more familiar Roman and Christian pantheons. The author offers numerous interpretations and overlaps regarding the mythological roles of gods and goddesses. The Celts interacted with many cultures over the years and adopted their gods and combined with theirs. Roman and Greek gods were adopted as were Vikings' and Christianity later.

Mysticism, Myth and Celtic Identity

Mysticism, Myth and Celtic Identity PDF

Author: Marion Gibson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 0415628687

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Mysticism, Myth and Celtic Identity explores how the mythical and mystical past informs national imaginations. Building on notions of invented tradition and myths of the nation, it looks at the power of narrative and fiction to shape identity, with particular reference to the British and Celtic contexts. The authors consider how aspects of the past are reinterpreted or reimagined in a variety of ways to give coherence to desired national groupings, or groups aspiring to nationhood and its 'defence'. The coverage is unusually broad in its historical sweep, dealing with work from prehistory to the contemporary, with a particular emphasis on the period from the eighteenth century to the present. The subject matter includes notions of ancient deities, Druids, Celticity, the archaeological remains of pagan religions, traditional folk tales, racial and religious myths and ethnic politics, and the different types of returns and hauntings that can recycle these ideas in culture. Innovative and interdisciplinary, the scholarship in Mysticism, Myth and Celtic Identity is mainly literary but also geographical and historical and draws on religious studies, politics and the social sciences. Thus the collection offers a stimulatingly broad number of new viewpoints on a matter of great topical relevance: national identity and the politicization of its myths.