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Author Topic: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?  (Read 6751 times)

Siannan

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What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« on: September 12, 2011, 11:33:39 pm »
So I recently decided that the Celtic pantheon is the one that is calling to me, after going back and forth between Celtic and Greek.   Part of it may be that I am Irish, Scottish and Welsh, and part of it is that i keep seeing Brigid everywhere.  I read through the old forum and the book list on the home page. There were a lot of books listed, so I wondered what a good starter book may be.  Thanks in advance!

Aster Breo

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2011, 02:53:12 am »
Quote from: Siannan;19517
I wondered what a good starter book may be.  

 
I know you mentioned seeing a book list on the other board -- were you talking about the list of resources specifically about Brighid or a bigger list?  I'm just asking so I know what you've already found.  

(For those playing along at home:  this is the thread on the old board that lists resources about Brighid.  We should probably move that over here sometime.)

And, at risk of just flinging another list at you, I'm going to fling another list at you. :p  The CR FAQ has a very good reading list, which includes recommendations for where to start.

Personally, if you're looking for a good, comprehensive book on Celtic mythology that is a relatively easy read, I'd recommend Celtic Mythology, by Proinsias MacCana.  I think this book is on every Celtic Recon reading list I've ever seen.  It has enough depth to give you a very good foundation, but isn't so dense as to be inaccessible to most readers.  Basically, it's a good starter that will prepare you well for those denser books. Plus, it has great photos.  :)

Also, I think it's fairly easy to find, and I know there are reasonably priced used copies available on Amazon and AbeBooks.  

Hope this helps!

~ Aster
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

Siannan

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2011, 07:50:31 pm »
Quote from: Aster Breo;19548
I know you mentioned seeing a book list on the other board -- were you talking about the list of resources specifically about Brighid or a bigger list?  I'm just asking so I know what you've already found.  

(For those playing along at home:  this is the thread on the old board that lists resources about Brighid.  We should probably move that over here sometime.)


I had just searched in the other forum for books on Celtic Mythology; there was a whole thread on them.  I didn't see the one for resouces on Brighid- I will definitely check that out!

Quote from: Aster Breo;19548
And, at risk of just flinging another list at you, I'm going to fling another list at you. :p  The CR FAQ has a very good reading list, which includes recommendations for where to start.


Thanks for flinging another list at me! :) Seriously, having a list of good books to read is always a good thing!

Quote from: Aster Breo;19548
Personally, if you're looking for a good, comprehensive book on Celtic mythology that is a relatively easy read, I'd recommend Celtic Mythology, by Proinsias MacCana.  I think this book is on every Celtic Recon reading list I've ever seen.  It has enough depth to give you a very good foundation, but isn't so dense as to be inaccessible to most readers.  Basically, it's a good starter that will prepare you well for those denser books. Plus, it has great photos.  :)

Hope this helps!

~ Aster


 This definitely helped!  Thanks for getting back to me so quickly and thoroughly! I was able to get the book by MacCana at the library today and am going to start reading it tonight.  Then I'll be checking out the books on Brighid.  Super excited!

LEEA

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2011, 11:03:34 am »
Quote from: Siannan;19744
I had just searched in the other forum for books on Celtic Mythology; there was a whole thread on them.  I didn't see the one for resouces on Brighid- I will definitely check that out!



Thanks for flinging another list at me! :) Seriously, having a list of good books to read is always a good thing!



 This definitely helped!  Thanks for getting back to me so quickly and thoroughly! I was able to get the book by MacCana at the library today and am going to start reading it tonight.  Then I'll be checking out the books on Brighid.  Super excited!

 
 The above book suggestion is great. I would also suggest getting ahold of The Mabigonian-one of the later transalations, not the Lady Gregory version..

Asch

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2011, 08:22:37 pm »
Quote from: LEEA;19923
The above book suggestion is great. I would also suggest getting ahold of The Mabigonian-one of the later transalations, not the Lady Gregory version..


Patrick K. Ford just released a thirty year anniversary of his translation.

Aster Breo

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2011, 04:19:31 am »
Quote from: LEEA;19923
I would also suggest getting ahold of The Mabigonian-one of the later transalations, not the Lady Gregory version..

 
That sort of depends on which specific culture you're interested in, since The Mabinogian is Welsh lore.  Of course, there are a lot of great reasons to be familiar with the lore of related cultures, so it's a good recommendation regardless of which culture you're interested in.  But maybe not the best read for someone just getting started.

And, something I should have mentioned in my earlier post, there is a good deal of Celtic mythology available for free on Sacred Texts, including The Mabinogian, although I think only one version.  It's a good place to start, though, as is Mary Jones, which apparently has several translations of The Mabinogian, along with numerous other texts from a variety of cultures.

~ Aster
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

Chatelaine

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2011, 06:43:48 am »
Quote from: Aster Breo;19548
(For those playing along at home:  this is the thread on the old board that lists resources about Brighid.  We should probably move that over here sometime.)

Hope this helps!


It certainly has helped me a huge deal! I've only managed to find four of the books on GoogleBooks (can't buy hard copies at the time), but my browser bookmark list has grown exponentially.
'You created us restless, O Lord, and we find no rest until we rest in You.'
~St Augustine~
Whole blog o' nonsense: Are We There Yet?

Aster Breo

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Re: What Celtic mythology book would you most recommend I read first?
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2011, 07:43:41 am »
Quote from: Chatelaine;20200
(can't buy hard copies at the time)

 
I know what you mean!  I've been collecting books on all things Celtic, especially anything with a substantive section on Brighid, for years.  My Celtic/Brighid/Pagan library is over 200 books now.  Almost all of them are used books from Amazon and AbeBooks.  I have a list and I make a habit of searching for my priorities every week or so.  I've managed to find a number of them for really low prices.  It takes persistence, though.  ;)
"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

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