Celtic Myth

Anyone who is familiar with the story of King Arthur and Merlin, or even those who have an interest in the ancient Druids will agree that Celtic mythology has its roots in adventure.  Tied in with adventure you will find magic, heroism and romance in bucket loads.  In fact it is these elements which make Celtic mythology so engaging and is what keeps us riveted as the stories unfold.

Ancient History
The Celts were once a powerful people, who dominated most of Europe, but with the invasion of Roman politics and later Christianity, the Celts were reduced to small groups.  Even so, they continued handing down their mythological stories, generation to generation.  It is with many thanks though that the reason these ancient stories have survived today is because Medieval monks from both Irish and Welsh descent began writing these oral stories down in the 1100AD. 

The Celtic dragon is a mythical creature that the Celts had great reverence for.

 


Many Celtic myths have their origin in Ireland and Wales, but there are some which include Scottish myths as well as those from Brittany and Cornwall.  However, it is the Welsh myths which are strongest, King Arthur for instance, but we have Brittany to thank for the myth Tristan and Isolde and have steadily and continually grown in popularity throughout Europe and Britain.  

‘Otherworld’ myths contain stories about Celtic Deities from Wales and Ireland as well as ancient Gaul and Britain.  According to these myths, fairy people lived in a place known as the ‘otherworld’, a place hidden from the eyes of mere mortals.  Irish ‘otherworlds’ refer to such places as an island or a palace while in Welsh mythology, ‘otherworlds’ are forts or castles.

The Warrior Society is another major Celtic myth and contains information on mythical Celtic heroes and heroines, rules of the land and other Celtic characters.  Celts tended to divide their people into what they called clans and classes.  Nobles, kings and chiefs were highest up in the social class and as such belonged to the Warrior Society.  The actual warriors themselves were followers of these aristocrats.  Other classes were druids and bards and because they were men of learning and education, they were highly esteemed.


Celtic cycles are those myths that are filled with adventure.  Irish mythology divides the history of Ireland into three periods, or cycles and can be found in three books dating as far back as 1100AD.  These are the Book of the Dun Cow, the Book of Leinster and the Yellow Book of Lecan.

The first cycle speaks of the settlement of very early Celtic people, especially Tuatha Dé Danann.    The second cycle is the Ulaid Cycle and it tells of Conchobor of Ulaid and Medb of Connacht and also tells of its greatest hero, that of Cú Chulainn.  

The third cycle is the Fenian Cycle, also known as the Ossianic Cycle and it is set in peaceful times during the reign of Cormac the Airt, the warriors of Fianna and Finn Mac Cumhail who has been hailed as the greatest mythological hero of all time.  All books in the cycle tell about the largest tale in Irish mythology, that of Táin Bó Cuailnge. 

The Welsh myths are based on oral tradition and contain what is considered the most important collection of works from the Mabinogion which is a collection of eleven stories.  They also include tales of Taliesin and some tales of King Arthur

The Welsh Mabinogion was a collection of eleven tales and includes some tales about Arthur.  The first four tales are known as the ‘Four Branches of Mabinogi’ which are also known as the ‘Cycle of Peredur’ even though Peredur plays only a small role in these myths.  If you include the tale of Taliesin, this collection increases to twelve tales.

The major theme running through Celtic myths are magic, magicians and the supernatural.  A common item told in any tale is that of the magic cauldron which was said to be the ‘cauldron of plenty’ which was never empty, supplied vast amounts of food while the ‘cauldron of rebirth’ on the other hand brought those who were slain in battle back to life.  Myrddin who was a magician in the Welsh myths became Merlin in the Arthurian legends.