Download or read book The Religion of the Ancient Celts written by John Arnott MacCulloch and published by . This book was released on 1911 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Buddhism and Ireland written by Laurence Cox and published by Equinox Publishing (UK). This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ireland and Buddhism have a long history. Shaped by colonialism, contested borders, religious wars, empire and massive diasporas, Irish people have encountered Asian Buddhism in many ways over fourteen centuries. From the thrill of travellers' tales in far-off lands to a religious alternative to Christianity, from the potential of anti-colonial solidarity to fears of 'going native', and from recent immigration to the secular spread of Buddhist meditation, Buddhism has meant many different things to people in Ireland. Knowledge of Buddhist Asia reached Ireland by the seventh century, with the first personal contact in the fourteenth - a tale remembered for five hundred years. The first Irish Buddhists appeared in the political and cultural crisis of the nineteenth century, in Dublin and the rural West, but also in Burma and Japan. Over the next hundred years, Buddhism competed with esoteric movements to become the alternative to mainstream religion. Since the 1960s, Buddhism has exploded to become Ireland's third-largest religion. Buddhism and Ireland is the first history of its subject, a rich and exciting story of extraordinary individuals and the journey of ideas across Europe and Asia.
Download or read book In Search of Ancient Ireland written by Carmel McCaffrey and published by Ivan R. Dee. This book was released on 2003-06-11 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C., when nomadic hunter-gatherers appeared in Ireland at the end of the last Ice Age to 1167 A.D., when a Norman invasion brought the country under control of the English crown for the first time. So much of what people today accept as ancient Irish history—Celtic invaders from Europe turning Ireland into a Celtic nation; St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland and converting its people to Christianity—is myth and legend with little basis in reality. The truth is more interesting. The Irish, as the authors show, are not even Celtic in an archaeological sense. And there were plenty of bishops in Ireland before a British missionary called Patrick arrived. But In Search of Ancient Ireland is not simply the story of events from long ago. Across Ireland today are festivals, places, and folk customs that provide a tangible link to events thousands of years past. The authors visit and describe many of these places and festivals, talking to a wide variety of historians, scholars, poets, and storytellers in the very settings where history happened. Thus the book is also a journey on the ground to uncover ten thousand years of Irish identity. In Search of Ancient Ireland is the official companion to the three-part PBS documentary series. With 14 black-and-white photos, 6 b&w illustrations, and 1 map.
Download or read book The Druids written by Paul Lonigan and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1996-06-24 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive study of the Druids offers a fresh look at the enigmatic and often controversial question of the role of these priests in Celtic society. The religion of Druidism is examined as an inheritance of Indo-European tradition, with intriguing analogies made between Irish and Roman cultic practices. The author identifies the functions of the ancient priests, providing an inventory of their duties and services. Druids are also defined in terms of their connections with other branches of Eurasian mysticism. This study will be of particular interest to scholars of Irish culture, Celtic culture, and comparative religion.
Download or read book Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture written by Bernhard Maier and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 1997 with total page 718 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Celtic Mythology written by Philip Freeman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most people have heard of the Celts--the elusive, ancient tribal people who resided in present-day England, Ireland, Scotland and France. Paradoxically characterized as both barbaric and innocent, the Celts appeal to the modern world as a symbol of a bygone era, a world destroyed by the ambition of empire and the spread of Christianity throughout Western Europe. Despite the pervasive cultural and literary influence of the Celts, shockingly little is known of their way of life and beliefs, because very few records of their stories exist. In this book, for the first time, Philip Freeman brings together the best stories of Celtic mythology. Everyone today knows about the gods and heroes of the ancient Greeks, such as Zeus, Hera, and Hercules, but how many people have heard of the Gaulish god Lugus or the magical Welsh queen Rhiannon or the great Irish warrior Cú Chulainn? We still thrill to the story of the Trojan War, but the epic battles of the Irish Táin Bó Cuailgne are known only to a few. And yet those who have read the stories of Celtic myth and legend-among them writers like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis-have been deeply moved and influenced by these amazing tales, for there is nothing in the world quite like them. In these stories a mysterious and invisible realm of gods and spirits exists alongside and sometimes crosses over into our own human world; fierce women warriors battle with kings and heroes, and even the rules of time and space can be suspended. Captured in vivid prose these shadowy figures-gods, goddesses, and heroes-come to life for the modern reader.
Download or read book The Fairy faith in Celtic Countries written by Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 1911 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, which is first of all a folk-lore study, we pursue principally an anthropo-psychological method of interpreting the Celtic belief in fairies, though we do not hesitate now and then to call in the aid of philology; and we make good use of the evidence offered by mythologies, religions, metaphysics, and physical sciences.
Download or read book The Ancient Celts Second Edition written by Barry Cunliffe and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-14 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fierce warriors and skilled craftsmen, the Celts were famous throughout the Ancient Mediterranean World. They were the archetypal barbarians from the north and were feared by both Greeks and Romans. For two and a half thousand years they have continued to fascinate those who have come into contact with them, yet their origins have remained a mystery and even today are the subject of heated debate among historians and archaeologists. Barry Cunliffe's classic study of the ancient Celtic world was first published in 1997. Since then huge advances have taken place in our knowledge: new finds, new ways of using DNA records to understand Celtic origins, new ideas about the proto-urban nature of early chieftains' strongholds, All these developments are part of this fully updated , and completely redesigned edition. Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of these bold warriors and skilled craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in both the Greeks and the Romans. He investigates the texts of the classical writers and contrasts their view of the Celts with current archaeological findings. Tracing the emergence of chiefdoms and the fifth- to third-century migrations as far as Bosnia and the Czech Republic, he assesses the disparity between the traditional story and the most recent historical and archaeological evidence on the Celts. Other aspects of Celtic identity such as the cultural diversity of the tribes, their social and religious systems, art, language and law, are also examined. From the picture that emerges, we are — crucially — able to distinguish between the original Celts, and those tribes which were 'Celtized', giving us an invaluable insight into the true identity of this ancient people.
Download or read book The Sacred Isle written by Dáithí Ó hÓgáin and published by Boydell & Brewer Ltd. This book was released on 1999 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient monuments, legends and folklore interpreted to illuminate the realities of prehistoric Irish belief. The myths and legends of prehistoric Ireland have inspired writers through the ages, down to W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney in our own century, but what do we know of the realities of ancient Irish belief? Daithi O hOgain's book approaches the question by studying archaeological remains such as tumuli, stone henges and circular enclosures and analysing the rich materials that have been handed down both in the great cycles of Irish heroic tales and the humblebut significant survivals of modern folklore, for instance the traditions associated with wells and springs. Drawing evidence from these varied sources, he arrives at a balanced picture of a society and its beliefs which have alltoo often been the subject of conjecture and fancy. CONTENTS Pre-Celtic Cultures . Basic Tenets in the Iron Age . The Druids and their Practices . The Teachings of the Druids . The Society of the Gods . The Rites of Sovereignty . The Triumph of Christianity. DAITHI O HOGAIN was Professor of Folklore at University College Dublin.
Download or read book Celtic Christian Spirituality written by and published by SkyLight Paths Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Celtic Christians beheld the world around them and perceived the divine life of God as upholding every aspect of the material universe. Their prayers and poems, their liturgies and theological interpretations give Christians a sense of faith that is confident in a merciful and infinitely creative, healing God.
Download or read book Grave Mercy written by Robin LaFevers and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2012 with total page 565 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.
Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore written by Patricia Monaghan and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents an illustrated A to Z reference containing over 1,000 entries providing information on Celtic myths, fables and legends from Ireland, Scotland, Celtic Britain, Wales, Brittany, central France, and Galicia.
Download or read book Pagan Portals Irish Paganism written by Morgan Daimler and published by John Hunt Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-30 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irish Reconstructionist Polytheism is an often misunderstood path, but it is one with great richness and depth for those who follow it. This short introductory book touches on the basic beliefs and practices of Irish Polytheism as well as other important topics for people interested in practicing the religion using a Reconstructionist methodology or who would just like to know more about it. Explore the cosmology of the ancient Irish and learn how the old mythology and living culture show us the Gods and spirits of Ireland and how to connect to them. Ritual structure is explored, as well as daily practices and holidays, to create a path that brings the old beliefs forward into the modern world.
Download or read book The Celts written by Dáithí Ó hÓgáin and published by Boydell Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The influence of the Celts is far more widespread than its fragmented survival in the outer fringes of western Europe indicates; this once important culture is still a vital component of European civilisation and heritage, from east to west. In tracing the course of the history of the Celts, O. hOgain shows how far-reaching their influence has been."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Celtic Myth and Religion written by Sharon Paice MacLeod and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-11-08 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive overview of Celtic mythology and religion, encompassing numerous aspects of ritual and belief. Topics include the presence of the Celtic Otherworld and its inhabitants, cosmology and sacred cycles, wisdom texts, mythological symbolism, folklore and legends, and an appreciation of the natural world. Evidence is drawn from the archaeology of sacred sites, ethnographic accounts of the ancient Celts and their beliefs, medieval manuscripts, poetic and visionary literature, and early modern accounts of folk healers and seers. New translations of poems, prayers, inscriptions and songs from the early period (Gaulish, Old Irish and Middle Welsh) as well as the folklore tradition (Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Breton and Manx) complement the text. Information of this kind has never before been collected as a compendium of the indigenous wisdom of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose traditions have endured in various forms for almost three thousand years.
Download or read book The Wisdom of the Celts written by Dr. Patrica King and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The literature, history, and thoughts of an ancient and great people THE WISDOM OF THE CELTS Proud, spiritual, artistic, scholarly—the ancient Celts were people ahead of their time, and the Celtic world, which stretched from the British Isles to Gallatia, was one of the most highly advanced in history. The Celts were the first people in Northern Europe to use and work with iron, and their art remains glorious. Theirs was a truly democratic and progressive society in which scholarship was held in the highest regard, sexuality was free and open, and women were fierce warriors. This absorbing, comprehensive guide brings to life one of history’s most progressive, vibrant societies and explores the Celts’ far-reaching impact on Western culture. Using a variety of authentic sources—ancient Celtic texts, folklore, legends, and literature from Ireland, Scotland, France, and Wales— The Wisdom of the Celts details the Celtic world from its expansion and decline to its modern revival, revealing a wealth of wisdom on all areas of life, including war, the Otherworld, King Arthur, nature, sexuality, freedom, spirituality, animals, the role of women, family, and beauty. A glorious and learned look at a remarkable civilization, this is a fascinating introduction to a people whose wisdom is more relevant today than ever.
Download or read book Celtic Fire written by Joy Nash and published by Montlake Romance. This book was released on 2013-06-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When a Roman commander travels through Britannia to investigate a haunting vision, an ambush by hostile Celts leaves him with an unexpected prize--a beautifully enchanting witch.
