Fiction Reviews
Celtic Myths and Legends
(2025) introduction by Juliette Wood (series editor J. K. Jackson),
Flame Tree Press, £10.99 / Can$19.99 / US$14.99,
415pp, hrdbk, ISBN 978-1-835-62278-0
The mythic invasions of Ireland, the mystical kingdoms, warriors, giants, creatures of the underworld and magic, these are the fantastic ingredients of Celtic legend. Because they told their own stories in the ancient way, by word of mouth, we understand the traditions of these proud people through the records of their mortal enemies, the Romans, but still they thrive, so bright and strong today. In these pages you’ll find stories of giants, ancient spells, ghosts and fairies, of sea-folk and tree-folk. All the main legends of the Irish invasions, the Ulster cycle and the Fenian cycle sit alongside the tales of the Mabinogion and the secret stories of Scottish folk and fairy tales. From the Tragedy of the Children of Lir to the Coming of Finn mac Cumail, The Fiddler of Gord to The Fox, the Wolf and the Butter you’ll discover an enchanting world from the past that connects to the landscapes and traditions of today.
Another fine-looking, if crinkly, book from Flame Tree Publishing. It looks the part with a pretty dazzling cover of blues and greens and reds and yellows, no wonder they call it a “collector’s edition” for indeed that’s what the cover says: “Collector’s Edition”, then Tales of Heroes, Gods and Monsters and then Celtic Myths and Legends, before, finally, we get some credits, namely to tell us that it contains “A New Introduction by Dr. Juliette Wood” and that the general editor for the series is J. K. Jackson. All of this is packed into a little hardback that comes in at a size a bit smaller than an old-school paperback.
Proceedings start with a contents list, and the Jake Jackson’s 'series foreword' which I would imagine is reprinted in all the other Flame Tree books in the series covering myths and legends from cultures such as Norse, Indian, Japanese, Native American and Persian, among others.
If you don’t know anything about the Celts, then Dr. Juliette Wood’s introduction explains more or less everything from their origin, Celtic society, deities and religion, the role of the Druids, Arthurian legends, and themes within Celtic stories around giants and monsters, supernatural beings, quests and the underworld.
The Celtic tales which follow are divided into different categories, starting with various 'Cycles' – The Invasion Cycle, The Ulster Cycle, and The Fenian Cycle; these are then followed by 'Legends', the first of which is about Witchcraft and switches the tales from Ireland to Scotland looking at creatures and rituals, mainly on Scottish islands. 'Legends of Giants' comes after that, which are more fairy-tale like in their telling.
I have to confess about not knowing that much about Celtic myths and legends, and probably due to reading Thor comics way back, when they used to include comic book versions of Norse legends, and also by a strange sort of osmosis by watching programmes like American Gods, I seem to have absorbed more knowledge about Norse mythology than Celtic mythology. However, even I am familiar with some of the stories in the section 'Legends of Fairies and Sea-folk' which as you would expect includes tale of seal-wives and changelings. We return to Scotland for 'Legends of Ghosts' and in 'Origin and Didactic Legends' we get a variety of creation stories, but also stories of destruction, childbirth and mistaken identity. The final legends are those for telling children, and in the four stories presented here we have a mixture of wicked step-mothers, curses, Brownies, and in the final story called 'Fair, Brown and Trembling', which are the names of the King’s daughters, we get a story very much like Cinderella.
Lastly, there is an A to Z 70-page glossary of myth and folklore ranging from Aaru, the Heavenly paradise where the blessed go after death; all the way to Zukin, which is the name of a head covering.
It is hard to criticise straight tellings of old myths and legends and folktales, but for anyone interested in the myths and legends of the Celts, this fine-looking book is a good starting point.
Ian Hunter
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