I Read Books: Celtic Myths and Legends
This is a collection of stories from the six Celtic language traditions; Irish, Scottish, Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton. They vary quite a bit in scope. Some are epic tales of ancient heroes, some are much more classic folk and fairy tales in which a humble (or humble-appearing) hero bests an evil wizard by following the instructions of random talking animals they come across.
(If I have learned anything from folktales it is that if a talking animal gives you advice, you should probably take it, and at the very least give it serious consideration. This post sponsored by the Talking Animal Workers’ Alliance.)
A favourite of this blog is the Quest for Olwen which takes the impossible task to marry the daughter to new depths. Tragic ones in fact; based on this tale I would assume the reason King Arthur failed is that too many of his best knights were killed trying to get his cousin Culhwch a bride.
There’s no attempt to systemise or combine the different stories particularly, and most of them are localised in some way. This is probably for the best; better to present them as recorded than make them fit a scheme. Having said that, Ellis has often combined more than one version and smoothed the rough story edges in some cases. That makes for a smoother reading experience.
Read This: For a good selection of Celtic myths, some more legendary than others.
Don’t Read This: If all this talk of legendary heroes and weird places under the sea or under the hills turns you off.
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