Celtic Legends

• World Mysteries:  Stonehendge

• Ireland

  • The Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Cath Maige Tuired) This Irish saga, first written down in the ninth Century A.D. is an account of the epic battle between the mythical Tuatha De Danann and Fomoire for Ireland. It has deep roots in Indo-European mythology, told with Homeric grace and bawdy humor. There are many allusions to ancient pre-Christian Celtic traditions.

  • The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge) The Cattle-Raid of Cooley is the central epic of the Ulster cycle. It tells of the great Irish hero, Cuchulain of Ulster, and his battle against the forces of Queen Medb of Connaught.

  • The Destruction of Dá Derga's Hostel
    Translated by Whitely Stokes [1910]

  • Heroic Romances of Ireland (2 Vols.). by A. H. Leahy [1905-6]
    Includes the Courtship of Etain, the Boar of Mac Datho, the Sickbed of Cuchulain, and the five "Tains" or Cattle-Forays, including the bizarre Tain bo Regamna, The Apparition of The Great Queen to Cuchulain. This etext has been submitted to Project Gutenberg.

• Wales

  • The Mabinogion Lady Charlotte Guest, tr. [1849]
    The Mabinogion is a group of Welsh tales from the Red Book of Hergest, a 14th Century manuscript maintained at Jesus College, Oxford. The Mabinogion has two portions: the first, an arc of four stories ('Branches') of Welsh mythology, along with some additional myths set in Arthurian times (with a Welsh perspective).

  • British Goblins by Wirt Sikes
    Despite the title, this book is actually a study of Welsh fairy folklore.

  • The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas

• Celtic Anthologies and Collections
  

  • During the 19th and early 20th Century there was a resurgence of interest in the folklore of Ireland, Wales and Scotland. This was reflected in a huge amount of literature based on the rich Celtic mythopoetic heritage, most of it very faithful to the original material, some in a more modern voice.  Lady Augusta Gregory was a close collaborator with W.B. Yeats, the Irish poet and mystic. These three books are her retellings of Irish mythology and folklore, and are among the best of the genre.

  • Cuchulain of Muirthemne by Lady Gregory

  • Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Gregory

  • Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland by Lady Gregory

  • The Celtic Twilight by W.B. Yeats
    This short book of essays by Yeats is a must-read.

  • The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans Wentz
    This is a serious study of Fairy folklore and mythology, with an ethnographic approach. This was first book by Evans Wentz, who later went on to translate many of the books of Tibetean Buddhism.

  • Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

  • More Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

  • Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens

  • The Crock of Gold by James Stephens. This is a novel with Celtic themes.

  • Fairy Legends and Traditions by Thomas Crofton Croker

  • Myths and Folklore of Ireland by Jeremiah Curtain

  • Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race by Thomas Rolleston

• Celtic Text Links

  • For more great Celtic material check out Celtic Folklore [External Site]
    CELT, the Corpus of Electronic Texts, [External Site] is a scholarly and very comprehensive archive of Celtic texts