Celtic Myths and Legends

Rating:
Summary: Helpful, interesting, but not great
Review: Another reviewer was also put off by Rolleston's insistence on establishing some sort of Aryan racial heritage for the Celts. In 1917 certainly he meant no harm, but in hindsight that kind of talk makes a modern reader shudder. Other than that, I found the book to be a useful, workmanlike overview of Celtic history and legendry. Most surprising and enlightening to me were the Invasion legend cycles and a chapter discussing the "megalith people" and the mysterious dolmens, henges, and barrows that dot the countryside. Nice also to see authentic Celtic and Cymric names in the text, and a pronunciation guide at the back of the book. The writing style is dry and elegant, like most scholarly works of that time period ... I've struggled through much duller material, so I did not find it difficult. I noticed however, that Rolleston has a tendency to change verb tenses between paragraphs while telling a story, which really distracted me every time it happened: "Finn went here, did this, was ready for battle," and then suddenly to present tense "Finn is standing alone looking across the river. He challenges whoever." Tense changes are jarring, and that's something they taught us NOT TO DO in elementary school. I'm surprised an academic writer in the early 20th century could get away with it. Where was his editor?
The tales in this book are told very briefly, with much of the interesting detail stripped away or skipped over ("here a long passage of curious adventures brings the characters to the gates of the dun...") Sometimes I got the feeling Rolleston was writing for an audience that was already familiar with the material he was presenting. Frequently names pop up with no explanation of who they are, leaving you to flip frantically back to see if you missed something.
Overall, this is a pleasant introduction to get you started on an exploration of Celtic lore. It'll whet the appetite of the merely curious but you will need to seek out other sources to flesh out the bare-bones version of the tales Rolleston presents here.

Rating:
Summary: Actually, 4 and a half stars
Review: Excellent, accurate and detailed work of research. The author has done his homework and reviewed many original sources to give us an awesome insight on the life of the celts and their mithology.

However i didn't give it 5 stars for some political reasons:

1) The author tries every once in a while to "prove" the arian lineage of the celts (it seems that his favorite image of the celts is one of tall, blonde people, when everybody knows that celts were in a rather wide range of height, hair and skin colors).

2) The author blames the druids for the decline in celtic civilization (he considers them more an anchor than the engine behind technological and geopolitical advancements).

3) His vision of the world is a Western vision, not a celtic vision. He speaks about the "menacing and horrifying world of supernatural and Nature" (i'm not sure if that's the correct phrase since i have the spanish translation), something that's opposed to the point of view within the legends.

However, if you can read the book "with a grain of salt", you'll find a treasure of knowledge, well balanced by the independent view of a great researcher.

Rating:
Summary: This surprised me twice
Review: I was looking for a book on the Arthurian legends and, when someone gave me a gift-card, I bought this book without examining the item-page very closely.

First (set of) suprise(s): Arthur and the associated legends do not get much attention in the book, and the author makes the case that the Arthurian legends, as we know them today, are mangled, bastardized, condensed (several legends blended into one), and not very Celtic or Cymric at all. Tolleston's book was originally printed in 1911 and revised in 1917, and is actually a scholarly treatise on the Celts and Welsh, their origins, their stories, and their culture. The first section deals with cultural issues like language, art, architecture, religion, and death rituals. The rest talks of their myths and legends, as they connect with known facts, other cultures, and the Celtic and Cymric (Welsh) cultures.

Second surprise: After realizing this book was not what I expected it to be, I thought I'd have trouble enjoying it. It turned out to be both enjoyable and informative. I learned many things about the Celts and the Cymri, but the writing style was not the dry academic style found in most scholarly works seen today. A prime example of this can be seen when the author cites another piece of work to back up a statement. Today, when such a citation is made, it would probably look like, "Doe (1997) reported that similar objects were found in Southern France." Tolleston's version would be, "In the informative and thoughtful work written by Mr. John Doe in 1897, the claim is made that similar objects were found in Southern France." Maybe that seems a bit flowery or dramatic, but it's better reading.

Overall, "Celtic Myths and Legends" is a well-written, interesting, and informative book on the culture and stories of the Celts and the Cymri.

Rating:
Summary: This surprised me twice
Review: I was looking for a book on the Arthurian legends and, when someone gave me a gift-card, I bought this book without examining the item-page very closely.

First (set of) suprise(s): Arthur and the associated legends do not get much attention in the book, and the author makes the case that the Arthurian legends, as we know them today, are mangled, bastardized, condensed (several legends blended into one), and not very Celtic or Cymric at all. Tolleston's book was originally printed in 1911 and revised in 1917, and is actually a scholarly treatise on the Celts and Welsh, their origins, their stories, and their culture. The first section deals with cultural issues like language, art, architecture, religion, and death rituals. The rest talks of their myths and legends, as they connect with known facts, other cultures, and the Celtic and Cymric (Welsh) cultures.

Second surprise: After realizing this book was not what I expected it to be, I thought I'd have trouble enjoying it. It turned out to be both enjoyable and informative. I learned many things about the Celts and the Cymri, but the writing style was not the dry academic style found in most scholarly works seen today. A prime example of this can be seen when the author cites another piece of work to back up a statement. Today, when such a citation is made, it would probably look like, "Doe (1997) reported that similar objects were found in Southern France." Tolleston's version would be, "In the informative and thoughtful work written by Mr. John Doe in 1897, the claim is made that similar objects were found in Southern France." Maybe that seems a bit flowery or dramatic, but it's better reading.

Overall, "Celtic Myths and Legends" is a well-written, interesting, and informative book on the culture and stories of the Celts and the Cymri.

Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand
Review: Rolleston's book was the first book I read that placed the Celtic myths in a context that could be understood through a timeline. Most scholarly books on this topic group the stories as subject, but this book placed them in 'chronological' order. I would highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: nothing very original, but a good collection of works
Review: The story style, written at the turn of the century will make it dull reading for some, but to people looking for the myths of the Celtics this is a good starting place. One of Dover Editions, it has 76 illustrations and woodcuttings helping support the stories. Now of the works are very original, no fresh look at the lore and its meaning, as I did with artist Carmon Deyo in the THREE FACES OF THE GODDESS, my essays and Carmon's paintings, which has won awards and approval for the new look at lore. But they are a basic foundation of tales and for someone looking to start learning about the Celtics lore and myths, it is a very good starting point. It covers the religion of the Celts, the cycle of the Irish Invasions, the Early Melesian Kings, The Ultorian Cycle, the Ossianic Cycle and the Fianna and the Isle of Women Warriors.

Highly recommended for those beginning the journey.

Rating:
Summary: nothing very original, but a good collection of works
Review: The story style, written at the turn of the century will make it dull reading for some, but to people looking for the myths of the Celtics this is a good starting place. One of Dover Editions, it has 76 illustrations and woodcuttings helping support the stories. Now of the works are very original, no fresh look at the lore and its meaning, as I did with artist Carmon Deyo in the THREE FACES OF THE GODDESS, my essays and Carmon's paintings, which has won awards and approval for the new look at lore. But they are a basic foundation of tales and for someone looking to start learning about the Celtics lore and myths, it is a very good starting point. It covers the religion of the Celts, the cycle of the Irish Invasions, the Early Melesian Kings, The Ultorian Cycle, the Ossianic Cycle and the Fianna and the Isle of Women Warriors.

Highly recommended for those beginning the journey.

Rating:
Summary: Good analysis but not good story telling.
Review: This book provides a good scholarly overview of the old Irish myths. However, if you are looking for a good book with which to learn the myths or to read to your children, this is not it. What it gains in analysis it loses in storytelling. A good book but only to a point.

Rating:
Summary: Essential Text for studying Celtic Culture
Review: This book, written about 1911 and reproduced many times, is an important historical and mostly complete view of the Celtic people, their culture, legends, religion, and relation to their influence on the development of western civilisation. However, this is not a book for light reading or for those with limited reading capability. It was written in the scholastic style, prevalant at the time. It is somewhat like a textbook, and was probably intended for collegiate or theological education. What makes this book important to anyone wishing to learn about the Celtic peoples, is the very accurate depiction of the myths and characters that comprise the Celtic pantheon. It not only depicts the mythology, but a very accurate depiction of the historical and cultural development of the Celts throughout Europe. It is well suited to individuals engaged in learning about pagan beliefs, or undergoing study of Celtic mystical belief systems for their spiritual development. Serious readers should not be inhibited from completion of this book, due to it's somewhat difficult and scholastic prose. If you want to learn all the necessary legends that influenced the development of modern Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and (partially) British culture, this book is an essential addition to your library. For more specific information on Celtic witchcraft, Druidic lifestyle, or current adaptations of Celtic paganism, more modern and specific texts would be needed for further study.

Rating:
Summary: Good book....hard to start...hard to put down
Review: This is a great book that gives insight into the Celtic myths and legends. At first it is a hard book to start reading. The first chapter or two are slow reads, but after that it gets a lot better. If you want to know about the Celt's and their myths its a great book.