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An Irish Precursor of Dante; A Study on the Vision of Heaven and Hell Ascribed to the Eighth-Century Irish Saint Adamnan, with Translation of the Irish Text
A geen cloth hardback with gilt title and "Grimm Library" in gilt on bottom of spine. will match others in this series. However, this is a used looking ex-library copy with ex-library markings. Red and black letter title-page. An original 1908 production.
Hardcover
First published December 31, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 25, 2023
I read this 20 years ago so I don't really recall it. It's on Project Gutenberg so maybe I'll reread it some day.
An angel takes Adomnán's soul to Heaven and Hell. (All souls must pass through Heaven and Hell, per this text.)
1st, the land of the saints, beautiful weather and music. They're totally content singing to God, who is manifest. There is a throne, birds, diadem, circles of horses and birds. 7 walls of crystal, choir rail of silver, candles.
"Restless souls" fire and ice, smiting and noise [like Purgatory?]. They wait for Judgement. The doors are guarded.
A spring that cleanses the righteous and scalds sinners, ditto a furnace with fiery steam.
12 dragons lead to the Devil, "consumation of all evil."
Adomnán's gets to Hell. Hell #1, no punishment, but 8 serpents eat the dead.
Etc descriptions of various levels of Hell and punishments, unlike Dante not that interesting to read.
An angel takes Adomnán's soul back to Heaven, despite his wish to tarry.
An angel takes Adomnán's soul to Heaven and Hell. (All souls must pass through Heaven and Hell, per this text.)
1st, the land of the saints, beautiful weather and music. They're totally content singing to God, who is manifest. There is a throne, birds, diadem, circles of horses and birds. 7 walls of crystal, choir rail of silver, candles.
"Restless souls" fire and ice, smiting and noise [like Purgatory?]. They wait for Judgement. The doors are guarded.
A spring that cleanses the righteous and scalds sinners, ditto a furnace with fiery steam.
12 dragons lead to the Devil, "consumation of all evil."
Adomnán's gets to Hell. Hell #1, no punishment, but 8 serpents eat the dead.
Etc descriptions of various levels of Hell and punishments, unlike Dante not that interesting to read.
An angel takes Adomnán's soul back to Heaven, despite his wish to tarry.
July 24, 2011
Kindled for free. Actually quite a good book, with lots of interesting little notes. Boswell really knows his subject, presumes no prior-knowledge and has an engaging writing style. Boswell’s book goes through irish vision genre, first suggesting where its influences come from (other vision lit from the bible onwards, classical sources) then suggests common themes in irish lit ... the evolution of it from cockayne to sacred saint lit. themes include the fate of the variegated souls (good but not godly) also of rievers and kinslayers. what god looks like, the bridge episode, birds as souls instead of single phoenix or karshipta, and the presence of the piast. Three quotations:
Boswell tells it like it is:
"The various topics into which this examination has compelled the writer to enter—Dante literature, Celtic tradition, folklore, mythology — are all favourite subjects with that type of theorist who is wont to accompany a small modicum of the bread of fact with an intolerable deal of the sack of hypothesis"
An interesting note to add to the old bird-souls theory (probably annoyingly first propounded by Frazer).
"The human souls in the form of birds are a variant of a belief of world-wide extent. In Lithuania and the neighbouring countries the belief still exists, or existed lately, that the souls of dead children return as birds. Nearer to the present instance is the Mohammedan belief that the martyrs for Islam feast on the fruits of Paradise in the shape of beautiful green birds."
Apparently even academics are allowed to mix in occasional words from other languages:
"she would make him whole, and give him gold and silver and wine go leor… the piece concludes with the return of all to their premiers amours."
Boswell tells it like it is:
"The various topics into which this examination has compelled the writer to enter—Dante literature, Celtic tradition, folklore, mythology — are all favourite subjects with that type of theorist who is wont to accompany a small modicum of the bread of fact with an intolerable deal of the sack of hypothesis"
An interesting note to add to the old bird-souls theory (probably annoyingly first propounded by Frazer).
"The human souls in the form of birds are a variant of a belief of world-wide extent. In Lithuania and the neighbouring countries the belief still exists, or existed lately, that the souls of dead children return as birds. Nearer to the present instance is the Mohammedan belief that the martyrs for Islam feast on the fruits of Paradise in the shape of beautiful green birds."
Apparently even academics are allowed to mix in occasional words from other languages:
"she would make him whole, and give him gold and silver and wine go leor… the piece concludes with the return of all to their premiers amours."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews