Women in Celtic Myth: Tales of Extraordinary Women from the Ancient Celtic Tradition

by Anthea Toorchen (Illustrator), Moyra Caldecott

In Celtic myth, the mixture of wise spiritual teaching and dramatic imagery creates new, potent, and disturbing visions. This selection of eleven storiessome more than 3,000 years old focuses on the women of ancient British mythology, from the formidable women warriors who trained heros to fight and kill to the beautiful companions who led them to higher realms of feminine intuition and spiritual wisdom. Caldecott goes beyond a mere recounting of female strength, providing lucid personal commentary that illuminates the complete myth and the culture from which it springs. These powerful stories transmit a recognition of the mystery of being and an understanding of the powerful magic of inner transformation.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Feminism, Historical, Reference, History, Paganism

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Deirdre]

Moyra Caldecott takes the legends and myths of Ireland, Wales and Scotland and tells some fo the stories of women from these myths, retelling the stories in her own words and then talking about some of the meanings and roots of the stories and what she can see behind the story.

It's an interesting read, if only for the stories, the interpretation is also quite interesting and does look at the myths and talk about their universality and how they would be a teaching tool.

[Sarah]

I enjoyed reading the myths themselves, but I did not enjoy the author's commentary. It tried too hard to be spiritual and made frequent biblical allusions that I found frustrating. Also, I was ultimately not convinced by the author's assertions that Celtic women were unusually equal in their societies. While the myths showed that the Celts had great respect for women and feminine ideas, that does not go so far as to indicate equality.

[Hayley Gooding]

★★★★★

After finishing Hekate and falling even further down my mythology rabbit hole, I picked up Women in Celtic Myth, and honestly, this was a five-star read for me.

As someone who enjoys mythology, folklore, history, and stories about women, this book felt like it had been written specifically for my interests. Moira Caldecott's selection of stories was excellent, and what really elevated this beyond a simple collection of myths was the commentary that accompanied each tale. I loved reading her interpretations, her observations, and the way she contextualised the stories and the women within them.

What stood out to me most about the women in Celtic mythology was how multifaceted they were allowed to be. They are mothers, warriors, queens, lovers, healers, tricksters, and survivors. While many of the stories still reflect the realities of historical societies, where women could be used to secure alliances or marriages, they are rarely reduced solely to their physical appearance or their relationships with men. There was something incredibly refreshing about reading stories in which women were allowed to be powerful, flawed, wise, dangerous, compassionate, and complex all at once.

I also found it fascinating that qualities which are often portrayed negatively elsewhere, such as seduction, ambition, or fierce independence, were not always treated as moral failings. Instead, the stories presented a broad and nuanced view of womanhood, and I found that incredibly compelling.

Beyond that, I simply loved the stories themselves. There is a wonderful fairy tale quality to many of them, alongside moral lessons, tragedy, magic, and folklore. The retellings were engaging and accessible, and I found myself looking forward to both the stories and Caldecott's reflections on them.

This was a genuinely enjoyable and fascinating read, and one that has definitely encouraged me to explore even more Celtic mythology in the future.

[Jennifer James]

Excellent book, very engaging and entertaining. Retells tales of strong women such as Rhiannon and Deirdre from Welsh and Irish mythology. One story, that of Findabair, I have not seen fleshed out as much anywhere else.

[Georgene]

A collection of Celtic myths mostly from Ireland plus a couple from Scotland. Each story is told, then is explained. The stories are well written, as are the explanations that follow. Well worth reading.

[Deirdre]

A wonderful collection of Celtic myths about strong women who defined their Culture. From the Tuatha, to the tragic Deirdre, this book has many mythical beings to read and learn from.

[C.D. Gorri]

Very cool book for the mythology addict to add to his/her collection. I enjoyed tales and the insights afterward. Thanks

[Michelle | michelledevoursbooks]

This was my first foray into reading mythology in a nonfiction sense (i.e. not YA fae and fairy stories) since high school. I would highly recommend starting with a book like Caldecott's "Women in Celtic Myth" if you're being introduced to a new mythological world and history. Stories and commentary are blended together to provide the backdrop for tales of magic and heroism, but also glimpse the story's depths through cultural history and Celtic symbolism.

The role of women in Celtic myth is varied and diverse. Each extraordinary woman in each of the tales Caldecott presents has a personality, desires, and destiny all her own. Some are fair maidens, some are warriors, some are tricksters, and they all have varying depths of character and personal journeys that I truly appreciated.

My favorite was Emer and the story of her love and the loves of Cuchulain. Right from the beginning, Emer is a headstrong and formidable woman. Her love, loyalty, and intuition grow and evolve and it's a beautiful, if not tragic, story (like most to the myths). Emer is also my favorite exemplification of the "woman's intuition" that is pervasive in these myths. Intuition allows them to see through magical illusion. This running theme and the theme of men ignoring their intuition, was unique and entertaining. There are a frustrating number of times a woman should have said "I told you so" in this anthology.

As with most mythological histories, I struggled to keep the names of people and places and their relationships to each other straight. A reference, guide, and/or map would have been helpful and could have provided more clarity and an easier read.

Overall, this was a wonderful introduction to Celtic mythology and truly showed the appreciation of women and their many roles in this society. The commentary by Caldecott provided an additional dimension to the anthology that gave the history and tales further depth. I believe the lessons in this book can be applied to further readings on Celtic myths and histories.

[Clara Mazzi]

Un libro scadente per la grave impreparazione dell’autrice che vuole rivestire i panni della narratrice nonché della critica delle figure mitologiche senza averne le competenze. A dispetto di una limitata ricerca di fonti autorevoli (e che per altro lo sono, come il grande Rolleston, il maggior studioso e storico di miti celtici) che lei sfrutta (e che correttamente cita) per le sue versione dei racconti ma che avrebbero dovuto segnarle la via, la Caldecott maneggia i fatti da loro riportati, modificandoli “ad istinto” convinta, come la stragrande maggioranza delle persone non preparate, che i miti celtici, così misteriosi, vadano interpretati e narrati appunto “ad istinto”, seguendo un proprio percorso personale. In parte può anche essere così, ma va detto e segnalato che esistono fior di studi accademici (una facoltà importante si trova alla Sorbona, per esempio) che analizzano la struttura di questi miti e l’interpretazione dei suoi protagonisti, che pertanto non possono essere modificate a piacere perché in tal modo si stravolge il senso del mito. L’autrice non solo non si fa scrupoli in questo senso, ma non è in grado di distinguere l’importante differenza che corre tra un mito e una favola (come le ultime due che ha inserito) e che quindi, erroneamente, interpreta allo stesso modo, né è in grado di estrapolare la parte mitologica di questi due racconti e di analizzarli conseguentemente (non si è accorta che uno dei due racconti finali non è che la versione favolistica del celebre mito di Amore e Psiche che è stato poi adattato alle fiabe col filone dello sposo-animale).
Anche se nel complesso è gradevole, per chi se ne intende è un po’ una delusione.

[Sam]

This is an insightful and enjoyable collection of Celtic stories where women are not only at the forefront of the story but are also shown to be independent, strong and more than capable of running their own lives and making their own decisions. Each tale shows a different character ranging from warriors and queens to farmers and homemakers, all of whom take the lead and show themselves to be decisive and determined. Caldecott also provides her own interpretations for each of the stories which allow the reader to think about the deeper meaning behind each one as well as enjoying each as a story in its own right.

[Genie]

Great collection of Celtic myths featuring women as the main characters. My favorite part was the commentary at the end of each story, explaining the symbolism and some of the history of each.

[Gronk]

The stories are captivating, the commentary much less so. But the stories...

[Alayne]

A volume of stories from Celtic myth featuring strong women, with a commentary at the end of each one. Enjoyable.

[Anna-lee]

This is a nice introduction to Celtic Mythology. The author did a good job selecting tales that built upon one another. Each consecutive myth introducing characters that popped up later. The names are so rich and diverse it can feel like you are in a tossed salad searching for a splinter of dried rosemary. It is worth it in the end when the names become familiar and the stories integrated.
I found the analysis and application of the myths to be shallow and short winded. Not so much as to be rejected though. I will not seek out this author in future reads about Celts and their feminine glory, but I will be looking for more Celtic mythology.

[Michelle Hansen]

This book was not what I was expecting. I wanted to learn about actual women of Celtic histroy, this book is merely a book of fairytales.

[Nicky]

The retellings are engaging but her commentary is lacking. Some insightful comments, some were just opinions that didn't need stating.

[Diana]

lovely interpretations and view points on Classic Celtic Myths, from the female leads point,

[Sara]

Loved it!

[Alisa Books and Sequins]

The tales were exciting and suspenseful and as I haven't read much mythology I really appreciated the commentary after each one. Loved that they were all centered around women too.

[Andrine Morse]

This is one every Gaedhil child should be given to read. The Author's insightful commentary at the end of each myth sheds light on our archetypes. Great read.