The Bardic Source Book: Inspirational Legacy and Teachings of the Ancient Celts

by John Matthews (Editor)

The bards of the ancient Celtic world were visionaries and shamans, wise to the power of words, perceptive about otherworldly phenomena, and capable of opening doors to spiritual realms. Celebrate their legacy with this outstanding collection. These poems, stories and speeches come from throughout Britain: some, like the Merlinian Poems, focus on familiar and much-loved material. Others, equally magical, tell of kings and heroes; wild adventures; witty satirists, and powerful enchanters

Genres: Mythology, Poetry, Paganism

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

John Matthews is an historian, folklorist and author. He has been a full time writer since 1980 and has produced over ninety books on the Arthurian Legends and Grail Studies, as well as short stories and a volume of poetry. He has devoted much of the past thirty years to the study of Arthurian Traditions and myth in general. His best known and most widely read works are ‘Pirates’ (Carlton/Atheneum), No 1 children’s book on the New York Times Review best-seller list for 22 weeks in 2006, ‘The Grail, Quest for Eternal Life’ (Thames & Hudson, 1981) ‘The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom’ (Element, 1994) and ‘The Winter Solstice’ (Quest Books, 1999) which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for that year. His book ‘Celtic Warrior Chiefs’ was a New York Public Library recommended title for young people.

Reviews

[Flint Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a bad feeling about this book, just like with its companion volume. In a field and involving an era of which little is known, this book claims to be the source book of all things druidic. The writing, too, might seem authoritative, but not academic enough to be the product of a trained professional. So I followed my instincts. He does indeed have articles from leading scholars in the field in this and the companion edition - Daniel Corkery, Idrison, Osborn Bergin, Charlotte Guest, and Iolo Morgannwg - but they have one flaw. None wrote after 1920. In literature, such is not an issue, but the standards of writing and the demands placed on the source material have greatly increased since then, and especially since 1970. In academic circles, it is the rare scholar who is still citable from that period. To use entire articles from this period to promulgate a theory is the worst kind of scholarship. How could a person in this age think about writing of Celtic literature without making use of MacCana? How could K.H. Jackson only be used for his collection of Celtic writings? If you have any serious interest in the druids, don't read this book or believe any thing you find there. It is embarrassing that something this amateurish is allowed on the market.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A huge volume full of broad and deep scholarly papers on the history and practices of the Bards.