Irish Myths and Legends: Ancient Legends of Gods, Goddesses and Otherworldly Folk

by Jane Wilde

This captivating collection brings together some of the greatest retellings of Irish stories that have survived generations.

From the fearsome giant Fin MacCool and the mighty warrior Cuchulain to magical fairies and mythical creatures, the stories in this book will enthral and entertain. The tales included have been penned by some of the greatest writers on Irish folklore and legend, ranging from Lady Wilde, Jeremiah Curtin, Joseph Jacobs and James Stephens. Filled with stirring adventures, heroic deeds and enchanting beings, this volume of Irish myths and legends celebrates the tradition of storytelling so treasured by the people of the Emerald Isle.

Written in accessible style, for everyone to enjoy, this gift edition with gold foil accents, stencilled page edges and beautifully illustrated endpapers will be a welcome gift for anyone interested in Irish mythology.

Genres: Mythology, Classics

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 26, 2024

Reviews

[Sophie D Zine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has an absolutely gorgeous design, and that's what's bumping up the score by a half star. Otherwise it's an underwhelming selection of about twenty stories pulled from collections published sometime in late 19th-early 20th century - and I'm guessing this, because the book does not have any information either about its sources or the people who wrote the stories (besides mentioning two books in the introduction). I can only guess at the publication history by checking the names on Wikipedia and reading up the birth and death dates, since the original collections are not sourced.

As for the stories themselves, if anyone expects something like a nicely written collection of Irish myths (like the book that Gaiman wrote about Norse mythology) they'll be sorely disappointed, it's a mish-mash of folk tales and myths that were modified by the authors for creative reasons (only explanation why one of them has two songs clearly to the tune of 'For he's a jolly good fellow') or to tie them to Christianity. The stories are picked without much consideration, too - I've read enough myths and folktales to know that within cultures stories (especially oral ones) repeat and remix across generations and certain tropes and structures are reused. What is pretty lazy, however, is taking stories with the *exact same structure* and put them in a collection one after another. *Twice*.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

My edition looks just like the one pictured, but the copyright is held by Arcturus Holdings Ltd. There is no author or editor named on the title page, and the brief introduction is not signed. This is a compilation of 17 myths, legends or folktales, by six different writers: Joseph Jacobs, Patrick Kennedy, Lady Wilde, Lady Gregory, Jeremiah Curtin, and James Stephens.
I enjoyed the stories, some of which I'd read elsewhere, and some of which were new to me. They ran the gamut of folktales about leprechauns, and stories of enchantments and curses, to mythic tales of the heroes of Ireland. "Fair, Brown and Trembling" was an Irish Cinderella story, a story that seems to exist all over the world. Wicked stepmothers try to kill, or at least curse, their stepchildren. Women are handed around like parcels. There was so much fighting and killing, feuds, betrayals and vendettas, it got hard to take after a while.
I liked the last three stories, all by James Stephens, the best. They were longer than the others, and had more depth and thoughtfulness, and, in "Mongan's Frenzy," more humor. The image of the King of Ulster and his men treed by a herd of venomous sheep is going to keep me chuckling for a while.

[Alysanne Targaryen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are interesting and it's a decent primer and all, but I wrote this review mainly to warn people about Lady Gregory's stories. Twice I caught a racial connotation in the one about the children of Lir ( one bragging about men of " one color," and the other talking about men of a " good color").

A quick Google search told me that this woman absolutely hated blacks, and I try to remind myself that I'm gonna come across this crap occasionally, like the Grimms' anti-semitism. Warning people because we don't need any more people being groomed into white supremacy via folklore alongside anime/ganes/etc. * lol * There was never the right "time"for this, and it was never acceptable.

[Amanda Medernach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just not my kind of book. I gave it 3 stars so that I do not help or hurt the overall ratings. I tried multiple times over a week to read this book but just could not get through it.

[Paige Maddy]

I really enjoyed learning more about Irish folklore! Some of the stories were riveting and others were confusing and it seems without any real point to the story? Lol

[Mimsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enjoyable collection of legends

[Sisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Очаквах повече. Някои бяха интересни, но повечето странни и без много смисъл.

[Darkbrume · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[R.L. Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with a stunning cover and filled with a large selection of mythological Irish stories. While the book is beautiful, the quality of the stories lets it down.