Celtic Legends: Heroes and Warriors, Myths and Monster

by Michael Kerrigan

From around 750BC to 12BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northern Europe. With the expansion of the Roman Empire and the later Christianization of these lands, they were pushed to the fringes of north-western Spain, France and the British Isles. But there the mythology of these peoples held strong.
The tales from Celtic myth were noted down and also absorbed into other cultures. From Roman and Christian scribes we know of characters like Morrigan the shape-shifting queen, who could change herself from a crow to a wolf, Cu Chulainn, who, mortally wounded in battle, tied himself with his own intestines to a rock so that he’d die standing up, and the Cauldron of Bran, which could restore life.
Other than being fascinating in their own right, Celtic legends are of interest for the influence they had over subsequent mythologies. The story of the Holy Grail first appears in medieval romances but its antecedents can be found in the Celtic tale, the Mabinogion.
Illustrated with more than 180 colour and black-and-white artworks and photographs and maps, Celtic Legends is an expertly written account of the mythological tales that both fascinate us and influence other writings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2016

About the author

Michael Kerrigan is a seasoned freelance writer and editor with over thirty years of experience across a wide spectrum of publishing work, from advertising and catalogue copy to book blurbs and specialist nonfiction. A prolific author, he has written around sixty full-length books on subjects ranging from ancient warfare and Slavic myth to modern architecture and the science of consciousness, all aimed at a general readership. He contributed a weekly Books in Brief column to The Scotsman for two decades and has reviewed extensively for the Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and Financial Times.

Reviews

[Stephen McQuiggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the origins of the Celts to the Tain Bo Cuilagne, to the Mabinogion to the Fenian Cycle, to Arthur and Camelot to the race theories of the Nazis - impressive scope for a great little book that also has a smattering of the most salient myths and some fantastic illustrations. A wonderful taster for anyone starting out on the dark Celtic path.

[Morgan Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I found that it was less storytelling and more the history behind the legends themselves. While it was still an interesting read and well put-together, I had hoped for more from it.

[Alyx · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly good read. I do wish that it had more myths in more detail and less rambling. Also I wish the names came with phonetic spellings so I could actually pronounce the names in my head.

[Lyden Orbase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each of the 6 chapters are long.
I'd say the author researched the topics well. There are beautiful illustrations or photos in every turn of the page.
I liked the book because i learned new legends and bits about Celtic history and tradition.
The language is easy to read, formal, no curse words or obscenities. There are themes about violence and sexuality but those are mildly discussed.
My only problem was the unpronounceable Irish and Celtic names.

[Katie Holem · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Aaron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even put into words how disappointed I am in this I give it a 0 out of 5 but I can't so it's a one, literally so uninteresting and badly written

[Miriam Cihodariu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as a gift and explored it almost like a bedtime story / skim, from time to time. Beautiful artwork and decently detailed exploration of the Celtic mythology, for an intro.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for all apart for those turning to this hoping to find an anthology of folk tales and suchlike, just as it would have been when first published in 2016. Starting with the history of the Celts we get to slowly peek at some of their mythology, before settling down with both a telling and a discussion alike of some of their more notable legends. We're constantly reminded we have to step back and not think of these as anything definitive, for the simple fact Celts never wrote anything, and this material is much more likely to be somewhat Christianised.

And almost by the end, with exiled swans, a salmon of all knowledge, and far too much death and destruction because of a pair of bulls, we have had things that could possibly be extracted out of this that stand as just the traditional narratives. But this remains a book showing us what we know of them, and not their latest retelling, and it's done very well. Highly pictorial and readable, we have something with a fair few box-outs that can be a touch annoying (I saved them all collectively until a second scan through, and found most of them needed a specific placement in the narrative). By far however the biggest annoyance is the fact there is no attempt at a pronunciation guide – when something like Cuailnge equals Cooley (and I can't even include the accent) it certainly should have found a way on to these pages. Still, for the merits of what I did get, four stars are in order.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celtic Myths: Heroes and Warriors, Myths and Monsters by Michael Kerrigan is an attractive and informative overview of the topic.

Plenty of images add to a nicely written look at the key strands of Celtic mythology. There is enough breadth here to give a reader ideas for topics to pursue, but also just enough depth for someone who wants a little more but has no desire to look up other sources. For a book that would be perfectly at home on a coffee table, I think that is just the right mix.

I would have liked a few color images, in part because one of the things that appeal to me about oversize books is usually their appearance. That said, I didn't feel that I was missing out on anything by not having that, more just my personal preference.

Definitely recommended for those who want to know a little about Celtic myths but doesn't want to read the heavier tomes that touch on every detail. Also a nice addition for those who may not have read on the subject for many years and simply want a refresher.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and comprehensive book on the origin of the Celtic myths that still fascinate us today. The reconstruction of the formation of a legendary corpus that originally relied only on oral transmission, with the necessary filters taking into account the type of transcribers, up to the transformation into romantic heroes of characters whose vision of the world was probably completely alien to our own, is admirable. Truly important reading for those who wish to approach Celtic mythology from a literary point of view.

[Kathy Shimpock · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a general interest book on Celtic mythology. It begins with a discussion of the ancient Celts, who they were and the legends that surrounded them. It then moves to stories from Irish mythology: the Celtic cosmos, the Wars of Ulster and the Fenian Cycle. A retelling of some stories from the Welsh Mabinogion is also included. The book is filled with illustrations. While it references archeological discoveries and research, there are no references or bibliography for further study. The writing and the tone is more conversational than academic.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Mellissa Bushby · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE! One of my favourite topics, this is an informative and engrossing read on the wonders and marvels of Celtic myth and folklore. This is a treasure, and one I will be dipping into on a regular basis.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books for my ARC.

Four Stars.

[Amy Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Well done. Very academic and a bit dry. But I kind of expected that.