Fantasy

The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends

The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-16 09:52:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Peter Berresford Ellis
  • ISBN：1841192481
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Summary

Developed from an early oral storytelling tradition dating back to the dawn of European culture， this is one of the oldest and most vibrant of Europe's mythologies。 From all six Celtic cultures - Irish， Scots， Welsh， Cornish， Manx and
Breton - Peter Berresford Ellishas included popular myths and legends， as well as bringing to light exciting new tales
which have been lying in manuscript form， untranslated and unknown to the modern general reader。

The author brings not only his extensive knowledge of source material but also his acclaimed skills of storytelling to produce an original， enthralling and definitive collection of Celtic myths and legends - tales of gods and goddesses， heroes and heroines， magical weapons， fabulous beasts， and entities from the ancient Celtic world。

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Reviews

Vicki Kuro ，

I loved the stories， and it's interesting to see how different areas have different variations of the same tales。 But， and I know that the author of this book is not to blame for this - how many times can you use "a year and a day" as a plot device？ How many times can you apply the rule of three in one story？ Honestly， get it together， ancient， long dead， Celts！ I loved the stories， and it's interesting to see how different areas have different variations of the same tales。 But， and I know that the author of this book is not to blame for this - how many times can you use "a year and a day" as a plot device？ How many times can you apply the rule of three in one story？ Honestly， get it together， ancient， long dead， Celts！ 。。。more

Ryan Morrison ，

A fantastically well put together collection of tales and information about the areas in which they're from！ If you love folklore this is a must！ A fantastically well put together collection of tales and information about the areas in which they're from！ If you love folklore this is a must！ 。。。more

Paul ，

More folk tales than myths and legends but still very entertaining

Nicholas Vela ，

A great book that concisely puts forth Celtic Myth and Legends in an accessible way。 The author makes a point to separate stories by geographic region， such as Ireland， Scotland， Isle of Man， and the like。 A great read。

Indigo Crow ，

I found this to be a mostly enjoyable collection of Celtic folktales。 I does feel a little lacking， but it's alright。 I don't really have anything else to say about it， given that this is a retelling of stories centuries old。 Books like this， in my opinion， are a bit difficult to review for that reason。 I found this to be a mostly enjoyable collection of Celtic folktales。 I does feel a little lacking， but it's alright。 I don't really have anything else to say about it， given that this is a retelling of stories centuries old。 Books like this， in my opinion， are a bit difficult to review for that reason。 。。。more

Manybooks ，

Yes indeed， there are parts of Peter Berresford Ellis’ Celtic Myths and Legends which I have very much enjoyed， if not in fact adored。 And with that in mind and first and foremost， how Berresford Ellis has selected and then how he has retold， how the author has penned his collection of Irish， Manx， Scottish， Welsh， Cornish and Breton tales in Celtic Myths and Legends has definitely been wonderfully extensive and with in my humble opinion also just enough included description and exposition， albe Yes indeed， there are parts of Peter Berresford Ellis’ Celtic Myths and Legends which I have very much enjoyed， if not in fact adored。 And with that in mind and first and foremost， how Berresford Ellis has selected and then how he has retold， how the author has penned his collection of Irish， Manx， Scottish， Welsh， Cornish and Breton tales in Celtic Myths and Legends has definitely been wonderfully extensive and with in my humble opinion also just enough included description and exposition， albeit that I will also want to revisit these stories sometime in the future for a more detailed and intensive perusal， as this time around I was kind of mainly skimming through Celtic Myths and Legends （because I was under considerable time restraints）。 But I do have to wonder just a tiny bit why with regard to Celtic mythology in general， Peter Berresford Ellis has not at the very least listed in the introduction to Celtic Myths and Legends some of the many deities present in specifically the continental European Celtic pantheon。 Because even though with regard to Celtic mythology and legends， it is of course true that it is generally the insular Celtic stories （and Breton actually originated not in France but in England） that have been preserved in writing， the continental European Celts of course also had their mythology and legends， and in my opinion， Peter Berresford Ellis should at the very least be listing some of the known from inscriptions gods and goddesses such as Belenus， Toutatis etc。 However， while for me， the text proper， the main collection of myths and legends to be encountered in Celtic Myths and Legends is definitely spectacular and highly recommended， the accompanying introduction certainly and in my humble opinion leaves quite a bit to be desired。 For instead of presenting a clear and concise general portrait of Celtic history and culture， Peter Berresford Ellis falls into quite the same trap as he always does under his pseudonym of Peter Tremayne for his Sister Fidelma series of early Medieval Irish mysteries， engaging in a huge and often rather confusing amount of information dropping， rambling on and on ad nauseum instead of providing with his introductory words to Celtic Myths and Legends a clearly delineated and not too wordy text。 And yes， also penned tediously and with so much at times rather superfluous seeming details upon details that after ploughing through the introduction for Celtic Myths and Legends I actually ended up needing to put the book away for some days before starting with the actual myths and legends （something that I do think might negatively affect reading pleasure and in fact， I do not really recommend Peter Berresford Ellis’ introduction， I really only recommend reading the actual collected tales found in Celtic Myths and Legends， and for secondary research on the Celts and on Celtic history and culture the detailed bibliography， although I do kind of find it presumptive and a bit arrogant how many of his own titles Peter Berresford Ellis is listing）。 。。。more

Anat ，

Wonderful collection of tales （some stories better than others）， highly recommended for mythology fans。I wish I had an audio for this， I could not pronounce about 97% of the names。。。

Rhiannon ，

Loved these stories。 Good old fashioned short mythological tales with important messages at their core。 Interesting to read these long forgotten legends of Brittany and the British Isles

Laura ，

4。5/5

Kieran McLoughlin ，

Being a massive mythology fan， I knew that I'd eventually come upon the myths closest to my heritage （British）。 This was my first step。 In general， this book is perfect as an introduction。 The stories are told well， and there's a wonderful variety of stories which possess ancient but still relevant life lessons， magic and heroes。 In all， these would probably make wonderful bed time stories for teling children。 Not much alteration is needed on the side of the parent。 I guess if I was to say anyth Being a massive mythology fan， I knew that I'd eventually come upon the myths closest to my heritage （British）。 This was my first step。 In general， this book is perfect as an introduction。 The stories are told well， and there's a wonderful variety of stories which possess ancient but still relevant life lessons， magic and heroes。 In all， these would probably make wonderful bed time stories for teling children。 Not much alteration is needed on the side of the parent。 I guess if I was to say anything against this， it's that if you're expecting stories and events akin to the epic scale of the Greek or Norse myths you'll not find that within these。 This however is not a valid criticism of the book or the writing。 It is simply circumstance。 Overall， I think this is a wonderful book worth your money。 The stories possesses an uncanny subtleness which is delightful alongside its warmness。 You'll not regret your purchase should you choose to make it。 。。。more

Katharine Wibell ，

Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis was a charming collection of Celtic stories。 Split into sections relating to the stories’ origins， the book is an easy read， perfect for children’s story time yet entertaining enough for an adult audience。 I will be keeping this book on my shelves dedicated to world mythology to reference again and again。

Donal ，

Enjoyable and well-researched。 I didn't quite finish it as it drifted off into the myths and legends of ALL the celtic tribes， I was only really interested in the Irish ones。 But for those， it gave a great overview。 I also really enjoyed the academic introduction and the basing of the various myths within a larger context of celtic language， history， social movements and its roots back to a shared central indo-european cultural heritage。 I， for one， didn't know there was such overlap between the Enjoyable and well-researched。 I didn't quite finish it as it drifted off into the myths and legends of ALL the celtic tribes， I was only really interested in the Irish ones。 But for those， it gave a great overview。 I also really enjoyed the academic introduction and the basing of the various myths within a larger context of celtic language， history， social movements and its roots back to a shared central indo-european cultural heritage。 I， for one， didn't know there was such overlap between the language and culture of the Celts in Ireland and the Hindus of India。。。 。。。more

Sonia Fletcher ，

A very interesting insight into celtic myths and legends。 As with all books with stories has some that are a bit boring or slow but for the most part they are very intriguing。

Rachel ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting introduction about linguistics and some history of the Celtic people。 The author also mentions that many of the tales weren't written down until after Christianity came to Ireland so many of them had been changed to get rid of pagan ideas and the gods and goddesses were turned into fairies and leprechauns。 He even mentions that the term leprechaun comes from the name of one of their gods， Lugh。 In these retellings he tried to restore the myths to what they once were。 Interesting introduction about linguistics and some history of the Celtic people。 The author also mentions that many of the tales weren't written down until after Christianity came to Ireland so many of them had been changed to get rid of pagan ideas and the gods and goddesses were turned into fairies and leprechauns。 He even mentions that the term leprechaun comes from the name of one of their gods， Lugh。 In these retellings he tried to restore the myths to what they once were。 。。。more

Yuri Robbers ，

Well written and a great introduction to Celtic mythologyPeter Berresford Ellis shows himself to be a great storyteller in this book。 His retelling of Celtic myths and tales from all six modern Celtic countries is magnificent and a genuine pleasure to read。 Even if you know one or more of the stories already， you will surely love this version。 Where possible the author has chosen the more ancient version of the tales， with less of the Christian veneer。 The only problem with this book is that I w Well written and a great introduction to Celtic mythologyPeter Berresford Ellis shows himself to be a great storyteller in this book。 His retelling of Celtic myths and tales from all six modern Celtic countries is magnificent and a genuine pleasure to read。 Even if you know one or more of the stories already， you will surely love this version。 Where possible the author has chosen the more ancient version of the tales， with less of the Christian veneer。 The only problem with this book is that I would have loved for it to be longer。 Much longer。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Δημήτριος Καραγιάννης ，

I have to admit that I found several of these myths very heavy to read， and at times， utterly dull。 Still， the insight that this collection gives with regards to Celtic mythology cannot be understated。 The stories are plentiful and important， historically speaking。

Hermance ，

Highly recommend to whomever is a novice in Celtic myths and legends。 This book is a collection of stories from Ireland， Scotland， and the Isle of Man as well as from Wales， Cornwall， and Brittany。

Petra Sršić ，

Took me a while to read， but the tales are quite interesting， filled with mighty warriors， fair maidens， witches， and such

Rachel （Sfogs） ，

LOVED IT SO MUCH！

Atlin Merrick ，

I appreciated that Ellis' book had a lighter tone than expected， and in a few cases he offered stories not solely about cranky gods and flawless goddesses。 I appreciated that Ellis' book had a lighter tone than expected， and in a few cases he offered stories not solely about cranky gods and flawless goddesses。 。。。more

sassafrass ，

lessons learned from this book - - wizards are just。。。total assholes， man- if you dip into a standing body of water you will probably find a wife。 （we cannot guarantee a wife every time， some of them WILL be out to drown you， but honestly thats on you they caught YOU slipping）- anything involving christians gets dull very quickly

James ，

I've been going through this for a few months now。 I'm not nearly as familiar with Celtic myths as I am with Greek and Nordic ones， but I want to be better acquainted with them。 Some are more interesting than others。 Some had me hooked while others I skimmed。 A couple of notes， it was interesting to see how myths differed according to different areas （the collection is ordered by geographic location）。 I'm also curious to read analysis on why things always seem to happen in threes so often in myt I've been going through this for a few months now。 I'm not nearly as familiar with Celtic myths as I am with Greek and Nordic ones， but I want to be better acquainted with them。 Some are more interesting than others。 Some had me hooked while others I skimmed。 A couple of notes， it was interesting to see how myths differed according to different areas （the collection is ordered by geographic location）。 I'm also curious to read analysis on why things always seem to happen in threes so often in myths and fairy tales。 This isn't unique to Celtic myth， I know。 But I really noticed it here。 。。。more

Amy Potter ，

In reading each of these stories， it is easy to hear the voices that have carried them down the ages。 This engaging and well-written anthology draws from six Celtic cultures - Irish， Welsh， Scots， Cornish， Manx and Breton。 Some of the myths and legends were new to me， a result of the author's extensive research， while others are familiar tales， retold。 A great collection that will be enjoyed by all generations。 In reading each of these stories， it is easy to hear the voices that have carried them down the ages。 This engaging and well-written anthology draws from six Celtic cultures - Irish， Welsh， Scots， Cornish， Manx and Breton。 Some of the myths and legends were new to me， a result of the author's extensive research， while others are familiar tales， retold。 A great collection that will be enjoyed by all generations。 。。。more

Mike ，

There was that many characters that after a while you forgot who was who。

Bernardo Luz ，

Pros: It is a thoroughly researched and well written compilation of celtic stories， overall。Neutral: The book doesn't reach the full extent of the celtic world （such as celtiberian folklore）， but this is mostly due to how shattered the stories & celtic culture have become throughout the centuries and how little studied they are as of today。 The author's sources' work has not yet been replicated in the regions outside the Celtic League of Nations （and unfortunately will become harder and harder w Pros: It is a thoroughly researched and well written compilation of celtic stories， overall。Neutral: The book doesn't reach the full extent of the celtic world （such as celtiberian folklore）， but this is mostly due to how shattered the stories & celtic culture have become throughout the centuries and how little studied they are as of today。 The author's sources' work has not yet been replicated in the regions outside the Celtic League of Nations （and unfortunately will become harder and harder with each passing year）。The author binds himself to telling the stories as close as the originals， with few updates。 This results in stories often not "clicking" with the modern reader。Cons: There is often little work put into contextualizing the reader to the characters and particulars of each region and historical frame， before dwelling into their stories。 There are exceptions to this， but often setting and mythological characters are introduced without being contextualized， and so feel shallow。 。。。more

Sophie Constable ，

3。5 A solid retelling of Celtic myths and legends that was interesting。 However， I found the writing style to be very dry at times which really turned me off the book and made it a struggle to finish。

Moira Dineen ，

A really good book for starting off in reading and getting into Celtic mythology in all areas of England，Ireland，Scotland，Wales，Brittany & Isle of man。 My favourite story in particular is the "The children of Lir" as it has far more detail and the pain you can physically feel in the story makes your heart go out for them。 A really good book for starting off in reading and getting into Celtic mythology in all areas of England，Ireland，Scotland，Wales，Brittany & Isle of man。 My favourite story in particular is the "The children of Lir" as it has far more detail and the pain you can physically feel in the story makes your heart go out for them。 。。。more

Miceál ，

I really enjoyed myself with this book。 It's been so long since I sat down with a good book of mythology -- not since I was a child， in fact -- and I really forgot how much I love such tales。This is a wonderful collection of stories， varying widely and encompassing all different lengths; each section is accompanied with a short introduction that outlines the history of the folklore and a little about how the stories have survived and been translated。 The stories themselves are told exactly how y I really enjoyed myself with this book。 It's been so long since I sat down with a good book of mythology -- not since I was a child， in fact -- and I really forgot how much I love such tales。This is a wonderful collection of stories， varying widely and encompassing all different lengths; each section is accompanied with a short introduction that outlines the history of the folklore and a little about how the stories have survived and been translated。 The stories themselves are told exactly how you would expect to read a fairy tale -- conversational and enthusiastic， with all the grand language and magic you'd want。 There's just something really delightful about this book; it has some of the wonder of childhood in it。Of course this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the folklore from these cultures， and there's an extensive list of recommended further reading at the end。 It's a wonderful introduction， though， and I found it so enjoyable that I'll definitely be checking out some of the books listed。 Even if you're already familiar with the folklore of the countries included， it would be worth a read。 The stories are so detailed and the writing is quick and energetic and whimsical。 。。。more

Callie R。 ，

Pro-tip - don't ever attempt to read this book at once。 It is incredibly large， and one begins to realize that Celtic myths （probably myths in general） are very repetitive。 1。 The book really could have used a map。 2。 It also could have used a timeline and maybe some guidance on known repeat characters， 3。 I really would have liked to hear some of these told in the great Irish oral storytelling tradition （obviously not a criticism on the book - but I don't think all myths translate as well being Pro-tip - don't ever attempt to read this book at once。 It is incredibly large， and one begins to realize that Celtic myths （probably myths in general） are very repetitive。 1。 The book really could have used a map。 2。 It also could have used a timeline and maybe some guidance on known repeat characters， 3。 I really would have liked to hear some of these told in the great Irish oral storytelling tradition （obviously not a criticism on the book - but I don't think all myths translate as well being written down）， and 4。 Myths really seem like they need illustrations。 。。。more

Jules ♈ （witchyrover） ，

At first， I wondered why there were so few reviews on this book。 Then， I realized why。 The mammoth 'extremely-long-title' book is just that。 Extremely long。 The author， though aiming for a linguistic and literary complex vocabulary， fails to keep the reader （me） hooked。 It gives an explanatory introduction of Celtic myths， legends， and traditions。 But it goes too far for my taste。 The flashbacks were at times completely confusing and the constant change of names of the heroes made me have troubl At first， I wondered why there were so few reviews on this book。 Then， I realized why。 The mammoth 'extremely-long-title' book is just that。 Extremely long。 The author， though aiming for a linguistic and literary complex vocabulary， fails to keep the reader （me） hooked。 It gives an explanatory introduction of Celtic myths， legends， and traditions。 But it goes too far for my taste。 The flashbacks were at times completely confusing and the constant change of names of the heroes made me have troubles to keep track of every character in each short story。 Pity。 I like ancient stories a lot。 I am a huge fan of Ancient Egypt and Greece so I expected a lot from Celtic stories。 However， I have not enjoyed it as much as I wanted to。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0