Patrick arrives, the primal forces are overtaken by the Christian God, at least according to the tellers of these tales. Still there is a kind of morality and justice in these tales. The readers find themselves pulling for imperfect heroes, and even the druids are a mixture of good and evil. These myths are full of magic and miracles-shape shifting is a particularly Celtic power. Fantastic birth stories are common, and the women are strong, beautiful, and aware of their sexual power. Celtic warriors are portrayed as competitive, fearless, vicious, wily, and devious. These tales are captivating and worthy of multiple editions and versions. The world behind these texts is that of the medieval authors who are using the written word to relate and represent these well-told tales. Patrick battles the druids Brigid works miracles of abundance and Brendan is on a quest that reminds us of Welsh knights.

By placing the early Welsh texts, the Mabinogi, after the Irish myths, and followed by the earliest Irish-Christian texts, we begin to see some resonance between those worlds. As these early Irish texts were based on bardic tradition, they offer us a glimpse into the pre-literate world of the Celts. The pre-Christian myths of Ireland-selected and slightly abridged-give us a good sampling of the adventures of the ancient Celtic pantheon. Freeman offers the reader succinct introductions to each set of stories, leaving the source references to clear, uncluttered endnotes. Only occasionally do these myths seek to explain their origins, as Greco-Roman and Native American myths seem to do.

These are tales of feasting, of contests and trials, of romance and trickery. Place names such as Ulster and Dyfed give the tales a loose mooring in these worlds. These are “Celtic” myths in that they are tales handed down in lands where Celtic languages abide-Ireland and Wales. These, like all mythic texts, are ancient tales of heroes, rulers, and druids, of supernatural powers and warring tribes. Mythic texts present worlds beneath and beyond the worlds of authors and readers. This collection does not claim to be a critical edition still, Freeman leaves his readers a trail to the original texts that lie behind his own retelling. Early Welsh and Gaelic are languages hard to master, yet the subject matter holds a fascination well beyond the world of Celtic Studies. Patrick of Ireland (Simon and Schuster, 2004), Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes offers clean, readable access to texts and traditions that are alluring but tricky.

Celtic mythology philip freeman