Celtic mythology refers to a series of myths and
legends from the British Isles and northwestern
Europe. These myths represent part of the oral tradition
of Ireland, England, and Wales. Prior to and
throughout the MIDDLE AGES, the myths were retold
by bards, most notably Taliesin, the chief bard of
Britain and a Celtic shaman who lived during the
late sixth century. The tales were later written
down by monks and have since influenced literature
around the world.
Many of the richest myths originated in Ireland
and Wales. The ancient Celtic myths are divided
into four cycles of stories: the Mythological Cycle,
the Ulster Cycle, the Fenian (or Ossianic) Cycle,
and the Cycle of Kings (or the Historic Cycle).
These stories concerned heroic events in Celtic history,
the underworld, great warriors, and magical
events. The Celts also had a strong connection with
nature, and many tales featured animal transformythology,
mations. In some tales, natural elements, such as
trees or streams, had human characteristics.
The Mythological Cycle provides the best information
available about pagan Ireland. These stories
center on the Tuatha Dé Danann (or People of
Dana) who make up the Celtic pantheon. The
Tuatha Dé Danann arrived in Ireland from northern
Greece, where they developed their skills in
magic and druidism, so it was told, to such an extent
that they became known as gods. Their arrival
in Ireland is recorded in the Lebor Gabala (The
Book of Invasions), which gives a complete account
of the pantheon of early Celtic gods. According
to this book, the Tuatha Dé Danann were
involved in several major battles against other early
Irish people, the Fir Bolg, who had also emigrated
from Greece, and the Fomorians, a race of brutal
giants. The Tuatha Dé Danann defeated the Fir
Bolg at the First Battle ofMoytura and forced them
to flee to islands off the coast of Ireland. Later, the
Tuatha Dé Danann conquered the Fomorians at
the Second Battle of Moytura, where Lugh the
Long Arm led the Tuatha Dé Danann to victory
against the giant King Balor.
The arrival of the Milesians from Spain marked
the beginning of Gaelic rule in Ireland. Emer,
Donn, and Eremon were the sons of Mil of Spain,
and they came to Ireland to establish a new kingdom.
According to legend, they fought fiercely
with the Tuatha Dé Danann and were able to overcome
the gods’ powers. The two groups agreed to a
truce that allowed the Tuatha Dé Danann to rule
over all the territory in the Irish underworld and
the Milesians to rule over all the territory aboveground.
The Tuatha Dé Danann then lived in sídh
(or fairy mounds) belowground and were only
able to return to the surface of the earth on Samain
(or Halloween). Other famous stories from the
Mythological Cycle concerning the Tuatha Dé
Danann include those about the Children of Lir,
the Children of Tuirenn, and the Wooing of Étáin.
The Ulster Cycle concerns the heroic feats of the
greatest of the Knights of the Red Branch,Cu Chulainn,
who lived during the first century B.C. This
was during the time of Conchobar Mac Nessa’s
and Medb’s reigns.Mac Nessa was the King of Ulster,
whose castle was called Red Branch, and Medb
was the Queen of Connacht. Cu Chulainn was
thought to be the son, or reincarnation, of Lugh
the Long Arm, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann leaders.
The most famous tale in the Ulster Cycle is the
Tain Bo Cuailnge, or The Cattle Raid of Cooley. The
story tells of Queen Medb’s desire to steal the Black
Bull of Cooley from Ulster. Medb amasses a large
army to go to Ulster to steal the bull, which is
renowned for its fertility. Because of a curse on Ulster,
all the soldiers except Cu Chulainn are rendered
unable to fight when the Connacht army
approaches. Cu Chulainn single-handedly holds
off the army’s advance and defeats the Connacht
troops. Despite Cu Chulainn’s heroics, the Black
Bull is stolen and taken to Connacht, where he is
placed in battle with that town’s White Bull of
Ailill. The Black Bull defeats the White Bull, after
which the two kingdoms end their fighting.
Another Ulster Cycle tale, Bricriu’s Feast, concerns
a feast held by a wealthy Celt named Bricriu.
In the story, three heroes of Ulster, including Cu
Chulainn, compete for a prize of wine, a boar, a
cow, and wheat cakes. A giant named Bachlach
must find out who is the bravest of the warriors
by means of a wager that allows a hero to cut off
Bachlach’s head one night if the hero promises to
allow Bachlach to cut off the hero’s head the next.
The first hero cuts off Bachlach’s head, which the
giant then finds and places back on his shoulders.
However, the first hero fails to return the next
night to complete his part of the wager. Only Cu
Chulainn returns the second night to keep his
covenant. Bachlach is so impressed by Cu Chulainn’s
honor that he pronounces him the bravest
of the Ulster warriors and awards him the prize
Bricriu had promised. This story served as a model
for the later medieval tale Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight.
The Fenian (or Ossianic) Cycle consists of tales
about Finn Mac Cumhail and the Fenians, who
lived in County Kildare in eastern Ireland around
the third century. Many of the tales of the Fenian
Cycle are recorded in The Book of the Dun Cow (ca.
1100). Unlike the myths of the other cycles, these
stories do not focus on tribes but on families of
heroic hunters. These tales concern the quarrel between
the family of Cumhaill and the family of
Morna. The greatest rivalry was between Finn Mac
Cumhaill and Goll Mac Morna, who had brutally
killed Finn’s father in battle.
One tale in this cycle is that of Diarmuid and
Grainne, one of the greatest Irish love stories. It
recalls the legend of the maiden Grainne, who is
to be married against her will to the much-older
Finn Mac Cumhaill. But Grainne is a strong-willed
woman who wants to marry only someone she
loves. She meets Diarmuid during a great feast and
asks him to take her away and be her husband.
Their flight leads the Fenians to hunt all over Ireland
for the couple. The story ends tragically with
Diarmuid’s death at the hands of Finn, who regretfully
decides not to administer a healing potion
to his mortally wounded foe. The Fenian
Cycle remains a popular series of myths in Irish
folklore and the public imagination. James Joyce’s
final work, Finnegan’s Wake, contains many references
to the events of the cycle.
The Cycle of Kings stories are a mixture of
myth and historical events. These stories include
the tales of King Arthur and his Round Table,
which were first written down by GEOFFREY OF
MONMOUTH. The French medieval court poet
CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES also preserved many of the
chivalric tales first told by bards throughout the
British Isles and northern France.
In addition to the four cycles,Welsh tales form
an important part of Celtic mythology. The
Mabinogian is a collection of 11 tales from Wales.
The title roughly translates to stories concerning
the conception, birth, and life of a particular hero.
The most famous of these tales are “The Four
Branches of the Mabinogian,” stories of magic and
chivalry, which comprise “Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed”;
“Branwen, Daughter of Llyr”; “Manwydan, Son of
Llyr”; and “Math, Son of Mathonwy.”Other Welsh
tales were collected in the Middle Ages in the White
Book of Rhydderch and Red Book of Hergest.
Celtic mythology continues to inspire writers
and readers today. The Irish poet W. B. Yeats was
heavily influenced by Celtic literature. Many elements
of Celtic myth can also be seen in works
such as Morgan Llywelyn’s The Red Branch, Edward
Rutherford’s The Princes of Ireland, and J. R.
R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. In her book
Gods and Heroes of the Celts, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt
says, “Some people, such as the Romans, think
of their myths historically, the Irish think of their
history mythologically.” Perhaps it is this portrayal
of history as myth that has made and continues to
make Celtic mythology so compelling.
Works of Celtic Mythology
Early Irish Myths and Sagas. Translated with notes
and introduction by Jeffrey Gantz.New York: Penguin,
1982.
Ellis, Peter Berresford. The Chronicles of the Celts: New
Tellings of Their Myths and Legends. New York:
Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1999.
Glassie, Henry. Irish Folk History: Texts from the
North. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press, 1982.
Greeley, Andrew M. Emerald Magica. New York: Tor
Books, 2004.
Green, Miranda Jane. Celtic Myths. London: The
Trustees of the British Museum, 1993.
Rutherford,Ward. Celtic Mythology. New York: Sterling,
1990.
Works about Celtic Mythology
Bernard, Catherine. Celtic Mythology. Berkeley
Heights, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2003.
Matthews, Caitlin. The Celtic Tradition. Shaftesbury,
Dorset, U.K.: Element, 1995.
Matthews, John. Taliesin: Shamanism and the Bardic
Mysteries in Britain and Ireland. Rochester, Vt.:
Inner Traditions International, 2002.
Monaghan, Patricia. The Red-Haired Girl from the
Bog: Celtic Spirituality and the Goddess in Ireland.
Novato, Calif.: New World Library, 2003.