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Celtic
Irish, Welsh & Druid lore
83 entries · 9 sections
Ireland
The Voyage of BranMeyer Kuno, 1895 — Old Irish saga of a voyage to the pagan Celtic otherworld, with parallel English and Gaelic.The Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Cath Maige Tuired)This Irish saga, from before the ninth Century A.D., is an account of the epic battle between the mythical Tuatha De Danann and Fomoire for Ireland.The Cattle Raid of CualngeL. Winifred Faraday, 1904 — The core text of the Ulster cycle: the epic tale of Cucchulain, the defender of Ireland.The Cattle-Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge)The central epic of the Ulster cycle: the great Irish hero, Cuchulain of Ulster, and his battle against the forces of Queen Medb of Connaught.The Destruction of Dá Derga's HostelWhitely Stokes, 1910Heroic Romances of Ireland (2 Vols.)A. H. Leahy, 1905-6 — The Courtship of Etain, the Boar of Mac Datho, the Sickbed of Cuchulain, and the five "Tains" or Cattle-Forays, including the bizarre Tain bo Regamna, The Apparition of The Great Queen to Cuchulain.Cuchulain of MuirthemneAugusta Gregory, 1902Gods and Fighting MenAugusta Gregory, 1904A Book of Saints and WondersAugusta Gregory, 1906Visions and Beliefs in the West of IrelandAugusta Gregory, 1920Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish PeasantryW. B. Yeats, 1888The Celtic TwilightW.B. Yeats, 1893 — This short book of essays by Yeats is a must-read.In The Seven WoodsW. B. Yeats, 1903 — A short book of poetry and a play by Yeats on Irish mythological themes.Later PoemsW. B. Yeats, 1922 — Some of Yeats' best known poetry.Legends and Stories of IrelandSamuel Lover, 1831, 1834 — An early 19th century collection of comic Irish short stories.The Irish Sketch-bookWilliam Makepeace Thackeray, 1845 — A travelogue of Ireland of the 1840s, not much in the way of folklore, but good background information.The Ancient Irish Goddess of WarWM Hennessey, 1870Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of IrelandFrancesca Speranza Wilde, 1887 — A volumnious collection of Irish folklore, including folk magic, not all of it authoritative.Myths and Folklore of IrelandJeremiah Curtin, 1890Legendary Fictions of the Irish CeltsPatrick Kennedy, 1891 — A huge collection of Irish folklore and legends, up through Christian times.The Aran IslandsJohn M. Synge, 1907 — A travelogue of the Aran Islands with beautiful woodcut illustrations.Celtic Wonder TalesElla Young, 1910Beside the FireDouglas Hyde, 1910 — A scholarly collection of Irish folk stories.The Crock of GoldJames Stephens, 1912 — A novel based on Irish folklore.In Wicklow and West KerryJohn M. Synge, 1912 — A travelogue of rural Ireland at the turn of the 19th Century.Irish Witchcraft and DemonologySt. John D. Seymour, 1913 — This is a fascinating study of the witch-persecutions in Ireland, along with accounts of paranormal activity.True Irish Ghost StoriesSt. John D. Seymour, 1914 — Bone-chilling tales of Irish ghosts, haunted houses, banshees, poltergeists, and more.The King of Ireland's SonPadraic Colum, 1916The Druid PathMarah Ellis Ryan, 1917 — A collection of short stories set in ancient and modern Ireland by an American author.The Candle of VisionAE, 1918 — Essays on Celtic mysticism.Irish Fairy TalesJames Stephens, 1920 — Irish lore retold by a master storyteller.The Book of KellsEdward Sullivan, 1920 — A description of the famous manuscript with detailed color plates.
Wales
The MabinogionCharlotte Guest, 1877 — A group of Welsh tales from the Red Book of Hergest, a 14th Century manuscript maintained at Jesus College, Oxford.The Four Ancient Books of WalesWilliam F. Skene, 1868 — The only available translation of the complete corpus of Welsh Bardic poetry.Prolegomena to the Study of Old Welsh PoetryEdward Anwyl, 1903The Gododdin PoemsWilliam F. Skene, 1868British GoblinsWirt Sikes, 1881 — Despite the title, this book is actually a study of Welsh fairy folklore.The Welsh Fairy BookW. Jenkyn Thomas, 1907 — A collection of Welsh legends and folktales for young readers.Celtic Folklore: Welsh and ManxJohn Rhys, 1900The Barddas, Vol. IIolo Morganwg, 1862The Barddas, Vol. IIIolo Morganwg, 1874
Scotland
Carmina Gadelica, Vol. IAlexander Carmicheal, 1900Carmina Gadelica, Vol. IIAlexander Carmicheal, 1900Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. I1890Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. II1890Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. III1890Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Vol. IV1890The Feuds of the ClansAlexander MacGregor, 1907 — The epic feuds of the Scottish Highlands.The Celtic Dragon MythJ. F. Campbell, 1911 — The ur-myth of the struggle with the dragon, told in fine Celtic form with giants, mermaids and sidhe. (English and Gaelic)The English and Scottish Popular BalladsFrancis James Child, 1882 — The motherlode of ballad collections, including many variations on each ballad.The Poems of OssianJames Macpherson, 1773Scottish Fairy and Folk TalesSir George Douglas, 1773Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and LegendDonald Alexander Mackenzie, 1917Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North-East of ScotlandWalter Gregor, 1881The Prophecies of the Brahan SeerAlexander Mackenzie, 1899 — The tale of the famed Scottish clarivoyant and his amazing, and very specific, predictions.
Brittany
Cornwall
Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, (Volume 1)William Bottrell, 1870 — Tales of Cornish Giants, Mermaids, Witches and Fairies; an essential source for the folklore of Cornwall.Traditions and Hearthside Stories of West Cornwall, (Volume 2)William Bottrell, 1873 — The second volume in Bottrell's collection of Cornish lore and legend.
Manx
Celtic Fairies
These are texts and studies about Celtic fairies, elves, and other supernatural creatures (as opposed to fairytales, which are a different matter altogether). Some of the books listed here are listed elsewhere on this page.
The Secret Common-Wealth of Elves, Fauns and FairiesRobert Kirk, 1893 — This monograph, originally written in 1691, is a classic of Scottish fairy folklore.Fairy Legends and TraditionsThomas Crofton Croker, 1825A Peep at the PixiesAnna Eliza Bray, 1854The Fairy MythologyThomas Keightley, 1870Tales of the Dartmoor PixiesWilliam Crossing, 1890The Science of Fairy TalesEdwin Sidney Hartland, 1891Tales of Fairies and of the Ghost WorldJeremiah Curtin, 1895The Fairy-Faith in Celtic CountriesW.Y. Evans-Wentz, 1911 — A serious study of Fairy folklore and mythology, with an ethnographic approach.FairiesGertrude M. Faulding, 1913The Coming of the FairiesArthur Conan Doyle, 1922 — A study of the famous Cottingley fairy photographs, by the creator of Sherlock Holmes.
General Studies
Survivals in Belief Among the CeltsGeorge Henderson, 1911 — An extensive review of evidence of pre-Christian beliefs in Celtic culture.Celtic Myth and LegendCharles Squire, 1905 — A comprehensive treatment of Irish, Welsh, and British mythology, from the ancient pagan pantheons up to the Arthurian legends.The Religion of the Ancient CeltsJ. A. MacCulloch, 1911 — An in-depth study of the pre-Christian Celtic religion.Celtic Fairy TalesJoseph Jacobs, 1892More Celtic Fairy TalesJoseph Jacobs, 1894Myths and Legends of the Celtic RaceThomas Rolleston, 1911 — A recounting of the Irish Mythological ChroniclesOn the Study of Celtic LiteratureMatthew Arnold, 1867A Book of FolkloreSabine Baring-Gould, 1913Tom Tit Tot, An Essay on Savage Philosophy in Folk-TaleEdward Clodd, 1898
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