As we look at Celtic Mythology, there is a wealth of material that will be brought out in this series of articles that is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more. Sources are spread throughout the Celtic nations, and we will look at each in turn, starting with Irish mythology.

Irish Mythology

The three main manuscript sources for Irish mythology are:

• Late 11th/early 12th century Lebor na hUidre, meaning Book of the Dun Cow. Sadly only 76 pages remain.
• Book of Leinster compiled c. 1160 CE.
• Bodleian Library, also referred to as Book of Glendalough. The first part written c.1110 CE and the second compiled in the mid-12th.

Despite the dates of these sources, examination of the language used date most of the material further back to the 8th century and may even go back to the 6th century from even earlier oral retellings. Other important sources are:

• The Yellow Book of Lecan (which contains the missing material from Lebor na hUidre) written in two parts in 1391 and 1401.
• The Great Book of Lecan, written between 1397 and 1418 (which contains transcribed material from the Book of Leinster)
• The Book of Ballymote transcribed 1390 or 1391 (a compilation of older works, loose manuscripts and valuable documents handed down from antiquity).

It has to be noted that most of the manuscripts were created by Christian monks (especially the later works), whose religious hostility to pagan beliefs resulted in some of the ancient stories being adapted and reworked to fit in with accepted Greek or Biblical genealogy.

Although we have covered the major sources of Irish Celtic mythology, there is a vast collection of stories, and we hope it has whet your appetite to learn more. These stories give you a taste of ancient Ireland, a place of mysticism and natural beauty that inspired the Bards of old.

Welsh Mythology

Wales is similarly a majestic country of mountains, hills, valleys, and a majestic coastline. Ynys Môn (Anglesey) once connected by land, but now separated by the Menai straits, was once a holy Druid stronghold and numerous megalithic sites, show that humans lived there since prehistory. It should be noted that the divisions of Wales, England and Scotland did not exist in early Celtic times, and the earliest known title for Britain is Albion.

Like Irish mythology, Welsh mythology and history were passed down orally by Bards and Druids. As invaders and settlers have arrived, much of the oral record has been lost or altered. This needs to be borne in mind when looking at medieval Welsh manuscripts. However, the following still provide a treasure of Welsh Celtic legends and mythology, and we will look at these in future articles:

• The Book of Aneirin c. 1265 thought to be a copy of a lost 9th century original, attributed to the late 6th century poet, Aneirin.
• The Book of Taliesin dating from the first half of the 14th century, though many of the fifty-six poems are believed to originate in the 10th century or earlier.
• The White Book of Rhydderch c. 1350 is the earliest collection of Welsh prose texts and poetry.
• The Red Book of Hergest – written between 1382 and 1410 – preserves a collection of Welsh prose and poetry, particularly the tales of the Mabinogion.

Other notable sources include:

• Historia Brittonum c. 828 – A history of the British (Brittonic) people.
• Historia Regum Britanniae c. 1136 – A history of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Scottish Mythology

Scotti is a Latin name for the Gaels and is the earliest recorded mention is in the late 3rd century. Originally used to refer to all Gaels in Britain and Ireland, it eventually came to refer only to Gaels in northern Britain. Their kingdom eventually became known as Scotia or Scotland, and its inhabitants came to be known as Scots. In Gaelic, however, Scotland is Alba, derived from Albion, the ancient named for Britain.

According to legend, however, Greeks from Asia Minor sailed the seas and arrived at Croagh Patrick (the mountain of Ireland), County Mayo. They travelled through various places in Ireland, such as Armagh, Kildare and Cork. After finally settling in Bangor, County Down they found themselves continually at war with the Picts. Eventually they crossed the Irish Sea and invaded Caledonia. The conquered territory so conquered was then named Scotia after Scota, Egyptian wife of Spartan commander Nél. The sudden disappearance of the Picts was because they were slaughtered at a banquet given by Kenneth MacAlpin. However, the Picts were believed to have powers like the Fae and moved to underground chambers, brewing lucky heather from secret recipes.

In reality, though, there was a lot of migration between Ireland and Scotland. It is likely that the Picts began integrated with the migrants and become as one nation. A lot of Irish mythology was imported to Scotland, and some was probably written in Scotland. The Ulster Cycle is a group of heroic stories centres around the Uliad, people from North East Ireland. The Ulaid had close links with Gaelic Scotland, where Cúchulainn is said to have learned the arts of war.

The myths and legends of Scotland reflect the nature and seasons of the land. For instance Beira, the Queen of Winter, who raises storms during January and February to delay the arrival of spring. Beira was a tough and brutal old woman who brought deep snow, overflowing rivers and created lochs and mountains. When it gets warmer, she steps aside for the Dual Lord and Lady who share equal power during the following season. Scottish deities were not glorified or widely worshipped, unlike those of other ancient cultures, but more linked with nature, being connected with specific rivers, wells and mountains, etc.

Scotland, though, does have a wealth of mythical creatures such as selkies and kelpiyes. There are quite a few tales of Changelings, fairy folk, who stole babies from the crib and substituted them with another fairy. The Wulver, a creature with the body of a man and a wolf’s head was a benevolent creature, who enjoyed fishing. He left fish on the window-sill of the poor. In the present day Scotland is still full of legends, including the Loch Ness Monster.

Cornish Mythology

Cornish mythology consists partly of folk traditions developed in Cornwall and mythology shared with the Breton and Welsh peoples. Many ancient tales of the Bards, such as the Arthurian Cycle and tales from the Mabinogion, take place in the ancient kingdom of Cornubia (Cornwall). The original kingdom of Dumnonia was centred in Devon and also included Cornwall and parts of Somerset. Cornubia was a sub-kingdom created around 443CE.

Legendary creatures from Cornish folklore include:

• The Bucca – a merman, connected with sea storms. It has suggested that originally Bucca was an ancient Celtic deity of the sea because fish food offerings were left on the beach by fisherman to appease him.
• Piskies (Pixies) – Piskies are concentrated in the high moorland areas around Devon and Cornwall and are believed to inhabit ancient underground ancestor sites such as stone circles and barrows.
• Giants – Many of the unusual features in such as the granite rock on Bodmin Moor, the staggering sea cliffs seascape, and St Michael’s Mount are explained as the work of Giants. Eighteenth century tales such as Jack the Giant Killer were probably based on much older oral folk tales.

King Arthur has a very strong connection with Cornwall, and a lot of events associated with Arthurian legend happened in Cornwall:

• Tintagel – on North Cornish coast thought to be the birth place of Arthur. A ruined Norman castle on a steep, craggy hillside marks the original Celtic fortress where Uthyr’s famous son was born.
• Dozmary Pool – thought to be the lake in which Sir Bedivere threw Excalibur to The Lady of the Lake.
• The Tristan Stone – set beside the road leading to Fowey in Cornwall, marks the story of Arthur’s knight Tristan and his lover Iseult.

Breton Mythology

From the third century CE, Celts from Wales and Cornwall began to emigrate to the area named Armorica during Roman occupation, but later named Brittany, in North West France. Brittany was split between five Celtic tribes. Breton mythology is the collection of heroic tales originating in Brittany. The Bretons had many gods and mythical creatures associated with nature. This mythological background was accepted by Romans, but when Christianity arrived, lots of grand epics were lost, and pagan landmarks were either destroyed or Christianised.

However some Breton Celtic folklore has survived such as:

• Ankou – a grim reaper type figure that collects the souls of the deceased. The last person to die in a parish takes over the role of the Ankou. The Ankou appears as a tall, haggard skeleton with long white hair and a revolving head, enable to see in all directions, who drives a cart and stops at the house of someone who is about to die. It knocks on the door (sometimes heard by the living), before it takes away the dead in the cart with help from two ghostly companions.
• Bugul Noz – a fairy spirit who lives in the woodlands of Brittany. He is the last of his kind, but his ugly appearance is so awful that woodland animals avoid him. He is kind and gentle, but always alone. He cries out to warn humans of his approach, so not to frighten them. In fact, some humans have instantly died on seeing him.
• Cannard Noz (“night ducks”) – three small, webbed feet washerwomen, dressed in green who go to the water’s edge at midnight to wash shrouds of those about to die.
• Korrigan – water spirits that dance around fountains and wells. They are very beautiful at dusk or night with long flowing hair and the power to make men fall in love with them, but lure them to their death. However they avoid being seen during the day when their true appearance is as red-eyed, white-haired, wrinkled hags.

Many Arthurian legends also take place in Brittany. For example:

• Sir Lancelot spent his childhood in the forest of Brocéliande, Brittany.
• Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan Le Fey, after being betrayed by her lover, put a spell on Le Val Sans Retour(“The Valley Without Return”), causing unfaithful lovers to be imprisoned in the valley.
• Tristan married a Princess in Brittany, breaking the love enchantment put on him by Iseult.

So, as you can see, there is a vast amount of ancient legends and tales that have been passed down through the ages, and future articles will go into these in more detail. I am also aware that there are remnants of Celtic culture in the Iberian peninsula of Northern Spain and as far East as the Balkans. There is a wide variety of tales, some overlap, whilst others are unique. Places such as the Isle of Man (named after Manannán) get their names from ancient Celtic deities and statues, such as those preserved in Bath (Nemetona), England, showing the extent of the Celtic kingdoms.