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Early Irish Myths and Sagas
First written down in the eighth century AD, these early Irish stories depict a far older world - part myth, part legend and part history. Rich with magic and achingly beautiful, they speak of a land of heroic battles, intense love and warrior ideals, in which the otherworld is explored and men mingle freely with the gods. From the vivid adventures of the great Celtic hero Cu Chulaind, to the stunning 'Exile of the Sons of Uisliu' - a tale of treachery, honour and romance - these are masterpieces of passion and vitality, and form the foundation for the Irish literary tradition: a mythic legacy that was a powerful influence on the work of Yeats, Synge and Joyce.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
April 22, 2013
I was a bit frustrated with this book due to the way it was translated. I’m not sure what the translation conventions are concerning old Irish texts, but I feel like a lot more could have been done for the flow of the text as well as its explanation. The phrasing of the dialogue was backwards, some of the expressions were hard to understand and a lot of the content was conflicting, especially where different variants of the story existed as well as missing segments. I feel like the translator could have pointed out the inconsistencies and added more notes concerning the content for a better understanding of the text instead of presenting the reader with an at times confusing flow of events with barely any explanation to go with it except a few musings at the beginning of each story.
That being said, the Irish myths sadly did not survive as well as the Greek oral tales of Homer did so there are a lot of bits and pieces missing or different variants of the same stories that are completely different(naturally since they were written centuries apart) and trying to continue one story started a few centuries before with later fragments seems pointless(I’m thinking here especially of the Intoxication of the Ulaid). Originally oral stories, the myths have a lot of repetition in them, a lot more than the Greek tales ever did to the point it gets frustrating at times, especially during such tours de force as the description of heroes in the Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.
I enjoyed the role women played in some of the stories. From the existence of warrior women to the assertive role they had in relationships(the Sid women pursued the men they loved) and the way they easily accepted lovers and new romance.
The stories themselves were interesting, but the clumsy way they were presented took a lot of the pleasure out of the read.
That being said, the Irish myths sadly did not survive as well as the Greek oral tales of Homer did so there are a lot of bits and pieces missing or different variants of the same stories that are completely different(naturally since they were written centuries apart) and trying to continue one story started a few centuries before with later fragments seems pointless(I’m thinking here especially of the Intoxication of the Ulaid). Originally oral stories, the myths have a lot of repetition in them, a lot more than the Greek tales ever did to the point it gets frustrating at times, especially during such tours de force as the description of heroes in the Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.
I enjoyed the role women played in some of the stories. From the existence of warrior women to the assertive role they had in relationships(the Sid women pursued the men they loved) and the way they easily accepted lovers and new romance.
The stories themselves were interesting, but the clumsy way they were presented took a lot of the pleasure out of the read.
September 28, 2021
This great collection includes 13 myths and sagas from two of the traditional Celtic cycles, the Mythological Cycle and the Ulster Cycle. The translations by Jeffrey Gantz are supplemented by his introduction, giving coverage of the themes and people in these tales, a detailed history of the Celtic and Irish cultures, the development of their stories and traditions, and some notes on their storytelling and the manuscripts from which these stories come.
Gantz preserves the old Irish spellings of all names and places in these tales, which is a show of good taste. I don’t know why some translators like to modernize and anglicize spellings of proper nouns. He includes a glossary for pronunciation, which gave me a lot of practice throughout the reading to learn to say these names correctly. I still have no idea if I’ve got them right.
He also preserves the manner of speech these ancients use, which of course should remain unchanged in a good translation. The style and structure of each story is preserved as it was written, in an old form built from even older oral forms, conveying archaic tradition that held to very different conventions in storytelling than modern audiences are used to. This is one of the reasons you read myths, not just for ‘a neat story’, but to experience, as closely as you can, the ancient magic in all its authenticity and glory, to immerse yourself in another culture and another world, not just the world of the myths themselves, but the world of those who created the myths, who told the stories, and who believed them. This seems to bother some modern readers looking only for ‘neat stories.’
Each story is accompanied by a short introduction, telling its history, how and where it fits into the Celtic cycle, with some valuable insights that can be drawn from the stories about Irish culture or customs, and usually a short analysis. Many of these stories are thought to have first been written down in the seventh and eighth centuries, originally from oral traditions developed centuries earlier, and they take place, in many cases, even earlier than that, although pinning an exact time or era to them seems difficult.
There are tales of regeneration through death and transformation and rebirth, jealousy, unrequited love, dark magic, humans becoming swans and soaring away, incestuous unions, and murder… and that’s just the first story, the incomparable “The Wooing of Etain”, which sets the tone for what is to come, throwing us head first into the mythological cycle. Here we see some of the recurring themes we will see again, and it is an excellent story all around, a story that shows the violence and beauty and romanticism and adoration of nature and mystery and magic that seems to characterize Celtic mythology.
The end of this story sees the birth of Conare, who becomes a High King of Ireland, and is a central character in the next saga, “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.” This picks up after the previous tale, building off of what was established there, and shows us the huge saga of Conare and his ultimate demise at the hands of his three exiled foster-brothers and Ingcel, king of the Britons.
This saga introduces us to a huge cast of heroes of epic, towering, magnificent abilities and deeds, presented in a method that is repeated in other tales. There may be a name for this motif but I don’t know it — someone observes people he does not recognize or know, but offers the best description he can to someone else who is very knowledgeable, describing their build and their features and skills, and the knowledgeable person explains who they are, revealing more about them. This tale ultimately ends in bloodshed and destruction, with heroes and villains alike slain or maimed.
I won’t go into all the stories here, there are too many to do them all justice. They all warrant individual praise, if only I had the time.
Heroes and other legendary characters of Irish myth recur throughout these tales, like Conall Cernach; and Cu Chulaind, one of the most awesome and powerful and skillful of all mythological heroes, maybe on par with Sigurd/Siegfried of the Volsungasaga/Nibelungenlied in sheer strength, courage, ability, and immensity of deeds — he is a champion who deserves the champion’s portion which he finally wins in the wild “Bricriu’s Feast”. Tales here tell of his birth, in a bizarre and surreal way that I’m still not sure I understand, of his childhood deeds, and others of his adventures as a hero, and one tells of a wasting sickness he endures and his visit to the otherworld that allows it to be cured. He is a warrior who stands out with his curious “hero’s salmon leap” or his riastarthae berserker madness that makes him burn with rage and power that can only be cooled by three pools of freezing water.
There is Fergus, son of Roech, also of some relation to Cu Chulaind, and who appears in a number of stories, sometimes as king, sometimes as an exiled former king, sometimes a little ambiguous.
There is king Ailill and his wife, the queen Medb, rulers of the warrior-land of Connachta, in west Ireland, where many of the characters in these stories travel to, or end up for one reason or another, as in “The Intoxication of the Ulaid”, when Cu Chulaind drunkenly leads his people all across Ireland in an attempt to go to a feast at his home in the east coast of the island, ending up instead in Connachta and appearing to be a conquering party before they are recognized as coming in peace. The same motif of spotting and identifying the mysterious men I mentioned above is repeated here, in full heroic and epic fashion.
This king and queen play big roles in some tales, usually dealing in mischief, but also making important judgment calls and governing their people in dramatic events.
Conchubur Mac Ness is king of the Ulaid and is a dominant character in a few tales. He is the son of Cathbad the druid, which is a little confusing because ‘Mac Ness’ means ‘son of Ness’. His sister is the woman who eventually gives birth to Cu Chulaind, though their relationship as kin never seems to be evident. His anger and jealousy toward Dierdriu in “The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu” culminates in a massive slaughter that ends many lives and fulfills the prophecy of Cathbad.
A fascination with place-name origins pervades some tales, with short interludes describing someone’s death or spectacular feat at some location which came to be named in the person’s honor. Many of these are probably not true, attributing stories to the place names after the fact, but they demonstrate the style these stories were told in, not merely as a plot and a sequence of events, but as a huge living world to explore, filled with history and consequence, which was explored by stories.
The Sidhe, a supernatural race descended from the Tuatha de Dannan, make an appearance in some of these tales, as do their ‘side’, or fairy mounds, which are passages to the underground alternate realms they inhabit. These aren’t always mentioned explicitly, sometimes their nature is merely insinuated or a quality is given to something, like an animal with red ears, which old Irish audiences understood to represent a supernatural origin.
In one tale there are giants rising from the seas, slaying with the tree trunks in their fists, in the same story there is an axe-wielding monster who decapitates and when decapitated himself regrows his head and is resurrected, similar to the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In a few stories there are birds from the otherworld, druids performing mystical actions, and the Samuin celebration, and sacrifices and rituals to undertake, eyes with multiple pupils, humans turned into water, legions of warriors and lavish armors and weaponry, body deformations, and so much else.
Almost each story here shares something with a few others but also is its own unique thing, or many things unseen before, with its singular sequence or twist or beautiful rapturous unraveling of mythical reality. Poetry features importantly in a few tales, an expressive and artful split from prose to verse that adds a welcome new cadence to the story’s telling, illuminating things in a different way, analogous to the dreams that sometimes reveal hidden things.
This is a great collection, but I’d love it to be much longer and to include stories from the other traditional cycles. Interesting that some of these exist in fragments, half of the story in one ancient manuscript, another half in a different ancient manuscript, and strangely, some of the details are changed or names are different or plot points are never resolved, or the internal logic seems convoluted and broken. These things add historical interest to the tales on top of their already high intrinsic value. There’s something indescribable about reading barely-preserved stories that sometimes had to be stitched together from multiple manuscripts from different centuries.
Gantz preserves the old Irish spellings of all names and places in these tales, which is a show of good taste. I don’t know why some translators like to modernize and anglicize spellings of proper nouns. He includes a glossary for pronunciation, which gave me a lot of practice throughout the reading to learn to say these names correctly. I still have no idea if I’ve got them right.
He also preserves the manner of speech these ancients use, which of course should remain unchanged in a good translation. The style and structure of each story is preserved as it was written, in an old form built from even older oral forms, conveying archaic tradition that held to very different conventions in storytelling than modern audiences are used to. This is one of the reasons you read myths, not just for ‘a neat story’, but to experience, as closely as you can, the ancient magic in all its authenticity and glory, to immerse yourself in another culture and another world, not just the world of the myths themselves, but the world of those who created the myths, who told the stories, and who believed them. This seems to bother some modern readers looking only for ‘neat stories.’
Each story is accompanied by a short introduction, telling its history, how and where it fits into the Celtic cycle, with some valuable insights that can be drawn from the stories about Irish culture or customs, and usually a short analysis. Many of these stories are thought to have first been written down in the seventh and eighth centuries, originally from oral traditions developed centuries earlier, and they take place, in many cases, even earlier than that, although pinning an exact time or era to them seems difficult.
There are tales of regeneration through death and transformation and rebirth, jealousy, unrequited love, dark magic, humans becoming swans and soaring away, incestuous unions, and murder… and that’s just the first story, the incomparable “The Wooing of Etain”, which sets the tone for what is to come, throwing us head first into the mythological cycle. Here we see some of the recurring themes we will see again, and it is an excellent story all around, a story that shows the violence and beauty and romanticism and adoration of nature and mystery and magic that seems to characterize Celtic mythology.
The end of this story sees the birth of Conare, who becomes a High King of Ireland, and is a central character in the next saga, “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.” This picks up after the previous tale, building off of what was established there, and shows us the huge saga of Conare and his ultimate demise at the hands of his three exiled foster-brothers and Ingcel, king of the Britons.
This saga introduces us to a huge cast of heroes of epic, towering, magnificent abilities and deeds, presented in a method that is repeated in other tales. There may be a name for this motif but I don’t know it — someone observes people he does not recognize or know, but offers the best description he can to someone else who is very knowledgeable, describing their build and their features and skills, and the knowledgeable person explains who they are, revealing more about them. This tale ultimately ends in bloodshed and destruction, with heroes and villains alike slain or maimed.
I won’t go into all the stories here, there are too many to do them all justice. They all warrant individual praise, if only I had the time.
Heroes and other legendary characters of Irish myth recur throughout these tales, like Conall Cernach; and Cu Chulaind, one of the most awesome and powerful and skillful of all mythological heroes, maybe on par with Sigurd/Siegfried of the Volsungasaga/Nibelungenlied in sheer strength, courage, ability, and immensity of deeds — he is a champion who deserves the champion’s portion which he finally wins in the wild “Bricriu’s Feast”. Tales here tell of his birth, in a bizarre and surreal way that I’m still not sure I understand, of his childhood deeds, and others of his adventures as a hero, and one tells of a wasting sickness he endures and his visit to the otherworld that allows it to be cured. He is a warrior who stands out with his curious “hero’s salmon leap” or his riastarthae berserker madness that makes him burn with rage and power that can only be cooled by three pools of freezing water.
There is Fergus, son of Roech, also of some relation to Cu Chulaind, and who appears in a number of stories, sometimes as king, sometimes as an exiled former king, sometimes a little ambiguous.
There is king Ailill and his wife, the queen Medb, rulers of the warrior-land of Connachta, in west Ireland, where many of the characters in these stories travel to, or end up for one reason or another, as in “The Intoxication of the Ulaid”, when Cu Chulaind drunkenly leads his people all across Ireland in an attempt to go to a feast at his home in the east coast of the island, ending up instead in Connachta and appearing to be a conquering party before they are recognized as coming in peace. The same motif of spotting and identifying the mysterious men I mentioned above is repeated here, in full heroic and epic fashion.
This king and queen play big roles in some tales, usually dealing in mischief, but also making important judgment calls and governing their people in dramatic events.
Conchubur Mac Ness is king of the Ulaid and is a dominant character in a few tales. He is the son of Cathbad the druid, which is a little confusing because ‘Mac Ness’ means ‘son of Ness’. His sister is the woman who eventually gives birth to Cu Chulaind, though their relationship as kin never seems to be evident. His anger and jealousy toward Dierdriu in “The Exile of the Sons of Uisliu” culminates in a massive slaughter that ends many lives and fulfills the prophecy of Cathbad.
A fascination with place-name origins pervades some tales, with short interludes describing someone’s death or spectacular feat at some location which came to be named in the person’s honor. Many of these are probably not true, attributing stories to the place names after the fact, but they demonstrate the style these stories were told in, not merely as a plot and a sequence of events, but as a huge living world to explore, filled with history and consequence, which was explored by stories.
The Sidhe, a supernatural race descended from the Tuatha de Dannan, make an appearance in some of these tales, as do their ‘side’, or fairy mounds, which are passages to the underground alternate realms they inhabit. These aren’t always mentioned explicitly, sometimes their nature is merely insinuated or a quality is given to something, like an animal with red ears, which old Irish audiences understood to represent a supernatural origin.
In one tale there are giants rising from the seas, slaying with the tree trunks in their fists, in the same story there is an axe-wielding monster who decapitates and when decapitated himself regrows his head and is resurrected, similar to the Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In a few stories there are birds from the otherworld, druids performing mystical actions, and the Samuin celebration, and sacrifices and rituals to undertake, eyes with multiple pupils, humans turned into water, legions of warriors and lavish armors and weaponry, body deformations, and so much else.
Almost each story here shares something with a few others but also is its own unique thing, or many things unseen before, with its singular sequence or twist or beautiful rapturous unraveling of mythical reality. Poetry features importantly in a few tales, an expressive and artful split from prose to verse that adds a welcome new cadence to the story’s telling, illuminating things in a different way, analogous to the dreams that sometimes reveal hidden things.
This is a great collection, but I’d love it to be much longer and to include stories from the other traditional cycles. Interesting that some of these exist in fragments, half of the story in one ancient manuscript, another half in a different ancient manuscript, and strangely, some of the details are changed or names are different or plot points are never resolved, or the internal logic seems convoluted and broken. These things add historical interest to the tales on top of their already high intrinsic value. There’s something indescribable about reading barely-preserved stories that sometimes had to be stitched together from multiple manuscripts from different centuries.
May 16, 2012
Feck, those Irish legend lads. Jealousy, cheating, double-crossing, land grabbing, and incest. Throw in a few dodgy planning deals, and the place has hardly changed.
February 2, 2024
A wonderfully Irish blend of the surreal and the absurd:
“It was Cu Culaind’s gift, when he was angry, that he could withdraw one eye so far into his head that a heron could not reach it, whereas the other eye he could protrude until it was as large as a cauldron for a yearling calf.”
I wish I could say I knew someone who could do the same. A lot of this is fantastically weird, and a lot of it is full of tedious repetition. This can try the reader’s patience. The world view we see is very foreign to our own – which is part of its appeal. It is heavily tinctured with pre Christian paganism. Cu Culaind’s enemies would not strike him “because of his great beauty” – this is a world away from Christianity, and reminds us of Homer’s Achilles, with its blend of extreme warrior violence and homoeroticism.
There is also – which surprised me – some comedy, such as the episode in “The Intoxication of the Ulaid” when the two druids Cromm Darail and Cromm Deroil sit on a wall and have a ludicrous conversation with one another. So, all in all, there is a great deal to enjoy here, and it is rather wonderful that it has survived at all – especially considering we must owe the preservation of these tales to monastic circles, despite their very unChristian ethos.
Readers should be warned that this is by no means a complete collection (The Tain, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, being the most significant omission). And also that it can be, in places, every bit as exasperatingly dull and repetitous as the book of Leviticus.
“It was Cu Culaind’s gift, when he was angry, that he could withdraw one eye so far into his head that a heron could not reach it, whereas the other eye he could protrude until it was as large as a cauldron for a yearling calf.”
I wish I could say I knew someone who could do the same. A lot of this is fantastically weird, and a lot of it is full of tedious repetition. This can try the reader’s patience. The world view we see is very foreign to our own – which is part of its appeal. It is heavily tinctured with pre Christian paganism. Cu Culaind’s enemies would not strike him “because of his great beauty” – this is a world away from Christianity, and reminds us of Homer’s Achilles, with its blend of extreme warrior violence and homoeroticism.
There is also – which surprised me – some comedy, such as the episode in “The Intoxication of the Ulaid” when the two druids Cromm Darail and Cromm Deroil sit on a wall and have a ludicrous conversation with one another. So, all in all, there is a great deal to enjoy here, and it is rather wonderful that it has survived at all – especially considering we must owe the preservation of these tales to monastic circles, despite their very unChristian ethos.
Readers should be warned that this is by no means a complete collection (The Tain, or Cattle Raid of Cooley, being the most significant omission). And also that it can be, in places, every bit as exasperatingly dull and repetitous as the book of Leviticus.
November 26, 2017
Nothing quite like reading the mythology of my people to remind me why the Irish never took over the world. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the stories and I’m quite proud of being Hibernian. It’s just that when you have to practically start a war to decide who gets to eat the biggest portion at a feast, you’re not going to get real far on the world stage.
Though, if you think about it, we really have, haven’t we? And you can see snippets of how the Irish subtly permeated the Western world in these stories. Sure, fights are undertaken for the dumbest reasons, but damned if the warriors didn’t live and let die afterward. And in these tales you’ll find folks who, when not whooping on each other, use the merest excuse to get together for a good time.
Now, don’t for a second think these stories are told like any other you’ve read before. Not only were they originally likely transmitted orally, but somewhere in the Irish soul there’s the need to see almost everything symbolically, to jump to the good stuff, to describe mundane items or events in florid yet exacting fashion. You can’t approach these tales thinking like a modern person; best to cast your mind back a thousand, 1500 years and view the world the way an Iron Age Celt might. Whatever that means. But have fun. Don’t take them too seriously. I think the point of them is to feel as much as learn or see.
Though, if you think about it, we really have, haven’t we? And you can see snippets of how the Irish subtly permeated the Western world in these stories. Sure, fights are undertaken for the dumbest reasons, but damned if the warriors didn’t live and let die afterward. And in these tales you’ll find folks who, when not whooping on each other, use the merest excuse to get together for a good time.
Now, don’t for a second think these stories are told like any other you’ve read before. Not only were they originally likely transmitted orally, but somewhere in the Irish soul there’s the need to see almost everything symbolically, to jump to the good stuff, to describe mundane items or events in florid yet exacting fashion. You can’t approach these tales thinking like a modern person; best to cast your mind back a thousand, 1500 years and view the world the way an Iron Age Celt might. Whatever that means. But have fun. Don’t take them too seriously. I think the point of them is to feel as much as learn or see.
Read
March 3, 2024my first introduction into Irish mythology! I'm a bit annoyed it didn't include any of the Kings/Fionn Cycle because I would have loved to learn more about Fionn Mac Cumhaill but it was a lovely selection nonetheless, and well translated.
February 3, 2013
It is hard to rate a book like this. If I say I did not like it I am talking about its entertainment factor, not the cultural meaning of these tales or the fact that the oral tradition has a completely different approach of addressing its audience. I am deeply in awe of the fact that these stories have survived the test of time and have been restored. Who knows, some of them might have been first told many thousands of years ago. To have these stories with us today is a gift that can't be praised highly enough. They help us to recreate the beliefs, habits, aestheticism, fears and values of the ancient Celts.
And still, it was a very tedious read. It is interesting to see how much our reading / viewing patterns have changed since these early days of story telling. These are male stories, told to a male audience during long, cold nights in festive halls, a bard telling his tales to a warrior audience. So you have pages upon pages that describe battle gear or livestock, or the genealogy of the fictitious tribal members. Their honourable deeds, however, are often dealt with in half a sentence. By today's standards, though, this catalogue style is less than captivating. It is too repetitive and formulaic to exude any charm.
What we focus on today, plot lines involving romantic interests or inner conflicts, are brushed off in the blink of an eye.
Oftentimes, things just happen, but I don't know why or how. Plot devices are not introduced or properly dealt with, while I lack the background knowledge to see through it. These stories may be fascinating if you read them in a university class, with a teacher who can take the stories off the page and make them come alive. Reading them by myself for entertainment value, they are very confusing and tiring.
The most interesting part of this book was the foreword, which was very informative and helpful.
And still, it was a very tedious read. It is interesting to see how much our reading / viewing patterns have changed since these early days of story telling. These are male stories, told to a male audience during long, cold nights in festive halls, a bard telling his tales to a warrior audience. So you have pages upon pages that describe battle gear or livestock, or the genealogy of the fictitious tribal members. Their honourable deeds, however, are often dealt with in half a sentence. By today's standards, though, this catalogue style is less than captivating. It is too repetitive and formulaic to exude any charm.
What we focus on today, plot lines involving romantic interests or inner conflicts, are brushed off in the blink of an eye.
Oftentimes, things just happen, but I don't know why or how. Plot devices are not introduced or properly dealt with, while I lack the background knowledge to see through it. These stories may be fascinating if you read them in a university class, with a teacher who can take the stories off the page and make them come alive. Reading them by myself for entertainment value, they are very confusing and tiring.
The most interesting part of this book was the foreword, which was very informative and helpful.
October 31, 2007
A decent collection, although more material from the Mythological and Fenian Cycles should have been included.
February 18, 2019
This is a fun collection of Irish pagan Celtic tales translated from the original. Readers unfamiliar with this type of material will probably be struck by the lack of care for modern narrative rules. Those who have read similar tales elsewhere will be familiar with the differing conventions, such as lengthy genealogies, lists and descriptions of warriors and supernatural and magical encounters. There's a nice Introduction to All Things Pagan Celtic and brief individual introductions for each story.
November 29, 2022
the coolest parts of these stories are when they abandon narrative almost entirely and proliferate into baroque lists of weapons and elaborate descriptions of weird guys and their battle feats. i particularly like the giant guy in 'the destruction of da derga's hostel' who is described as having a single giant eye with three pupils in it, except at one point in the story where it has seven pupils, and it's never made clear if this is an inconsistency in the original text or if this guy just grew 4 additional pupils for one sentence. some of the stories are incomplete or texturally confused as well but if anything that just adds to the otherworldly quality.
February 26, 2019
Who would have thought that those typical Irish turns of phrase and the rhythms of Irish story telling had such deep roots? But it is clear, from reading these earliest Irish myths and stories, that these phrases and rhythms, now transplanted into English, have their origins in the Gaelic of the earliest stories of the Irish. Indeed, the very nature of Irish storytelling, with its recursiveness, rapid switches between laconic understatement and exuberant and detailed description, and a general disdain for logic when it gets in the way of telling a good story, all have their origins here. These are stories of frenzied heroes who can be turned back by the well-judged insult, of hospitality overwhelming any measure of ordinary good sense, and worlds bleeding into each other. Many of the stories make only minimal sense to a modern reader, but they carry him into a phantasmagorical world. Fascinating.
September 19, 2021
This was an interesting read and I can say that I enjoyed it there's just a few minor problems that took away from my enjoyment.
The introductions to each story assumes the reader already is familiar with this story that is about to hapoen as well as a bunch of other folktales in general which really does not work well if this book is being co sumed out of am academic setting.
The stories are also for some reason that I cannot figure out are not in chronological order. I know this because the intros say they aren't but offer no explanation as to why they were not put in order which would have made this book far easier to get through.
All in all this was interesting but I would only realky recommend it to someone who already has a lot of knowledge on this topic.
The introductions to each story assumes the reader already is familiar with this story that is about to hapoen as well as a bunch of other folktales in general which really does not work well if this book is being co sumed out of am academic setting.
The stories are also for some reason that I cannot figure out are not in chronological order. I know this because the intros say they aren't but offer no explanation as to why they were not put in order which would have made this book far easier to get through.
All in all this was interesting but I would only realky recommend it to someone who already has a lot of knowledge on this topic.
January 10, 2023
It was interesting to read the primary texts to later works by Irish writers, like Yeats. Some passages were charming, others even fun. The dream of Óengus was beautiful, and Cú Chulaind’s actions are similar to those of greek heroes like Hercules (incredibly entertaining). Most of the stories, however, are convoluted and not very engaging. The frequency of Celtic names, counties, and kingdoms made the myths difficult to read, and the story structure left much to be desired.
While I think they would be interesting to analyse, the tales are not fit for casual reading.
While I think they would be interesting to analyse, the tales are not fit for casual reading.
July 17, 2009
A great book ! Gantz is able to select some of the most interesting Early Irish texts and stories and present them in a very clear way all translated into English.
The only thing I miss from this book is sometimes that it could have more references and information about the texts - that would be useful specially for academics who wants to use the early Irish texts as historical sources.
In spite of that, it's a nice book and you're really able to have a good contact with early Irish world.
The only thing I miss from this book is sometimes that it could have more references and information about the texts - that would be useful specially for academics who wants to use the early Irish texts as historical sources.
In spite of that, it's a nice book and you're really able to have a good contact with early Irish world.
March 10, 2022
мне по-прежнему тяжело читать тексты то и дело накатывает ощущение отупления и бессмысленности но это неизбежно пары по расписанию а потому читаю в два раза медленнее чем обычно пытаюсь понимать рисовать в голове картинки чувствовать
не знаю какое издание логнуть потому что все сборники разные у меня вот огромная хрестоматия по ирландии и исландии вместе поэтому выписываю все прочитанное с короткими заметками чтобы не забыть
все фантастические саги конечно волшебство блеск слезы счастья и красота. исчезновение кондлы - чудо зачарованное с полнотой опустошения в конце, плавание брана - прохладная сила слабнущая рука с хрустальными цветами уход за горизонт, любовь к этайн - томление и безуспешное ночное бдение (сначала вы говорите что невозможно релейтиться с героями средневека а потом гг буквально просыпает свидание с любимой. три ночи подряд), повесть о байле доброй славы - деревянные дощечки-расколы-потери-обретения, приключения кормака в обетованной стране - сказочные пересчеты перестуки невидимого маятника и саспенс такой что хичкоку должно быть завидно (варится по частям кабан а я грызу ногти от напряжения)
саги героически неизбежно муторнее и тяжелее кровь кровь подвиги кровь кухулин красавец - почему? у него буквально семь пальцев на руках и ногах семь зрачков в ярости один глаз куда-то проваливается и волосы трех цветов (эмо-бой). серьезно дорогие ирландские женщины зачем вам он когда есть Они (имена их извлекли из пергаментной пыли фанд елену медб этайн дейрдре милой нежный стан) ваши королевы магички воительницы. короче прочла вот весь цикл о кухулине (рождение сватовство фрагменты из угона быка болезнь смерть) + повесть о кабане мак-дато (чисто мальчикам делать нечего) + недуг уладов (ну что сказать.. бывает) + изгнание сыновей уснеха (густо красочно трагично черный белый красный ненависть и страсть)
вот из-за угнетающей воинственности героических ставлю четверку а фантастические искренне советую вообще всем (если кто дочитал до этого момента) почитайте прямо сейчас любую они крошечные но возможно возможно способны скрасить ваш вечер унести утянуть по блестящему морю в вечную страну прохладных радостей
не знаю какое издание логнуть потому что все сборники разные у меня вот огромная хрестоматия по ирландии и исландии вместе поэтому выписываю все прочитанное с короткими заметками чтобы не забыть
все фантастические саги конечно волшебство блеск слезы счастья и красота. исчезновение кондлы - чудо зачарованное с полнотой опустошения в конце, плавание брана - прохладная сила слабнущая рука с хрустальными цветами уход за горизонт, любовь к этайн - томление и безуспешное ночное бдение (сначала вы говорите что невозможно релейтиться с героями средневека а потом гг буквально просыпает свидание с любимой. три ночи подряд), повесть о байле доброй славы - деревянные дощечки-расколы-потери-обретения, приключения кормака в обетованной стране - сказочные пересчеты перестуки невидимого маятника и саспенс такой что хичкоку должно быть завидно (варится по частям кабан а я грызу ногти от напряжения)
саги героически неизбежно муторнее и тяжелее кровь кровь подвиги кровь кухулин красавец - почему? у него буквально семь пальцев на руках и ногах семь зрачков в ярости один глаз куда-то проваливается и волосы трех цветов (эмо-бой). серьезно дорогие ирландские женщины зачем вам он когда есть Они (имена их извлекли из пергаментной пыли фанд елену медб этайн дейрдре милой нежный стан) ваши королевы магички воительницы. короче прочла вот весь цикл о кухулине (рождение сватовство фрагменты из угона быка болезнь смерть) + повесть о кабане мак-дато (чисто мальчикам делать нечего) + недуг уладов (ну что сказать.. бывает) + изгнание сыновей уснеха (густо красочно трагично черный белый красный ненависть и страсть)
вот из-за угнетающей воинственности героических ставлю четверку а фантастические искренне советую вообще всем (если кто дочитал до этого момента) почитайте прямо сейчас любую они крошечные но возможно возможно способны скрасить ваш вечер унести утянуть по блестящему морю в вечную страну прохладных радостей
March 17, 2020
3.5 → 4; This meticulously evaluated collection of early Irish myths and legends would be a genuine gem of its kind, if the translator minutely took heed about the translation lest become such arid, tedious and in lack of literary poetics, resembling mere amanuensis’ work composed of keen reciting. Majority of the content is taken from “The Book of Leinster” and comprises mostly the legends from the Ulster cycle – the most extensive and the most beautiful sequence in Celtic mythology. However, if the reader isn’t even basically acquainted with postulates of the Irish branch of Celtic mythology, particularly from the earliest Mythological cycle (i.e. of Irish so-called pseudo-history about the five invasions on Ireland, and especially Tuatha Dé Danann), and isn’t familiar with the tribal hero Cú Chulainn, king Ailill and queen Maeb of Connacht and famous king Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster, then these tales would be quite a nuisance and laborious to tape. But “The Wooing of Etain”, “The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel” and especially “The birth and Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn” are the cornerstone of the Irish mythology and the style-mould of the majority of the early Irish texts.
August 20, 2017
Pretty good. I enjoyed the comical ones the most by far and thought it was rather amusing in itself that they couldn't tell if it was an actual text or an ancient parody of a text. In the introduction to one it said something like "an older version was discovered which was corrupted and didn't make sense and had parts missing. Then a newer version was discovered which was complete and well written. We will be presenting the earlier one" like.....why?? Also how there were allusions to the Cattle raid of Cúailnge all the way through and all of the texts seemed almost prequels to it but then it wasn't included! To be fair if it's very long I can understand why but that did seem a little odd. The translation was all fine as far as I can tell, it was just the choice of text I thought was weird although it did say that there are really only 2 omissions so maybe this is all there is to choose from. I couldn't help but feel all the way through that it was just a worse version of the Mabinogion (The Welsh counterpart). I did like that they were the same characters recurring in almost every story; often with these it takes ages to get your head round everyone so this was useful.
April 21, 2024
As I lover of all things mythology, I started this book ages ago and thought that I’d fly through but just couldn’t. Apparently the Seanchaí ( storytellers) used to get free bed and board for each tale told but, cynical me, thinks they drew each story out to get additional nights of hospitality- lots of repetition left me wanting to shout ‘Get to the Point’. Appreciate that it was a direct translation so , going forward, I’ll look for an abridged version 😂
May 7, 2024
As a translation, it falls further foreign than familiar, which may be a clearer window to its source for those familiar but came off as clumsier to my read, especially in the dialogue. I found every story with Cú Chulainn more interesting than those without, which may be pure personal bias. Personally, I think I'd enjoy this more after other reads of the material so that I'm not scrambling to remember who everyone is.
If nothing else, this should help the Táin feel less overwhelming.
If nothing else, this should help the Táin feel less overwhelming.
January 25, 2018
I'm now even more interested in the modernized versions of Yeats. I don't know much about Gaelic to judge the quality of this translation, but at times it was a bit difficult to read, so I suppose I'll have less problems with that. Anyway, it has been an interesting introduction.
July 4, 2023
I can imagine that these myths and stories are quiet compelling if related properly,... But the translator sucks all the drama out of them and just gives the reader dry and academic renderings. There is no pleasure in reading this book, it just feels like doing homework.
August 7, 2024
Beaucoup moins compliqué que les mythes gallois et par conséquent plus agréable ! Assez originaux pour certains aussi. Top notch!
April 7, 2021
All the stories with Cú Chulainn are fantastic, as is Derdriu's story. However, it's very clear that these stories were meant for the oral tradition, as they're quite repetitive and sometimes reference events, places ,and characters that audience members would have known offhand but modern readers won't necessarily grasp. All things considered, if you're looking for great sagas, stick with Iceland.
July 11, 2015
These stories... are really hilarious. I mean they are seriously great. It is one of the most tragic things that I will never be able to hear these recited to me and five hundred others in a great hall over the course of three days by a bard who truly knows his craft, because these fragmented translations--they can't capture how great these stories really were. Instead there are only glimpses of what these could be. Also, they're really funny. Like half these stories only happen because the Irish will apparently fight anything that moves solely on the basis of 'why wouldn't we fight them?' Cú Chulaind has a power that when he's angry he can pull one eyeball into his head so far that 'a heron can't reach it,' and protrude the other until it's the size of a cauldron. I mean... what kind of power is that even. How is that useful at all. This is, you will note, the man who can perform the 'hero's salmon leap,' a feat for nine men, and in fact does on several notable occasions. The hero's salmon leap. This is a Naruto move if I ever heard one. Only better because it's from ancient Ireland.
The translator notes in this book are really cool as well; the introduction was wildly interesting, and I loved reading the bits of interpretation and thoughts about reconciling different versions before each story. If I ever get a time machine, I'm going back to Ireland before the time of Christianity.
Also, the in-depth descriptions of every single warrior could legitimately give GRR Martin a run for his money. Weirdly, they kind of made me want to paint every single minor warrior in these stories. And then write my own stories about them, since they had about a paragraph each and never showed up again. Why aren't there more modern adaptations of old Irish myths? (I need to see someone perform the hero's salmon leap on the big screen. Please.)
Sorrow is stronger than the sea
if you are wise, Conchobar.
The translator notes in this book are really cool as well; the introduction was wildly interesting, and I loved reading the bits of interpretation and thoughts about reconciling different versions before each story. If I ever get a time machine, I'm going back to Ireland before the time of Christianity.
Also, the in-depth descriptions of every single warrior could legitimately give GRR Martin a run for his money. Weirdly, they kind of made me want to paint every single minor warrior in these stories. And then write my own stories about them, since they had about a paragraph each and never showed up again. Why aren't there more modern adaptations of old Irish myths? (I need to see someone perform the hero's salmon leap on the big screen. Please.)
Sorrow is stronger than the sea
if you are wise, Conchobar.
February 5, 2017
"...the resultant repetitions and duplications must have sounded better in a chieftain's banquet hall than they look in print"
This is the essential problem with this collection. The culture that originated these stories was an illiterate one. These stories were passed along orally, embroidered and embellished, and never told the same way twice. The subsequent attempts to write them down, then, which this is a translation of, only really capture the framework of the stories around which the storytellers would weave their tales. For history this is a useful collection, but for entertainment, and that is what these stories are, try Eileen O'Faolain's wonderful Irish Sagas & Folk Tales.
This is the essential problem with this collection. The culture that originated these stories was an illiterate one. These stories were passed along orally, embroidered and embellished, and never told the same way twice. The subsequent attempts to write them down, then, which this is a translation of, only really capture the framework of the stories around which the storytellers would weave their tales. For history this is a useful collection, but for entertainment, and that is what these stories are, try Eileen O'Faolain's wonderful Irish Sagas & Folk Tales.
June 2, 2019
Overview
I couldn't finish this book. I was really interested in the myths and legends, but just found this too dry, and laborious a read to really get into. Therefore, I will not be writing a full review of it.
Thoughts
I clearly need to find a good interpreted version of these Irish Myths and Legends. As they are laid out in this book, and the stuff around them written, this book has all the feel, and lack of joy, I would have thought to find in a text book. If that is what it is for, then great. However, it is certainly not for me.
Finally
I will journey on, and hopefully find a more readable version of these myths.
I couldn't finish this book. I was really interested in the myths and legends, but just found this too dry, and laborious a read to really get into. Therefore, I will not be writing a full review of it.
Thoughts
I clearly need to find a good interpreted version of these Irish Myths and Legends. As they are laid out in this book, and the stuff around them written, this book has all the feel, and lack of joy, I would have thought to find in a text book. If that is what it is for, then great. However, it is certainly not for me.
Finally
I will journey on, and hopefully find a more readable version of these myths.
November 22, 2007
This book is a book of myths and sagas that were handed down threw many generations of the Irish. I would recomend to those who can handle reading dry and repitious books. It has color, character and a unique perspective at times, and gives an idea of how the Irish came to be who they are. However, it can be like reading The Silmirilion by Tolkien. The lists of things, names and events spirals out of control at times and gets confusing and boring.
June 12, 2022
The book is missing many notes that would help readers know the characters. It is not for a novice to Irish mythology. It does not fully connect or relate the stories into a relatable framework. While the stories are incomplete due to historical artifacts lacking, the author makes no effort to explain why variations or transitions to the story occur. It was not a terrible work, but I felt there is much that could have been done to enhance the reading experience.
March 30, 2018
This was a bit of a mix. There are some interesting and unique storylines here, but often mixed in with over-done repetition. It does get to a point where it drags the narrative down. Perhaps these stories were originally recited by a chorus of storytellers, each taking a turn at telling one part. And if most of the audience was drunk, perhaps few would notice the repetitions...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2022
tbh i didn't read one or two stories, because of how frustrating they were... however, some of then were pretty ok, even though the translation (probably? i really don't know- it's the first book in the genre I've read) was not that good...
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