Dictionary of Celtic Mythology - Couverture rigide

MacKillop, James

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0198691572 ISBN 13 : 9780198691570

Editeur : Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

The Celtic languages, once spoken widely, survived to modern times only on the fringes of Europe: Ireland, the Highlands of Scotland, Wales, and Brittany. The mythology of these languages derives first from ancient worship, as observed by classical commentators and as revealed by modern archaeology. Written traditions came with the introduction of Christianity, whose scribes never worshipped the older gods. Irish heroic literature, the most extensive in all Celtic languages, embraced four discrete cycles. Welsh came later with a smaller corpus. Still less was recorded in Scottish Gaelic, and narratives from Cornish, Manx, and Breton survive mostly in oral tradition. The current volume seeks to list, describe, and provide reliable spellings from both ancient and modern traditions. Listed are kings, queens, warriors, hermits, and saints, some of whom are historical but about whom many legends have accrued, and others who certainly never existed. Included also are archaelogical sites and shrines, such living creatures as the eagle and salmon, as well as concepts such as kingship. Cross-references exist from other mythologies, such as Classical and Norse, as well as links to the most Celtic of Arthurian figures, such as Merlin. The dictionary summarizes many lengthy narratives, such as The Mabinogion. Where possible, entries feature reliable etymologies and many entries have extensive bibliographical notes, including adaptations in literature. As it explains concepts and narratives, the Dictionary also becomes a handbook of early Celtic culture.

A propos du livre

Biographie de l'auteur

Dr James MacKillop is Emeritus Professor of English at Onondaga Community College (Syracuse, New York) and Past President of the American Conference for Irish Studies. He was also Professeur Invité at Université de Rennes II, Haute Bretagne, and Visiting Fellow in Celtic Languages at Harvard University. Descended from Jacobite soldiers who fought at Culloden Moor, he has lived most of his adult life in Upstate New York. He is author of Irish Literature: A Reader (1987), Fionn mac Cumhail: Celtic Myth in English Literature (1986), and Contemporary Irish Cinema (1999), all published by Syracuse University Press.

Présentation de l'éditeur

This Dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology is a comprehensive and accessible survey of one of the world's richest mythological traditions. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, saga, legend, and folklore from both ancient pagan origins, and modern traditions.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Oxford University Press
• Date d'édition: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0198691572
• ISBN 13: 9780198691570
• Reliure: Relié
• Langue: anglais
• Nombre de pages: 431
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible