Celtic Mythology/The Mabinogion

Although I'm not very familiar with Celtic mythology,

I do know that it has influenced, and become part of,

the Arthurian tales.

I am a confirmed fan of King Arthur,

Merlin, Sir Lancelot, Guinevere,

Sir Gawain, and all the rest!!

The Celts originated as groups of tribal societies that flourished in the Europe of the Iron Age, as well as that of the Roman era.  They spoke Celtic languages, derived from a branch of the greater Indo-European language family.  These languages are still spoken in Europe, especially in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the peninsula of Brittany in France, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man.  They are also spoken on Cape Breton Island, located in Canada, as well as Patagonia (Argentina and Chile).  For further information on these languages, click on the links located within the body of this paragraph.

The earliest culture accepted as Celtic, or more properly, Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture (c. 800-450 B.C.).  By the time of the Roman conquest, this culture had spread to several regions, including the British Isles (these people are known as 'Insular Celts'), the Low Countries, a large part of Central Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, and northern Italy.

The so-called 'Continental Celts' settled in parts of France, the Alps, and Northern Italy.  The Romans called those who settled in France 'Gauls'. 

The heaviest concentrations of Celts in the Iberian peninsula resided in Spain and Portugal.  One group was located in Galicia, to the north of Spain, and the Atlantic shores of the peninsula.  Those who lived n the north and northwestern areas of Spain and Portugal were known as the Gallaecian, Astures, and Cantabrians.  They were part of the Castro culture.

There was a lot of variation in the religious practices of the Celtic religion, although the god Lugh does seem to have been revered throughout the Celtic world.

In Ireland, there's a surviving body of myths, dating from the early medieval period in that country.  Most of it deals with the Tuatha De Danann, who are a race of people in Irish mythology.  This name, 'Tuatha De Danann', if often translated as "peoples of the goddess Danu".  According to the legends the Tuatha were descended from Nemed, the leader of a group that arrived from Scythia around 2350 B.C.  Nemed is featured in The Book of Invasions, or Lebor Gabala Erenn (another translation of the title is The Book of the Taking of Ireland).  This book is a collection of poems and narratives about the mythical origin of the Irish, beginning from the creation of the world, and continuing down to the Middle Ages. 

The Irish pantheon of gods was headed by the Dagda, who was a father-figure, as well as the protector of the tribes that worshipped him.  He was an immensely powerful god.  

Then there was the Morrigan.  She was the goddess of battle, strife, and fertility, and was often depicted as a triple goddess. 

There are other important gods and goddesses in Irish mythology -- Brigid (or Brigit), who is the Dagda's daughter, Aibell, Aine, Macha, and the reigning goddess, Enu.  There is a horse goddess, named Epona, whose festival is celebrated with horse races during the summer festival.  Other gods include Nuada Airgetlam, who was the first king of the Tuatha De Danann, Goibniu, and Dian Cecht, who was the patron of healing.

More is known about Irish mythology than about Welsh mythology.  However, the tales known as the "Four Branches of the Mabinogi", are part of The Mabinogion.   

One of these is the tale of "Culhwch and Olwen", which is about a hero connected to King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.  The tale has survived in its entirety as part of the Red Book of Hergest, which is a manuscript written in the Welsh language, copied down around 1400 A.D., and containing the tales of The Mabinogion.  A fragment of the same story has also survived in the White Book of Rhydderch, copied around 1375 A.D.

Not much of Gaulish mythology has been preserved.  There are some tales that were written down by Roman writers, and mention the names of some gods, such as Taranis, Teutates and Esus, but there is little evidence to connect them to Celtic religion.

The Mabinogion

Anonymous

(Gwyn Jones, Thomas Jones, translators)

Trade Paperback, 238 pages

Published by J.M. Dent & Sons

October 7, 1993

(first published in 1949)

The Mabinogion is a collection of eleven Welsh tales, taken from medieval Welsh manuscripts.  Some scholars speculate that the date for these stories is somewhere between 1170 and 1190, A.D.  

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Closely linked to the Arthurian legends--King Arthur himself is a character--they summon up a world of mystery and magic that is still evoked by the Welsh landscape they so vividly describe. Mingling fantasy with tales of chivalry, these stories not only prefigure the later medieval romances, but stand on their own as magnificent evocations of a golden age of Celtic civilization.

This translation of The Mabinogion has, since its first appearance in 1949, been recognized as a classic in its own right. It was last revised by Gwyn Jones and his wife, Mair, in 1993.