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Book Review:  The Legendary Past, Celtic Myths by Miranda Green
(Reprinted from Oak Leaves Yule 1999)

Miranda Green's Celtic Myths is an excellent introductory study of Celtic mythology for the period from 600BC to 400AD.  Celtic Mythsis a succinct (78 pages in length) and general introduction to Celtic mythology.  Green acknowledges the difficulties in the study of Celtic mythology from the outset, citing the lack of written documents from ancient Celtic writers as well as the bias shown by contemporary sources, Green relies heavily on archeological evidence to support written chronicles, particularly in the case of her treatment of sacrifices. 

The first chapters address the early myths of Ireland and the Ulster Cycle.  Green cites ancient texts such as The Book of Invasions and the Tain Bo Cuailnge as her primary sources of Celtic mythology in Ireland.  While she notes that these sources are to be approached with caution a Christian scholars compiled them during the medieval period, Green attempts to justify their use as the only resources available to the modern scholar, particularly for the study of Pagan Ireland.  Furthermore, Green points out that there are very few "Christian" inclinations in the texts.  While the reliance on such texts as factual representations of the actual practice of religion in Pagan Ireland are dangerous, these sources may still be valuable for use in reconstructing the general Celtic pantheon and myths related to the pantheon.  When possible, Green attempts to correlate written evidence with archeological and linguistic evidence. 

Green provides a description of the Welsh mythology in the chapters following coverage of Irish myths.  She again makes use of vernacular sources in her treatment of Welsh mythology, relying on the Four Branches of the Mabrinogi, the Tale of Culhwch and Olwen and trhe Dream of Rhonabwy.  From these sources she demonstrates common characteristics shared by Welsh and Irish Celtic deities.  Green occasionally discusses the similarities of mainland Celtic myths to those of the Isles. 

After the introduction to the primary Celtic myths of Ireland and Wales and a brief glance at the Celtic mainland, Green examines specific attributes of Celtic mythology.  She spends a fair amount of time exploring the symbolism of water, sky, sun and animals in ancient Celtic religion.  The central theme is "numinosity (the presence of spirits) in all aspects of the natural world."  Her treatment of the spiritual aspects of groves, springs, and other aspects of nature is not confined to the Isles, but encompasses the entire Celtic world.  Green does an admirable job of demonstrating the vastness of the Celtic world and the similarities in myths.  In this area of study she relies heavily on archeological sources. 

After her substantive examination of Celtic myths and pantheons, Green progresses to a brief examination of the ritual of the Celtic religion.  Again, relying heavily on archaeology, and more cautiously on contemporary classical writings, Green studies the role of Druids in religious ritual.  Her treatment of the Druid in Celtic society is almost exclusively related to their place in religious practice, although she does concede that they possessed a larger role.  The study is primarily focused on ritual acts, specifically sacrifices and votive offerings.  Green treats the issue of human sacrifice fairly, noting that there is little archeological evidence supporting the practice of ritual murder.  In cases where archaeology indicates the possibility of human sacrifice, Green notes that it is impossible to distinguish between death caused by ritual actions and corpses which had ritual practices performed on them after death. 

Green concludes Celtic Myths with study of the Celtic concepts of death, rebirth and the Otherworld.  She conducts a thorough examination of the nature of the Celtic Otherworld and the Celtic concepts of transmigration of the soul, death and rebirth.  In her study she relates the common symbols associated with Otherworld creatures and deities. 

The experienced scholar may find Celtic Myths limited in content.  However, for those seeking an introduction to the myths and deities of the Celtic world Celtic Myths is more than satisfactory.  Green's study of the central themes and figures in ancient Celtic myths is exceptionally well suited to those seeking general reference or knowledge.  The most apparent weakness of Green's work lies in her reliance on the vernacular chronicles.  Despite her confession that the use of such texts possesses certain dangers, Green relies heavily on them to discern the attributes of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses.  In her defence, she does attempt to correlate written work with archeological evidence.  In the end, the shortcomings of Celtic Myths are a result of the scarcity of reliable primary sources.  I highly recommend Celtic Myths as an introductory read.