Thames & Hudson

 

 
DICTIONARY OF CELTIC
MYTH AND LEGEND

Miranda J. Green

The ancient Celts were the greatest and most powerful of the early European peoples residing north of the Alps. Warlike, exuberant, and superstitious, they saw divinities in every facet of life and nature, venerating deities of the sun, thunder, water, war, healing, hunting, fertility, and death. They practiced human and animal sacrifice, and a powerful priesthood—the Druids—presided over much of their religious life.

The Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend covers every aspect of Celtic myth, religion, and folklore in Britain and Europe between 500 b.c. and a.d. 400. In parallel with the fruits of archaeological research, the testimony of Classical writers and the earliest recorded versions of the pagan oral traditions of Wales and Ireland provide us with a complete overview of Celtic lore. This guide presents that knowledge in over 400 copiously illustrated articles, together with a comprehensive historical introduction.

Miranda Green is the author of several books on ancient beliefs, including The World of the Druids.

ISBN 0-500-27975-6 · 6 1/4" x 91/2" · 240 illustrations · 243 pages · REFERENCE / RELIGION

order | Archaeology index

|
search | contact us | order | home