Welsh Celtic Myth in Modern Fantasy

Welsh Celtic Myth in Modern Fantasy

Author: Charles William Sullivan

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1989-03-07

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13:

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This study provides a fascinating look at the various ways in which 20th-century fantasy writers have used Welsh Celtic mythology and folklore in their work. Following the theories formulated by such scholars as John Vickery and Joseph Campbell, the use of Celtic materials by each of the authors is discussed from a mythology-in-literature perspective. Sullivan presents an extensive accounting of the Celtic material used and explores the primary ways in which the authors incorporate it into their fiction, both structurally and thematically. Sullivan identifies and analyzes the nature and extent of Welsh Celtic influence on subsequent cultures and their literatures, and he considers some of the previous attempts to evaluate this influence. The appendixes provide valuable background materials, including critical commentary on the Welsh collection of myths, legends, folktales, and beliefs that are of major importance in the work of the six authors represented. Also included are extensive bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. Illuminating reading for students and scholars of mythology, modern fantasy, and children's literature, this book sheds new light on the Welsh influence in literature and opens paths for further research.


The Mabinogion Tetralogy

The Mabinogion Tetralogy

Author: Evangeline Walton

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2003-12-30

Total Pages: 962

ISBN-13: 1468307959

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The retelling of the epic Welsh myth that is “certainly among the top 5 fantasy series of the twentieth century” (sfsite.com). The Mabinogion is to Welsh mythology what the tales of Zeus, Hera, and Apollo are to Greek myth. these tales constitute a powerful work of the imagination, ranking with Tokien’s Lord of the Rings novels and T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. Evangeline Walton’s compelling rendition of these classic, thrilling stories of magic, betrayal, lost love, and bitter retribution include the encounter between Prince Pwyll and Arawn, the God of Death, which Pwyll survives by agreeing to kill the one man that Death cannot fell, and the tale of bran the blessed and his family’s epic struggle for the throne. The Mabinogion is internationally recognized as the world’s finest arc of Celtic mythology; Walton’s vivid retelling introduces an ancient world of gods and monsters, heroes, kings and quests, making accessible one of the greatest fantasy sagas of all time. “These books are not only the best fantasies of the twentieth century, but also great works of fiction. They are actual retellings of diverse legends of the Mabinogion in novel form . . . dealing with Good and Evil . . . and the nature of love.” —The Saturday Review (UK) “Magnificently conceived . . . persuasive and powerful . . . the product of keenly imaginative and well disciplined mind.” —August Derleth “Evangeline Watson’s Mabinogion books remain the benchmark against which any future retellings of the stories must be measured.” —Diana L. Paxson


Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy

Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy

Author: Dimitra Fimi

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-03-06

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1137552824

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Runner-up of the Katherine Briggs Folklore Award 2017 Winner of the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Myth & Fantasy Studies 2019 This book examines the creative uses of “Celtic” myth in contemporary fantasy written for children or young adults from the 1960s to the 2000s. Its scope ranges from classic children’s fantasies such as Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain and Alan Garner’s The Owl Service, to some of the most recent, award-winning fantasy authors of the last decade, such as Kate Thompson (The New Policeman) and Catherine Fisher (Darkhenge). The book focuses on the ways these fantasy works have appropriated and adapted Irish and Welsh medieval literature in order to highlight different perceptions of “Celticity.” The term “Celtic” itself is interrogated in light of recent debates in Celtic studies, in order to explore a fictional representation of a national past that is often romanticized and political.


Fantasy Fiction and Welsh Myth

Fantasy Fiction and Welsh Myth

Author: Kath Filmer-Davies

Publisher: Springer

Published: 1996-12-13

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1349249912

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This book examines how contemporary fantasy literature offers critical insights into western society and culture by drawing on the ancient myths of Wales. These books emphasise the need to have a set of social and personal values in order to be free from a sense of dislocation and alienation in a highly technologised society and in order to satisfy the sense of 'hiraeth' or longing for a place where one truly belongs.


The Grey King

The Grey King

Author: Susan Cooper

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2007-05-08

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1416949674

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Includes an excerpt from Silver on the tree.


Welsh Mythology and Folklore in Popular Culture

Welsh Mythology and Folklore in Popular Culture

Author: Audrey L. Becker

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2011-09-07

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 0786487259

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Examining how we interpret Welshness today, this volume brings together fourteen essays covering a full range of representations of Welsh mythology, folklore, and ritual in popular culture. Topics covered include the twentieth-century fantasy fiction of Evangeline Walton, the Welsh presence in the films of Walt Disney, Welshness in folk music, video games, and postmodern literature. Together, these interdisciplinary essays explore the ways that Welsh motifs have proliferated in this age of cultural cross-pollination, spreading worldwide the myths of one small British nation.


Ruin

Ruin

Author: John Gwynne

Publisher: Orbit

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 839

ISBN-13: 0316386308

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The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. They plan to bring Asroth and his host of the Fallen into the world of flesh, but to do so they need the seven treasures. Nathair has been deceived but now he knows the truth. He has choices to make, choices that will determine the fate of the Banished Lands. Elsewhere the flame of resistance is growing -- Queen Edana finds allies in the swamps of Ardan. Maquin is loose in Tenebral, hunted by Lykos and his corsairs. Here he will witness the birth of a rebellion in Nathair's own realm. Corban has been swept along by the tide of war. He has suffered, lost loved ones, sought only safety from the darkness. But he will run no more. He has seen the face of evil and he has set his will to fight it. The question is, how? With a disparate band gathered about him -- his family, friends, giants, fanatical warriors, an angel and a talking crow he begins the journey to Drassil, the fabled fortress hidden deep in the heart of Forn Forest. For in Drassil lies the spear of Skald, one of the seven treasures, and here it is prophesied that the Bright Star will stand against the Black Sun.


Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts

Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts

Author: C. C. J. Ellis

Publisher: Wool of Bat

Published: 2021-10-05

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9781777081775

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Upon the dramatic landscape of the Isle of Wales there have been born many creatures and beings of legend. This lushly illustrated guide delves into the dragons, beasts, fair folk, and spirits of Wales. Tales become blended and one with history, and this history meets illustration with C.C.J. Ellis' rich renderings of these creatures. Detail and colour lift these beings off the page and bring this compendium to life. Now available worldwide, this new edition includes a Welsh language guide so that each of the creatures might be known by their original Welsh names. You may have heard of the Red Dragon (Ddraig Goch) featured on the national flag of Wales, but have you heard of the Water Leaper (Llamhigyn Y Dŵr) or of the Mary White (Mari Lwyd)? C.C.J. aims to re-introduce the beasts of Welsh myth and legend to the world and bring a touch of Wales to your shelves. Part of the Wool of Bat series focused on the preservation and promotion of folklore and oral history from around the world.


British Goblins

British Goblins

Author: Wirt Sikes

Publisher: Lulu.com

Published: 2016-12-18

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13: 1365619664

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British Goblins - Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions. British Goblins does a good job at its stated purpose - collecting and loosely categorizing Welsh Folklore of every category, ranging from the reasons behind certain customs and superstitions of daily life, to descriptions and associated stories of various faeries, goblins, and giants, to descriptions of apparitions and the view of the afterlife, to more fantastic things, like dragons, standing stones, and magic wells and stones. Although a somewhat anecdotal approach is taken, the author has in fact preserved a good deal of information that might have otherwise been lost.


The Shamer’s Daughter

The Shamer’s Daughter

Author: Lene Kaaberbol

Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books

Published: 2019-09-10

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1782692266

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The first step into the thrilling middlegrade fantasy world of The Shamer Chronicles Dina has unwillingly inherited her mother's gift: the ability to elicit shamed confessions simply by looking into someone's eyes. To Dina, however, these powers are not a gift but a curse. Surrounded by fear and hostility, she longs for simple friendship. But when her mother is called to Dunark Castle to uncover the truth about a bloody triple murder, Dina must come to terms with her power - or let her mother fall prey to the vicious and revolting dragons of Dunark.