The Celtic Myths that Shape the Way We Think

How do myths that were deeply embedded in the customs and beliefs of their original culture find themselves retold and reinterpreted across the world, centuries or even millennia later? Focusing on ten myths that have had the greatest cultural impact and are the most relevant to our lives today, Mark Williams reveals the lasting influence of Celtic mythology, from medieval literature to the modern fantasy genre. Ten chapters recount the myths and explore the lasting influence of legendary figures including King Arthur, the Celtic figure who paradoxically became the archetypal English national hero, C· Chulainn, the hero of the Tßin, IrelandÆs great medieval epic, who became a symbol of the reborn Irish nation, the Irish and Scottish hero Finn, who as æFingalÆ caught the imagination of Napoleon, Goethe and Mendelssohn, and the Welsh mythical figure Blodeuwedd, magically created from flowers of the oak, who inspired Yeats.

Williams also explores the contentious use of mythic imagery in nationalist id