In Celtic Mythology, Philip Freeman’s aim is to redress the imbalance between the popularity of the Irish and Welsh Celtic myths and the popularity of the much more well-known Greek myths. The book is divided into an introduction, a pronunciation guide, ten chapters (essentially retellings of myths and legends), a section of notes, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.
In the eight-page introduction, Freeman provides a very brief history of the people we now call the Celts, explains that much of our knowledge of them comes from compromised sources (Greek, Roman, Christian), and discusses what survives in the languages still spoken in some of the Celtic realms. And in chapter 1, “The Earliest Celtic Gods,” he discusses Caesar’s references to the Celtic gods in some detail and refers briefly to the Greek writers Lucian and Artemidorus, using the latter as the take-off point for a brief discussion of the Celtic goddesses, suggesting something of their power.
The Irish myths. Chapter 2, “The Book of Invasions,” sets the pattern for the rest of the chapters in the book. Freeman begins with a one-page explanation of “The Book of Invasions,” the story of the various invaders who came to Ireland, and then retells, in a summary, the major narratives from that book. Chapters 3 and 4 retell two of the most famous Irish stories, “The Wooing of Étaín” and “Cú Chulainn and the Táin Bó Cuailnge,” each one preceded by a brief explanatory paragraph. Chapter 5, “Tales from the Ulster Cycle,” contains eight tales, including “Briccriu’s Feast” and “The Death of Cú Chulainn.” Chapter 6 contains five stories in “Stories of the Irish Otherworld,” and chapter 7 contains two stories in “Finn the Outlaw,” concluding the Irish section.
The Welsh myths. Chapter 8, “Welsh Mythology--The Mabinogi,” retells the interlinked stories from “The Four Branches of The Mabinogi,” Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, Branwen Daughter of Llyr, Manawydan Son of Llyr, and Math Son of Mathonwy.” Chapter 9, “Welsh Stories and Sagas,” contains Lludd and Lleuelys, Gwion Bach and Taliesin, and Culhwch and Olwen, concluding the Welsh section.
The final chapter, 10, is entitled “Christian Mythology” and tells the stories of the, perhaps, historical figures about whom legends have grown: Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid, and Saint Brendan. Freeman explains, “[T]he ancient themes of Celtic mythology were blended with Christian traditions” (213). The notes explain the sources for the narratives Freeman retells, the glossary provides definitions or explanations of people, places, important dates, and the like, and the page-and-a-half bibliography provides some sources for additional research or study.
In a back-cover blurb, Celtic scholar Barry Cunliffe states that Freeman has provided a “spirited retelling” and a good place “to begin learning” about the Celtic narratives--and therein lie some of the difficulties with this book. It is unclear to what audience this book is addressed. An Oxford University Press publication suggests a serious and scholarly work, but this is not a volume for scholars or even advanced students. At best, this is a volume for undergraduates, but there are some problems here as well. There is very little context provided for the tales, either in the introduction or the brief headnotes to each section. And the tales themselves are, for the most part, abbreviated versions of longer narratives that appear in more complete and easily accessible works; Freeman’s retelling of stories from The Mabinogion, for example, leaves out some salient details that make the Four Branches an important cultural document--and nowhere in the text is it noted that these tales are abbreviations.
In terms of scholarly apparatus, Celtic Mythology is seriously lacking as well. The pronunciation guide is brief and covers only the most obvious differences between English and Celtic pronunciations--although Freeman does admit this and refers the reader to other, more complete, guides. The page-and-a-half bibliography includes few of the complete collections and foundational studies of either the literatures or the culture from which they came. The chapter endnotes on Freeman’s sources are some help, but where are Gerhard Herm, Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones, Nora Chadwick, Rachel Bromwich, Peter Beresford Ellis, and so many others? Did Oxford University Press limit the bibliography? Even a beginning student would need additional guidance should she wish to pursue research into Celtic mythology. And although he hints at the problems of defining “mythology,” and they are indeed many, Freeman’s definition of mythology--“for this book . . . a myth is a traditional tale about gods and heroes” (xiv)--is overly simplistic and possibly misleading.
I agree that the “retelling” is, as Cunliffe, said, “spirited,” but if Freeman’s book is a good place for people “to begin learning” about the Celtic narratives, as Cunliffe also said, Celtic Mythology might find its place in undergraduate world mythologies courses or among readers at the high school and junior high school levels.
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[Review length: 811 words • Review posted on September 6, 2018]