The Element Encyclopedia of the Celts. Rodney Castleden

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      CONTENTS

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright page

       Dedication

       Preface

       Introduction

       PART 1: Celtic People and Lifestyle

       PART 2: Celtic Places

       PART 3: Celtic Religion

       PART 4: Myths, Legends, and Stories

       PART 5: Symbols, Ideas, and Archetypes

       PART 6: Celtic Twilight and Revival Celtic Twilight Celtic Revival

       Brief Bibliography

       About the Publishers

       PREFACE

      “SO SLEEPS THE PRIDE OF FORMER DAYS”

      This book is an attempt to explore the entire spectrum of Celtic culture. Each of us carries, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, a particular image of the Celts and their culture. It is like a distinctive and familiar smell or flavor that we recognize as soon as we encounter it.

      To some “Celtic” means the soulful, echoing music of harps or bagpipes, or a particularly plaintive style of singing, while to others it means a political movement striving to create—or restore—a regional identity. To some it means modern team games, while to others it means clans and tartans. To some it is a wild, rocky landscape with mist, sea spray, and the roar of breaking waves, while to others it is dissent, tribal warfare, and the world of Braveheart. To some it means ancient legends about dragons, King Arthur, and the Lady of the Lake, while to others it means a lost empire that more than 2,000 years ago spanned Iron Age Europe.

      With so many different contemporary takes on Celticness, it will be useful to explore where these ideas have come from. Those who are Celts may want to relive what Thomas Moore called “the pride of former days” and bring that pride into the present, but to do that honorably there is a need to be honest about the past.

      One important idea that will emerge from this book is that the nature of Celticness has changed through time, and that means that we need to look at the Celts of 2,000 years ago, look again at the Celts of the Middle Ages, and look yet again at the Celts of today. In order to reach the true nature of Celticness, we have to establish who the Celts were—and who they are.

       INTRODUCTION

      WHO WERE THE CELTS?

      For many people, the word “Celt” conjures two different images; two quite different personalities. One is hot-blooded, fiery, passionate, quick to take offense, volatile, and argumentative. The other is quiet, nostalgic, thoughtful, contemplative, mystical, and in tune with the natural world and also with the world of the spirit. These are two quite different personalities, but they complement each other. They are the two sides of an ancient Celtic coin: the Janus faces of Celticness.

      The СКАЧАТЬ