Why am I passionate about this?
In Ireland, thereâs barely a rock or a hedge that doesnât have a story attached to it. Lots of them are dark, some are sexy and many are downright hilarious. I myself grew up near a river whose name in the Irish language means âeyeballsâ. We lived a short but rocky drive from Gleann Nimhe, A.K.A., âPoisoned Glenâ, and the origins of these names lie in tales that are even more twisted than you might expect. My very Catholic school relished enthralling its overcrowded classrooms with these pagan stories. We were introduced to gods and saints, famous slaughters, and tragic heroines. For some of us, it sank in. Deep.
Peadar's book list on exploring Irish mythology
Why did Peadar love this book?
This is a fascinating look at the perceptions of Irish mythology at different points throughout our history. Thereâs always a lot of fuss on the internet about fantasy writers who get our mythology âwrongâ, but Mark Williams shows that the legends themselves and their themes have evolved constantly to reflect the concerns and mores of the times and of the storytellers themselves. Irelandâs Immortals is almost an academic proof of the thesis laid out in Robert Holdstockâs brilliant novel, Mythago Wood, which -- it goes without saying -- I also highly recommend.
1 author picked Ireland's Immortals as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
A sweeping history of Ireland's native gods, from Iron Age cult and medieval saga to the Celtic Revival and contemporary fiction
Ireland's Immortals tells the story of one of the world's great mythologies. The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation's languages, the book describes how Ireland's pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era-and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lively narrative of supernatural beings and their fascinating andâŚ