Gather round, fellow Celts, we need to teach

[celticdragonfly]

Okay, I am finding out that my baby sister phoenixsinger has seriously missed out on the education in Celtic legends and mythos that is part of her heritage! I must fix this.

I mean, I just had to explain to her about the Seelie and Unseelie courts, and no the word was not the same as "unseemly".

(And what IS the proper old spelling of seelie? I forget. I can partially visualize it but I don't get it completely right.)

She wants to know where I should have her start reading. Boy, I want her to get her library card issues fixed quick so I can get her going on this. Definitely she has to read the Mabinogion. I know there's one translation that's recommended as the best, but I forget which. Help?

And what else shall I have her read early on? I've been so immersed in it for so long that it's hard for me to think what beginning points are. I'd have her post this so she'd get the comments, but there's lots more people on my flist than read her. What shall we give her as the starting reading list? I keep thinking of books, but then I think a lot of what I love depends on a basic beginners knowledge of the mythos.

Comments

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Well, a couple of modern takes on the concept that I highly recommend:

• War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
  
• Jack of Kinrowan by Charles deLint
  

What fun she has in front fo her! Lots of great stories to read!

[shadefell.livejournal.com]

Hm. Didn't oh.... Oh man... My brain is completely gone.

Lady somebody collected folk lore and legends of Ireland. She was Yeat's patron. I think he was involved too, but I can't say for certain, because part of my brain just died. OH man. Oh, I'm suddenly retarded. What happened to my brain?

Maybe I'll be able to do hard things like "think" and 'remember" after lunch. If so, I'll post some suggestions.

Dang it. Where has my brain gotten to?

Her name is on the tip of my tongue, too. Tip of my brain. Whatever.

[mycroftca.livejournal.com]

Love the icon...

[faxpaladin.livejournal.com]

On a related subject: Are you going to North Texas Irish Festival tomorrow (or Sunday)?

[joyeuse13.livejournal.com]

And what IS the proper old spelling of seelie?

Not sure what you mean by old spelling, but I'm sure the word is connected with the German "selig," for "holy, blessed, sacred."

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Definitely she has to read the Mabinogion. I know there's one translation that's recommended as the best, but I forget which. Help?


I wouldn't say that there's a "best" translation -- the various editions all have their strengths and weaknesses (not least in that the include different subsets of material). The Jones & Jones translation (which shows up in many different editions) follows the original Medieval Welsh language the most closely in word-choice and syntax. This makes it excellent if you want to get a feel for the shape of the language but some people complain that it ends up sounding awkward and stilted. The Jeffrey Gantz translation (Penguin editions) is less literal and flows a bit more smoothly as English, but isn't necessarily outstanding on its own as great prose. The Patrick K. Ford translation is nicely idiomatic and easy to read, and is less dated than the Gantz one. (His edition also includes several items not found in any of the other commonly available editions, e.g., the story of Taliessin.) The Lady Charlotte Guest translation has historic significance for having been the first widely published English edition of the material, but the material has been heavily bowdlerized (which, considering the amount of sex that's present in the stories, has significant effects on the content). There are a few other early editions of historic significance, but since they aren't ones you're going to be running across in the bookstore, I'll skip them.

My personal preference is for the Jones & Jones translation, but you have to keep in mind that I'm heavily language-oriented, and when I'm reading an English edition, I'm usually using it as a bit of a lazy crib for the original Medieval Welsh. After that, I'd have to promote Patrick Ford, partly just cause he's a cool guy.

It's also worth noting that if you ever intend to read any of the fantasy novelizations that lean heavily on the Mabinogi, it may be best to read them first so that the novels aren't spoilt by being constantly aware of where they've messed with the original material. (This is particularly the case for Lloyd Alexander's work -- he wasn't intending to do a reworking of the Mabinogi, but he's borrowed heavily for characters and then twisted them into something entirely different. It's less of a problem for Evangeline Walton's series, since she stuck fairly closely to the original characters and plots, but I still think I'd have had a harder time enjoying her work if I'd read it after getting into the originals.)

Of course, to properly appreciate the Mabinogi, one should read it in the original ....

[jenna-thorn.livejournal.com]

I'm coming in late to the conversation, but I'll second the Jones. It's the one I have and yes, it's a little stilted at times, but reading a tricky section aloud will compensate for any awkwardness. 8-)

The Golden Bough is the old school text, for discussion and I won't reccomend Robert Graves' The White Goddess. I know, I know, I'm a heretic, but ugh, it's unreadable in sections. Big sections. Vast tracts of land.

[jenna-thorn.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah,

are you thinking of seiligh?

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid I can't respond to your call for "fellow Celts," unless it can be shown that they travelled as far east as the Ukraine.

But, you never know!