CELTIC FOLKLORE overflows with vivid stories that fire the imagination. This book was compiled, longhand, in the field, by Joseph Jacobs in the 1890's. While these stories were originally published in the 19th. C. they probably date back to the middle ages or even further into the mists of time, back to the dawn of the Celtic race. After being passed orally from grandparents to parents to children before being recorded in the vernacular by Joseph Jacobs, one can only wonder how many evolutions and changes the stories have gone through before being cemented into print.
While some of the themes are similar to those of contemporary fairy tales, other stories in this collection are infused with a flavour that is uniquely Celtic. In Jacobs' own words,"The Celts went forth to battle, but they always fell. Yet the captive Celt has enslaved his captor in the realm of imagination." Here you will find 26 uniquely Celtic tales of horned women, breweries of eggshells, sprightly tailors, gold and silver trees, King o' Toole's goose, sea maidens, and more. Of particular interest could be the 13th century legend of Beth Gellert, wherein the dog of Llewelyn (I) the Great, Prince of Wales, protected the prince's infant son from a wolf attack. When Llewelyn arrived at the house he saw the bloodied dog and an equally bloody cot and assumed the worst and killed the dog. It was only after he slew the dog he found his son alive, under a mattress with a dead wolf alongside him. So wrought with grief was he, that he erected a memorial to the dog which still stands today in the village of Beddgelert, near Snowdon, Wales. Next time you're in Wales, be sure to pay it a visit.
In an attempt to give a library of the Celts' wealthy imagination to his readers, Jacobs has attempted to begin the readers' captivity with the earliest recordings of these tales. And captivate he does - Celtic Fairy Tales not only preserves a cultural history, but also is richly entertaining. In addition some, nay, indeed most of these stories, will not have been read nor heard by most children of today, and dare I say their parents as well. As such it will, and does, make for an interesting and captivating read. Even though the content of this book is centuries old, after reading, it will only be the dullest imagination that hasl not be ignited and set aflame.
For more info, a table of contents or to view a sample of the interior go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/Celtic.html
33% of the Publisher's profit from the sale of this book will be donated to the Prince's Trust charity.
John Halsted is CEO of Abela Publishing and an out-and-out fan of fairytales.
He founded Abela Publishing as a Social Enterprise and specialises in publishing new and old Children's stories, fairytales, folklore, myths and legends.33% of Abela Publishing's profit is donated to charities around the world. To see which charities are currently supported, go to http://www.abelapublishing.com/charity.html
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