Celtic Source

Many of the characters in Welsh and Irish myths are believed to be medieval versions of earlier Celtic gods. But did medieval audiences and readers see them in the same way? What was the medieval relationship to Celtic myth? Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird tries to answer the question. Courses on Celtic myth: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

In this addendum to our long rangeing conversation about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, poet and storyteller Tom Hirons talks about what brings some poems and stories to life. Courses on Celtic myth: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight isn't just an old poem about chivalry and codes of honour, it also appears to be a meditation upon different types of masculinity. Which story about the sacred masculine is being told here? In this fifth part of a long rangeing discussion between Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird and the poet and storyteller, Tom Hirons, we enter the final stages of our exploration. Courses...

Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird and Tom Hirons venture into the pagan wilds of the English classic, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Many scholars have commented on the mixture of Christian and Pagan beliefs in the poem, but why did the anonymous author contrast the two types of belief so explicitly? The fourth part in the series. Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird and Tom Hirons talk through a poem by Hirons, 'Sometimes a Wild God', and some of it's connections to the Green Knight. The following discussion explores Sir Gawain's relationship with Lady Bertilak and what this can tell us about medieval and modern ideas of sexuality. Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

In this second part of the conversation between the poet Tom Hirons and myself we explore the different tensions in Sir Gawain, initially between desire and death, and then between the different types of morality that can be read in the poem. Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird and Tom Hirons discuss the Middle English classic Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The first part in an extensive conversation exploring what the enigmatic story-in-verse means and it's relationship to the first branch of the Mabinogi.   Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

The Mabinogi contain many influences and draw on many sources. In this last talk on Rhiannon's Mabinogi, we look at W.J. Gruffydd's conclusions about how the Mabinogi evolved, and take a brief look at later scholars who disagree with his basic premise.

There are several stories in the Welsh tradition and beyond about stolen children and their mothers, but what do they mean? Part 6 of Rhiannon's Mabinogi. Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

Manawydan in Welsh myth and Manannán in Irish myth are often considered variations on the same mythological figure. But is this true? And if so what connects them? Part 6 of Rhiannon's Mabinogi.  Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

An interlude from Rhiannon's Mabinogi series: To really understand a myth we need to understand the tradition in which it arises. So what is the broader tradition that Ceridwen's myth comes from?   Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page/

Both Rhiannon's and Branwen's stories in the Mabinogi express some of the most tragic themes in Celtic myth. They are also very similar to later folktales from other traditions. In comparing all of these stories we find some very interesting ideas and beliefs common to many of them.

Myths about immortal fathers and miraculous births are found in many cultures across the world, including the stories of the Welsh and the Irish. What does this widespread myth tell us about mythology itself?

In this second video on W.J.Gruffydd's classic of Celtic scholarship, Rhiannon we explore his comparison of the Irish story the Conception of Mongán with the Welsh story of Pwyll in Annwfn. What can this tell us about Celtic myth?

The story of Rhiannon is found in the first and third branches of the Mabinogi. One of the most important books written on the subject is Rhiannon by W.J. Gruffydd, one of Wales' most prominent poets and scholars of the 20th century. But why is his work so ingenious and contentious? This talk is the first in a series exploring this book in depth. Feel free to follow along as we work through the di...

Clearly, witchcraft — as part of the broader set of beliefs we call paganism — was an aspect of a nature religion in the folk culture of medieval Wales. But sometimes we need to be a bit careful with our terms . . .  Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.online/courses-page

A recording of the first day of the Mabinogi Challenge.   Over the course of 5 days we're working through a simple process by which you can begin to interpret and understand a short folk-tale from the Mabinogi tradition.    0:00 The Welsh storytelling tradition.  17:06 The Story of Llyn Barfog.  32:35 Q&A.  40:45 Challenge questions.   If you want to take par...

In this second talk on Canu Llywarch Hen , the 9th century Welsh poems that tell the story of Llywarch the Old and his 24 sons, we talk through Llywarch's lament for his son, the fallen warrior Gwên. This second poem confirm's much of what was suggested in the previous episode, especially the notion that the heroic ideal isn't all it's cracked up to be.   Courses on Celtic myth and folklore:...

Canu Llywarch Hen , the sequence of 9th century Welsh poems about the tragedy of Llywarch the Old and his 24 sons, is one of the most important works in Welsh literature. But far from joining in with the pomp and pageantry of traditional praise poetry, instead it reveals a darker side of the hero myth so beloved by the nobility.   Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://celticsource.onli...

In this second video on Canu Heled d ('The Song of Heledd') we look at what could have led to such a tragedy. There are suggestions in the poems that Heledd considers herself to be to blame for the death of her brother and the fall of his territory.   If you’re intending to follow the  Ystoria Taliesin  course but need an in-depth understanding of the Taliesin myth, I’d suggest subs...

Canu Heledd ('The Song of Heledd') is a sequence of 9th century Welsh poems commemorating the loss of territory to Saxons when they invaded the kingdom of Powys. The main character in these dramatic verses is Heledd, sister of Cynddylan, one of the noblemen who died defending against the attack. But Heledd is more than a voice of grief in the poetry, she also embodies the land of Powys itself.

Who wrote The Four Branches of the Mabinogi ? That's a question numerous Celtic scholars have attempted to answer over the years, but none have been able to provide definitive proof to support their claims. This lack of evidence has prompted others to venture beyond the usual suspects of monks and clerics and instead consider more uncommon candidates such as Gwenllian, warrior princess of Wales ....

Robert Graves' White Goddess is one of the most popular books ever written on modern Celtic mysticism, but as well as entrancing countless modern readers it has also enraged many Celtic scholars. Perhaps one of its greatest successes was introducing Kat Godeu ('The Battle of the Trees') to an English audience. Few had ever heard of this obscure medieval Welsh poem from the 14th century Book of Tal...

What can the almost universal practice of ritual mask wearing tell us about the Welsh bardic tradition? As far as we know, the medieval Welsh bards didn't use masks in performance, but they did take on archetypal personas such as that of the legendary Taliesin, and there are suggestions that some of these performances were considered a type of ancestral channeling. Anthropologists have studied cou...

In answer to a question that comes up every now and again: Why focus on interpretation? Shouldn’t we just cover the historical facts and let people decide for themselves what something means? Unfortunately, sometimes the facts just aren't enough . . . If you're intending to follow the new course starting tonight (8pm UK Time), please log in and take a look at the first chapter of T he Native Tales...