Understanding Celtic Religion

Katja Ritari

ISBN 10: 1783167920 / ISBN 13: 9781783167920

Published by University of Wales Press, GB, 2015

About this Item

Although it has long been acknowledged that the early Irish literary corpus preserves both pre-Christian and Christian elements, the challenges involved in the understanding of these different strata have not been subjected to critical examination. This volume draws attention to the importance of reconsidering the relationship between religion and mythology, as well as the concept of 'Celtic religion' itself. When scholars are attempting to construct the so-called 'Celtic' belief system, what counts as 'religion'? Or, when labelling something as 'religion' as opposed to 'mythology', what do these entities entail? This volume is the first interdisciplinary collection of articles which critically reevaluates the methodological challenges of the study of 'Celtic religion'; the authors are eminent scholars in the field of Celtic Studies representing the disciplines of theology, literary studies, history, law and archaeology, and the book represents a significant contribution to the present scholarly debate concerning the pre-Christian elements in early medieval source materials.Contents1 Introduction: 'Celtic Religion': Is this a Valid Concept?, Alexandra Bergholm and Katja Ritari2 Celtic Spells and Counterspells, Jacqueline Borsje (available Open Access at the University of Amsterdam Digital Academic Repository)3 The Gods of Ireland in the Later Middle Ages, John Carey4 Staging the Otherworld in Medieval Irish Literature, Joseph Falaky Nagy5 The Biblical Dimension of Early Medieval Latin Texts, Thomas O'Loughlin6 Ancient Irish Law Revisited: Rereading the Laws of Status and Franchise, Robin Chapman Stacey7 A Dirty Window on the Iron Age? Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Pre-Roman Celtic Religion, Jane Webster.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781783167920

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Understanding Celtic Religion
• Publisher: University of Wales Press, GB
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1783167920
• ISBN 13: 9781783167920
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Although it has long been acknowledged that early Irish literature contains both pre-Christian and Christian elements, there’s been no sustained study of the challenges involved in understanding the interrelation of these worldviews. Understanding Celtic Religion draws attention to the importance of reconsidering the relationship between religion and mythology, as well as the concept of “Celtic religion” itself. When scholars are attempting to construct the Celtic belief system, what counts as religion, and how does that differ from mythology? This volume, the first interdisciplinary collection of articles to critically re-evaluate the methodological challenges of the study of Celtic religion, will appeal to both scholars and lay readers of Celtic literature, as well as anyone interested in ancient and medieval cultures.

About the Authors

Katja Ritari is a research fellow at the Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Studies.

Alexandra Bergholm is a lecturer in the study of religions at the University of Helsinki. Together, they have previously edited Approaches to Religion and Mythology in Celtic Studies.