"Green...is a superlative researcher and a clear, often eloquent writer. In this gorgeously-illustrated volume, she approaches Celtic art in terms of what it expresses about Celtic culture's spiritual beliefs and social organization. After an excellent, concise introduction...Green explores class and gender through an examination of jewelry...and reveals a Celtic world in which rich princesses enjoyed wine and song with male counterparts....A fine addition wherever interest in matters Celtic runs high."-- "Booklist. 176 pages, 118 color illus., 6 b/w illus., 6 1/2 x 9 1/4.
An examination of the religious beliefs of the people of the Roman province of Britain, from the Celtic background to the composite religion which eventually emerged.
In this authoritative account, Miranda Green unravels the truth about the Druids. Examining the archaeological evidence, Classical commentaries and early Welsh and Irish myths, she shows that the Druids were fully integrated into Celtic societyfulfilling varied and necessary roles, both secular and religious. The Roman writers are seen to reflect the double standards of an invading society: condemning as barbaric the public sacrifice of enemies by the Druids while accepting as civilized their own practice of slaughter for sport in the arena. Yet the Classical sources can be used to help reveal the real Druids. We learn of their multiple roles as judges, teachers, healers, magicians, philosophers, religious leaders and fomenters of rebellion
Newly engaged, Ellie is thrilled to be accepted into the loving Cooper clan--which seems like the perfect family she never had--until she begins to realize that Dan's mom, Linda, is a little too involved. Dan and Linda talk on the phone every day. Twice a day. As Dan and Ellie's intimate civil wedding ceremony gets transformed into a black-tie affair, Ellie begins to wonder if it's possible to marry the man without marrying his mother. As troubles mount, Ellie turns to her friends--glamorous Lisa, who always looks like she's just stepped off a runway, and wonderfully frazzled Trish--and tries to rediscover the independence she once had, and the man she still loves. But it seems that having a child and saving a marriage means growing up in ways she'd never imagined . . . A warm, witty, and wise look at mothers-in-law and what they teach us about ourselves, The Other Woman is sure to please Jane Green's growing legion of fans.
This is a fascinating book about the Celts and their religion, which covers
all aspects of the gods, ritual customs, cult-objects and sacred places of the
ancient Celtic peoples.
As well as vividly exploring the tales, the author brings her expertise in the
archaeology of the Iron Age and particularly shamanism to bear on the mythical
worlds she describes, with evidence as diverse as the Gundestrup Cauldron and
the famous bog bodies. She also asks how the myths survived the
Christianization of Europe.
Fascinujúci úvod do sveta keltských mýtov a legiend Detailný prehľad keltskej mytológie od druidov a svätého grálu cez čarovné kotly až po magické obludy. Autorka majstrovsky využíva dôkazy z rukopisov, artefaktov a nápisov, aby preskúmala svet Keltov a ich mytológie. Venuje sa tomu, ako a vďaka komu sa mýty šírili medzi ľuďmi, rozoberá írske a waleské mýty, ich hlavné postavy a motívy a zamýšľa sa nad témami, ako sú hrdinovia, zvieratá, ženy, prostredie a zásvetie (onen svet). V závere rozoberá, ako mýty prežili kristianizáciu Európy a ako príbehy ovplyvnili kláštorní pisári, čo zachovali a čo si prispôsobili.
Na stránkach knihy sa stretnete s nadprirodzeným obsadením keltských legiend: s írskym bojovníkom Cú Chulainnom, ktorého povestná sila už v detstve predznamenala jeho hrdinský život, s waleskými milencami Culhwchom a Olwen, ktorých dlhé a šťastné manželstvo vzišlo z Culhwchových herkulovských činov, s tragickým Lleuom, ktorého zradila manželka, či s výpravou kráľa Artuša a jeho rytierov za bájnym svätým grálom.
Kniha očarí čitateľov, ktorí sa s keltskou mytológiou ešte nestretli, ale vďaka detailnému a analytickému spracovaniu uspokojí aj tých, ktorí tieto príbehy už poznajú. Plusom je množstvo ilustrácií posvätných predmetov, miest a krajinných úkazov.
Starověcí Keltové mezi lety 600 p.n.l. až 400 n.l. obývali většinu Evropy. Nezanechali nám písemné památky, přesto keltské legendy a mýty přetrvaly věky. Irské a velšské mýty - vzrušující příběhy božstev, nadlidských hrdinů a magických příšer - byly zaznamenány křest'anskými písaři, kteří tak uchovali velkou část pohanské mytologie. Díky archeologii a výkladům antických autorů pře námi defiluje fascinující soubor keltských jmen, obrazů a symbolů, stejně jako doklad o obřadech a rituálech, jejichž prostřednictvím Keltové komunikovali s říší nadpřirozena.
