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James MacKillop
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A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford Quick Reference)

by James MacKillop (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 59 ratings
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A comprehensive and accessible survey of one of the world's richest mythological traditions. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, saga, legend, and folklore from both ancient and modern traditions, in 4,000 entries ranging from brief definitions to short essays. An introductory essay explores the origins and identity of Celts, the history of the Celtic revival, and the meaning and role of mythology. An excellent source for those curious about the mystical myths of the Celts.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198609671
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198609674
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    September 23, 2004
  5. Part of series
    Oxford Quick Reference
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.7 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  8. Print length
    490 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

`Review from previous edition This definitive reference guide to all things Celtic . . . reveals an ancient world full of treachery, bloody vengeance, kingship, and fearsome monsters at crossroads.' Catholic Times`A brilliant, detailed, and authoritative guide to wonderful legends, mighty heroes, lost cities, and timeless stories of love, revenge, nobility, and treachery. The perfect introduction to a vibrant people.' Bristol Evening Post

About the Author

Dr James MacKillop, President, American Conference for Irish Studies; Professor of English at Onondaga Community College (Syracuse, New York).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (September 23, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 490 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198609671
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198609674
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 59 ratings

About the author

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James MacKillop

James MacKillop

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
59 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Hollybelle M
5.0 out of 5 stars Almost an essential tool for Celtic research
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
In keeping with the grand tradition of Oxford “guides”, contains even (especially) obscure resources . Excellent companion for Celtic research .
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Anonymous Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
I am writing a novel which has quite a bit of Celt mythology in it (yes it is fantasy) and I want to "respect" the old stories as some things you just cannot make up. This is a treasure, a bible of Celt mythology. I have a ton of resources, books and online and find opening a book is far easier than obtaining the information online BUT I do make comparisons...Celt mythology has so many stories and characters which are subjective to the writer's POV or their resource. I try to flush out the more consistent descriptions and narratives and use those in my novel. You can tell a good book of this nature by how many times you have picked it up and how many dog ears it has and I can say many for both!
4 people found this helpful
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Nero Wolfe
5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Have for Celt-o-philes and Celtic-leaning Wiccans and Pagans!
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2006
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So you listen to Loreena MacKennitt and love you a good Celtic knot. You know vaguely that Brigid is a Christian saint who started as an Irish goddess, and that Taliesin had something to do with bards. If you want to learn more, pick up this book. Sure it's a dictionary, but if you have a couple hours, you could read it cover to cover and come away with more colorful stories of heros and gods and beasts than you ever could have imagined. For being a reference book, it reads as well as most short story compendiums. Informative and a fun read!
7 people found this helpful
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LughAedh
5.0 out of 5 stars MacKillops: Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is, in my view, the best Dictionary of Celtic Mythology available anywhere. I teach a course Celtic Mythology & found
MacKillops broad scope appealing & his detailed descriptions of older Celtic gods/deities/heroes to be refreshingly
insightful. The immediacy of being able to focus in on one particular figure in Celtic Myth is very helpful. I will be
requiring students to purchase this "dictionary" which would be more appropriately termed an "Encyclopedia".
4 people found this helpful
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Eerie Ka
5.0 out of 5 stars Score
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2013
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Awesome find for anyone who knows their Celtic Legends and wants to be able to skim and remonise over the names and deeds. A great way to find everything you know but cant prove to yourself without written evidence.
One person found this helpful
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Christina Black
4.0 out of 5 stars Meh
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021
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Great if you are looking for a strict dictionary reference, but not if you need more in depth information.
One person found this helpful
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William K. O'Brien
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015
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This is an Encyc lopedia. Fascinating and thorough for its breadth and scope and a must for Celtic scholars!
One person found this helpful
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F. P. Barbieri
3.0 out of 5 stars Useful but flawed
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2003
Quite frankly, if this is the best reference work on Celtic legends and culture, this only goes to show how very bad the rest are. Other reviewers have pointed out the irrelevant English items and very bad etymology; I would like to add that the book is infuriatingly uneven in its references. Some I have been able to track down; other entries have no origin listed at all, which has resulted, in one case, in a desperate and completely unavailing trawl through EVERY TITLE in the Brittany bibliography - and that for a reference which is absolutely fundamental to my research. I know this particular character and folk-tale exist; they must, because other facts I encountered confirm that they must; but because Mr. MacKillop has not given his source for his description, I am unable to proceed. And that is not the only case in which the entries let me down. It is pointless to write a reference dictionary if you are not going to give references!
16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jay
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to navigate and use - very useful.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a very decent and comprehensive book - perfect reference book for a topic that is quite hard to find quality reference sources for.
Of particular use is the section on pronunciation - especially if your self teaching and have limited knowledge how old Celtic languages sound.
Definitely would recommend this book (as well as James Mackillop as an author).
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The Woodcock
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good start for Celtic Mythology Education
Reviewed in Canada on July 15, 2014
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This has lots of good, general information and is quite entertaining. Great for one just beginning in Celtic Mythology. Some of the information is out of date, but is still very good for the beginner.
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caleb
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent, just what I wanted
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Marion S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent condition
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K. Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable resource
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2010
Verified Purchase
If you want to know anything about Celtic Mythology you need this book. It is thoroughly comprehensive and informative.
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