The course will introduce students to the pre-Christian beliefs of the Celtic and Indo-European worlds, to the historical narratives in which such beliefs are embedded, and to the methodology of investigating ancient and medieval belief systems.

A queen who is turned into a fly, swallowed, and reborn. Giants whose eyelids need to be raised with forks. Silver-handed warriors. Otherworldly quests, epic battles, and the “winning” of women. What, if anything, can tales of these figures and events tell us of Celtic mythology? Answering this question may not be as straightforward as some would hope, but it will be an aim of this class not only to introduce students to Celtic mythology as we understand it today, but also to demonstrate how recognizing what we do not know may be just as important as what we do. The ancient Celtic-speaking peoples did not leave behind texts describing their pre-Christian belief systems, making it difficult to know with certainty what these may have looked like. Instead, our evidence of Celtic mythology comes from archaeological evidence, the accounts of Classical authors, and later medieval literature and folk traditions. Each of these categories of evidence comes with its own set of difficulties, as will be discussed in this class. With a focus on medieval texts from Wales and Ireland, we will consider different approaches to understanding Celtic mythology and folklore, and will evaluate the merits of these approaches. Students will come away from this class not only with an understanding of what we know about Celtic mythology and how we know it, but also with an appreciation for what medieval audiences and redactors may have thought of this material.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills