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.

The course will examine the mythology of the Celts—their gods, goddesses, festivals, and belief systems—as it is reflected in medieval Irish and Welsh texts. Following a short presentation of introductory material regarding the history and civilization of the early Celts, the course will begin with the early Irish tale known as The Second Battle of Maige Tuired, a core mythological tale that best exemplifies the pattern of mythological deities and belief systems that pertain to varying degrees in other Celtic tales. These tales will include in Irish, the Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel, the Tale of Macc Da Thó’s Pig, Bricriu’s Feast, the Wooing of Etaín, the Dream of Oengus, the Wasting Sickness of CúChulaind, the Cattle Raid of Fróech, and the Táin, and in Welsh, the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, Culhwch and Olwen, Lludd and Llefelys, the Tale of Gwion Bach and the Tale of Taliesin, and the poems, “What Man the Gatekeeper” and “The Spoils of the Otherworld.” All the readings are in English translation. Course requirements include a midterm and final examination. Texts: Gantz, Jeffrey, tr. Early Irish Myths and Sagas. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1981. (ISBN 978-0140443974) Ford, Patrick, tr. The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley and Los Angeles: Univ. of Calif. Press, 1977. (ISBN 978-0520253964) MacCana, Proinsias. Celtic Mythology. Hamlyn, 1969. (ISBN 978-0600006473) Littleton, C. Scott. The New Comparative Mythology. 3rd. ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles: Univ. of Calif. Press, 1982. (ISBN 978-0520041035) James, Simon. The World of the Celts. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd. , 2005. (ISBN 978-0500279984)

Prerequisites: none

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills