Mythologis
Celtic Mythology: The Complete Guide to the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cú Chulainn, the Morrigan, and the Sacred Stories of Pre-Christian Ireland and Wales

Celtic Mythology

Celtic Mythology: The Complete Guide to the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cú Chulainn, the Morrigan, and the Sacred Stories of Pre-Christian Ireland and Wales

Gods, Heroes, and the Four Treasures of Eriu

The mythology of the Celts before Christianity: the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cú Chulainn's war-feats, the Mabinogion's enchantments, and the bog cauldrons that survived the centuries.

150 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

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Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • Inline citations to original texts
  • Designed for print quality
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  1. 01The Celts Before the Manuscripts
  2. 02The Tuatha Dé Danann and the Invasions of Ireland
  3. 03The Four Treasures and the Battle of Moytura
  4. 04Lugh, Brigid, the Dagda, and the Gods of Eriu
  5. 05The Morrigan and the Sovereignty Goddesses
  6. 06Cú Chulainn and the Táin Bó Cúailnge
  7. 07The Mabinogion: Pwyll, Rhiannon, Bran, and the Otherworld
  8. 08The Sidhe, the Cailleach, and the Fairy Mounds
  9. 09Sacred Springs, Torcs, and the Gundestrup Cauldron
  10. 10The Druids, the Bards, and the Lost Cosmology
  11. 11What Survived: From Monasteries to Folklore

About this book

About this Celtic mythology guide

The gods of Ireland and Wales before the cross: from the Book of Invasions to the Gundestrup Cauldron.

Before the monasteries, the Celts told stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann: Lugh of the long arm, the Dagda with his cauldron of plenty, Brigid of the sacred flame, Nuada of the silver hand, and the Morrigan who walked battlefields as crow and washerwoman. They sang of Cú Chulainn's warp-spasm and his defense of Ulster, of the four treasures brought from the northern islands, of Pwyll's year in Annwn and Rhiannon's birds that wake the dead and lull the living.

This book works from the primary sources: the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions), the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), the four branches of the Mabinogion, the Cath Maige Tuired (Battle of Moytura), and the Dindsenchas place-lore. You will read how the Tuatha Dé defeated the Fir Bolg and the Fomorians, how Cú Chulainn took arms at seven and died at twenty-seven, how Bran the Blessed's severed head sang for eighty-seven years, and why the Cailleach strikes her staff on the ground each November.

The archaeology survives in silver: the Gundestrup Cauldron's panels of Cernunnos, the torcs from Snettisham, the votive deposits in sacred springs. The texts survive in medieval Irish and Welsh manuscripts copied by monks who half-remembered the old gods. This guide walks you through both, chapter by chapter, with citations to the standard translations so you can read the original stories yourself.

What you will discover inside

  • Who were the Tuatha Dé Danann and what were the four treasures they brought to Ireland
  • How Cú Chulainn defended Ulster alone against the armies of Connacht in the Táin
  • Why the Morrigan appeared as crow, eel, and wolf on the battlefield at Moytura
  • What the four branches of the Mabinogion reveal about Welsh gods and the Otherworld
  • The meaning of the Gundestrup Cauldron's silver panels and the horned god Cernunnos
  • How the Cailleach and the Banshee survived into folklore after Christianization

Celtic mythology book at a glance

TraditionCeltic mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length150 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Keep exploring Celtic mythology

Prefer to read before you buy? These free, fully sourced guides cover the same gods, myths and sources you will meet in the book.

Read the complete Celtic mythology guide

Questions about the Celtic mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. The book cites the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions), the Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), the Cath Maige Tuired (Battle of Moytura), the four branches of the Mabinogion, and the Dindsenchas place-name lore, with references to the standard published translations (Gantz, Kinsella, Guest, Gray) so you can read further.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 150 pages. Designed to be read in evenings or in one long sitting.

Is this book for beginners or specialists?

Beginners welcome. The book explains every name, place, and concept from scratch. Specialists will find the source citations and translation notes useful for further reading.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows shortly after.

Why isn't King Arthur in this book?

Arthur belongs to the medieval romance tradition, not to pre-Christian Celtic mythology. This book focuses on the gods and heroes attested in the earliest Irish and Welsh sources: the Tuatha Dé Danann, Cú Chulainn, and the Mabinogion figures like Pwyll and Rhiannon. Arthur appears in later texts influenced by Christianity and continental chivalric literature.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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