Celtic [mythology]This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1918. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY CHAPTER I BELIEF IN SOUL AND GENII IN Slavic belief the soul is a being quite distinct from the, body, which it is free to leave even during life, so that there are many stories of human souls coming forth from the bodies of sleeping persons and either dwelling in trees or, in the shape of white birds, fluttering about in the world and finally returning to their normal habitations. It is inadvisable to go to bed thirsty, lest the soul, wearied by its search for water, may weaken the body. If a man faints, his soul leaves his body and uneasily flutters about the world; but when it returns, consciousness is likewise restored. Some individuals have lain like dead for three days, during which time their souls dwelt in the other world and beheld all that might be seen either in heaven or in paradise. A soul which leaves the body when asleep and flies about in the world is called Vjedogonja or Zduh, Zduhacz ("Spirit") by the Serbs; and not only the souls of sleeping persons, but even those of fowls and domestic animals, such as cats, dogs, oxen, etc., may be transformed into Zduhaczs. These genii, regardless of nationality, sex, or age, assemble on mountain-tops, where they battle either singly or in troops, the victors bringing to their countrymen a rich harvest and success in breeding cattle; but if a man's soul perishes in this fight, he will never awake. In Montenegro a distinction is drawn between Zduhaczs of land and sea, the former causing drought, and the latter rain, so that the weather depends on which of these two wins. A sudden storm points to a battle among such Zduhaczs; but in all other respects these genii are considered good and sensible and stand in high repute. The Montenegrins personify the soul as Sjen or Sjenovik ("Shado... |
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Ailill ancient animals Annwfn appeared Arthur bade battle beautiful birds boar Bodb Bran Bres Bricriu Brythonic bull called Caoilte cauldron Celtic Celts Christian Conall Conchobar Cúchulainn Cumhal Cúroi d'Arbois Dagda daughter dead death deity Diarmaid divine land Druids dziadys Elbe Slavs Elcmar Elysium Eochaid Etain euhemerizing fairies father Féinn Fiachna Findabair Fionn folk-tale Fomorians Gaulish goddess gods Grail Grainne head Helmold hero horse incident Ireland Irish island killed King Kulhwch Lithuanian Loegaire Mabinogion magic Manannan Manawyddan Mannhardt Medb Midir Mongan Morrígan mortals mother myth mythic mythology night Nuada Oengus Oisin pagan Perun PLATE poem Pryderi Pwyll RCel xv Roman Russian S-symbol S. H. O'Grady Scáthach síd slain Slavic Slavs slew soul Stokes story supra Svantovit sword Táin Taliesin told tradition tree Tuatha Dé Danann warriors Welsh whereupon wife Windisch woman women worshipped
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Page 379 - OSSIAN. The Poems of Ossian in the Original Gaelic. With a Literal Translation into English, and a Dissertation on the Authenticity of the Poems.
Page 102 - Complete is my chair in Caer Sidi; Plague and age hurt not him who is in it, They know Manawyddan and Pryderi; Three organs round a fire sing before it, And about its points are ocean's streams. And the abundant well above it — Sweeter than white wine the drink of it.
Page 136 - The mythic trees of Elysium were not unknown on earth, though there they were safely guarded; and another instance, besides those already described,17 is found in the oak of Mugna. "Berries to berries the Strong Upholder [a god?] put upon it. Three fruits upon it, viz. acorn, apple, and nut; and when the first fruit fell, another used to grow." Leaves were always on this useful tree, which stood until Ninine the poet cast it down.18 What is perhaps a debased myth of a world-tree like Yggdrasil is...
Page 48 - Behold the sid before your eyes, It is manifest to you that it is a king's mansion Which was built by the firm Dagda; It was a wonder, a court, an admirable hill.
Page 368 - Torlough" by John, son of Rory MacGrath. 5 plates. (Roy. Irish acad. Trans, v. 32, sec. C., p. 133-198. Dublin, 1903.) Cattle-raid (The) of Cualnge. (Tain Bo Cuailnge.) An old-Irish prose-epic, translated for the first time from Leabhar na h-Uidhri and the Yellow Book of Lecan, by LW Faraday.
Page 209 - And everlasting abode of torture. It is a law of pride in this world To believe in the creatures, to forget God, Overthrow by diseases, and old age, Destruction of the soul through deception. A noble salvation will come From the King who has created us, A white law will come over seas; Besides being God, He will be man.
Page 19 - ... or borrowed these from the old myths, but they had little sense of proportion and were infected by a vicious rhetorical verbosity and exaggeration. Many tales revel monotonously in war and bloodshed, and the characters are spoiled by excessive boastfulness. Yet in this later stratum the mythopceic faculty is still at work, inasmuch as tales were written in which heroes were brought into relation with the old divinities. The main sources for the study of Irish mythology are the documents contained...
Page 31 - smith") had promised that though the battle lasted seven years, he would replace every broken sword or spear-head; no spear-head forged by him would miss, and none whom it pierced would continue in life. He kept his promise, making weapons by three turns in his forge, and renewed the blunted or broken instruments of war. Elsewhere we learn that Goibniu's immortal ale, like nectar and soma, made the divinities immortal,17 so that he is the equivalent of the Greek Hephaistos, god of craftsmen, who...
Page 168 - Diarmaid, and four others remained outside. Presently Midac left the palace, when all its splendour disappeared, and the Feinn were unable to move. Meanwhile an army arrived, but Diarmaid and the others repulsed it after long fighting; and he released Fionn and the rest with the blood of three kings.33 In a folk-tale version the blood was exhausted before Conan was reached, and he said to Diarmaid, "If I were a pretty woman, you would not have left me to the last," whereupon Diarmaid tore him away,...