The Celtic Book of Living and Dying

by Wood, Juliette

• ISBN13: 9780811828956
• ISBN10: 0811828956
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-10-01
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc

Summary

Poets. Mystics. Prophets and astrologers. The Celts were a dynamic and unique people who left not only a rich legacy of artifacts, archaeological treasures, and dramatic myths, but also a vast body of wisdom and mystical symbolism that reflect universal truths about life. The Celtic Book of Living and Dying is a masterfully adorned collection of this ancient Celtic wisdom, tracing life from birth through death and into the afterlife. Travel back in time to a world where druids and bards, saints and angels reign as guardians of the soul. Voyage between realms, the unexpected at every turn. With its mix of more than 40 Celtic-style full-color artworks, over 40 painterly landscape photographs, and a wealth of illuminating words, poetry, insights, and timeless tales of heroes and giants, unknown creatures and magical lands, The Celtic Book of Living and Dying is a window into a long-ago world that continues to shape the dreams, thoughts, and ideas of today.

Author Biography

Juliette Wood, PhD, has taught, lectured widely, and written extensively on Celtic tradition and folklore, and is president of the Folklore Society. She is honorary lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University of Wales, College of Cardiff, and is a tutor at the University of Reading in England

Table of Contents

Introduction	6	(8)
An Eagle's Flight	8	(16)
The Wise Child	10	(2)
The Warrior's Way	12	(4)
The Honour of Women	16	(4)
Last Things	20	(2)
This Was the House	22	(2)
The Wheel of Nature	24	(18)
Two Faces: Growth and Decay	26	(4)
The Wisdom of the Weather	30	(4)
The Wisdom of the Seasons	34	(6)
The Sun and the Moon	40	(2)
Echoes of the Otherworld	42	(20)
The Islands Beyond	44	(4)
Impossibilities	48	(2)
Veils of Illusion	50	(4)
Mystical Creatures	54	(4)
Talismans of Power	58	(2)
Fairy Mounds	60	(2)
Voyages Between Realms	62	(22)
The Threshold of the Beyond	64	(4)
The Enchanted Archipelago	68	(4)
Visions of Our Ancestors	72	(4)
The Wisdom of Water	76	(2)
Vessels of Truth	78	(4)
In the Guise of a Swan	82	(2)
Fate and Foreknowledge	84	(12)
Our Yesterdays are Our Tomorrows	86	(4)
The Wisdom of the Salmon	90	(2)
The Mystery of the Head	92	(2)
Birds of Destruction	94	(2)
Guardians of the Soul	96	(28)
The Wisdom of the Druids	98	(4)
Magical Contests	102	(2)
The Fortress of Love	104	(4)
The Wisdom of Inspiration	108	(4)
Saints and Angles	112	(2)
The Power of Three	114	(2)
Spiritual Healing	116	(4)
The Wisdom of the Bards	120	(4)
The Wisdom of Eternity	124	(12)
The Creatures in the Pattern	126	(2)
The Twisted Vine	128	(2)
The Endless Knot	130	(2)
The Great Bard	132	(2)
How to Live, How to Die	134	(2)
Pronunciation Guide	136	(1)
Primary Sources	136	(1)
Further Reading	137	(1)
Index	138	(6)
Acknowledgments	144