So I have two announcement today.
2. I’m putting together a prayer book for CR and CR minded people so if you have a prayer that is your own work and you’d like to see it published please consider submitting them. Here are the guidelines and the doors close on January 31, 2016:
Finally decided to have a Facebook page for my blog so here is the address for those interested.
Today I wanted to share with you the work of someone I really respect when it comes to the Warrior path or The MorrÍgan. This someone is Saigh Kym Lambert, and her blog is called Shadow of the Hooded Crow.
I want to start with her contributions to the Warrior Path.
She has a lot of thought provoking articles on her blog about this path but I recommend you start with Walking the Warrior Path in which she explains what this path means to her as an Outlaw warrior and just follow the links provided there.
She also has a link to her own training program which is called Outlaw Warrior Path Training. This page includes training for both the body and the mind.
Next I want to talk about her contributions as a writer/researcher.
I couldn’t decide on a favourite of mine for her works so I’m just going to list them in no special order and tell you where they were first published and where (when possible) they can be found now.
If you want to learn about the Warrior Path and The Morrígan then just click on it.
Full Title: Celtic Britain and Ireland 200 AD to 800 AD – The Myth of the Dark Ages
Authors: Lloyd and Jennifer Laing
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: 1990, reprinted 1991
ISBN: 0-312-04767-3
Pages: 263, including Index and Bibliography.
Synopsis: The term ‘Dark Ages’ was coined to describe a period which was seen as a period of anarchy and violence, following the collapse of civilisation. Recent discoveries by archaeologists and historians have, however, radically altered this traditional view of the Dark Ages, and the period is now seen as one of innovation and dynamic social evolution. This book reconsiders a number of traditionally accepted views. It argues, for example, that the debt of the Dark Age Celts to Rome was enormous, even in areas such as Ireland that were never occupied by Roman invaders. It also discusses the traditional chronology suggesting that the date of ‘AD 400’ usually taken as the start of the ‘early Christian period in Britain and Ireland now has comparatively little meaning. Once this conventional framework is removed, it is possible to show how the Celtic world of the Dark Ages took shape under Roman influence in the centuries between about 200 to 800, and looked to Rome even for the immediate inspiration for its art. Such questions as the extent of British (that is, Celtic) survival in pagan Saxon England, and the Celtic and Roman contribution to early England are considered.
Review: Honestly, I’ve read so many “old/out of date” books lately that I was settling down to another “been there and learned that”. I was pleasantly surprised though. Sure this book did have an element of “been there and learned that” but there are also some “Oh, huh, interesting” and “oh, huh, so that is why people these days assumed it was like that” elements too.
Over all I think that the Laings wrote an easy to read and follow book, telling the reader about a period in Britain and Ireland that the rest of the classical world called the Dark Ages. The book itself was organised very well, and it is very easy to find things that you want to find just by skimming to relevant chapters and sections because they were so clearly labeled, or by going to the Index.
They showed that in Britain and Ireland it was hardly the Dark Ages, and along the way you get to know how some interesting archaeology was done and by whom, and how some antiquarian societies came into being and how they became so much more than just amateur hour.The bibliography was also pretty interesting and extensive.
Title: The Rise of the Celts (The History of Civilisation Series)
Author: Henri Hubert
Publisher: Dorset press
Published: 1934, second edition 1988
Review: This book talked about the history of the Celts, starting from the origins up to the Hallstatt period. It also gave an overview of the history as a whole in the beginning, with linguistic and archeological analysis.
For me this was an interesting read. It too me a while to get through it mainly because it was old and a translation from a French text; so at times it felt awkward and some of the terms used for the time periods were a bit confusing because there were no dates attached to them for reference.
So why did I find this interesting? I liked the parts of the book where the author discussed the current (1934) hypotheses on the origins of the Celts, and I liked comparing how different (or similar) they were to the current hypotheses on the same subject.
Title: The Greatness and Decline of the Celts (The History of Civilisation Series)
Author: Henri Hubert
Publisher: Constable and Company (first English edition) Routledge (Second edition)
Published: 1934, First English edition 1987, Second edition 2013
Review: This is part two of the series on the Celts. The book picks up where it left off from the previous one and takes us up until the decline of the Celts after the Roman conquests.
For me, part three of this book was where it was all at. It talks about the social and political structure of the Celts. I found the discussion on some concepts like reciprocity totally fascinating. Of course I should say that the author in this part of the book kept talking about the “unity of the Celts”, which was annoying because the author had previously made an effort to differentiate between the continental and insular Celts.
So would I recommend these books? Yes, with the following caveats. Don’t read them if you are just starting out, they are definitely not for the beginner. Keep in mind that the author favours the hypothesis that says the Celts came from Gaul, and everything is about France. Be prepared to be a little confused on some of the period names.
Celtic Scholar's Reviews and Opinions 