Over Nine Waves: A Book of Irish Legends
Journalist Marie Heaney skillfully revives the glory of ancient Irish storytelling in this comprehensive volume from the great pre-Christian sequences to the more recent tales of the three patron saints Patrick, Brigid, and Colmcille.
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Journalist Marie Heaney skillfully revives the glory of ancient Irish storytelling in this comprehensive volume from the great pre-Christian sequences to the more recent tales of the three patron saints Patrick, Brigid, and Colmcille. Library Journal The legends journalist Heaney skillfully and suspensefully retells are interlinked episodes of the mythological prehistory of Ireland, a chronicle of heroic deeds, power struggles, magic, and passion. The core narratives of Irish culture--featuring the children of Lir, the voyage of Bran, the life of Cuchulainn, Deirdre, Finn, and Oisin-- are here animated by the gamut of human emotions: love, loyalty, grief, pride, and jealousy. Brief histories of Patrick, Bridget, and Columcille add a note of religious passion at the end. Violence abounds, but a young warrior must be as familiar with poetry as with weapons; and women assume important roles as leaders, poets, warriors, and healers. Although there are several volumes of Irish myths in print (most recently, Miranda Green's Celtic Myths , Univ. of Texas Pr., 1994), there is still room for one as thorough and as well written as this. Essential background for every reader of Irish literature.-- Patricia Dooley, Univ. of Washington Lib. Sch., Seattle
ForewordAcknowledgementsOver Nine Waves: The Mythological CycleThe Tuatha De Danaan3Midir and Etain22The Children of Lir37Over Nine Waves: the Milesians Come to Ireland50The Voyage of Bran56Fame Outlives Life: The Ulster CycleThe Weakness of the Ulstermen65The Birth of Cuchulainn69The Boyhood Deeds of Cuchulainn73Culann's Hound: Cuchulainn Gets His Name76Cuchulainn Takes Up Arms80The Wooing of Emer90Bricriu's Feast99The Death of Connla113Deirdre of the Sorrows117Cuchulainn and Ferdia's Fight at the Ford126The Death of Cuchulainn141The Music of What Happened: The Finn CycleThe Boyhood Deeds of Finn155Finn Joins the Fianna and Becomes Its Captain164The Birth of Finn's Hounds171The Enchanted Deer: the Birth of Oisin175The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Grainne180Oisin in the Land of Youth214Three Saints One Grave Do Fill: The Patron Saints of IrelandSaint Patrick225Saint Brigid230Saint Columcille236Pronunciation Guide243Bibliography250
\ From the Publisher"Essential background for every reader of Irish literature." — Library Journal\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalThe legends journalist Heaney skillfully and suspensefully retells are interlinked episodes of the mythological prehistory of Ireland, a chronicle of heroic deeds, power struggles, magic, and passion. The core narratives of Irish culture--featuring the children of Lir, the voyage of Bran, the life of Cuchulainn, Deirdre, Finn, and Oisin-- are here animated by the gamut of human emotions: love, loyalty, grief, pride, and jealousy. Brief histories of Patrick, Bridget, and Columcille add a note of religious passion at the end. Violence abounds, but a young warrior must be as familiar with poetry as with weapons; and women assume important roles as leaders, poets, warriors, and healers. Although there are several volumes of Irish myths in print (most recently, Miranda Green's Celtic Myths , Univ. of Texas Pr., 1994), there is still room for one as thorough and as well written as this. Essential background for every reader of Irish literature.-- Patricia Dooley, Univ. of Washington Lib. Sch., Seattle\ \ \ From Barnes & NobleIn her colloquial retelling of ancient Irish stories, the author conveys the full dramatic power and poetic sweep of one of Europe's most revered narrative traditions. This book includes the most important tales from the three major pre-Christian sequences--the Mythological Cycle, the Ulster Cycle, and the Finn Cycle; followed by the lives of the saints Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille. Encompassing themes that range from the extremes of violence to the heights of imaginative fancy, here are stories that have thrilled and delighted generations of listeners and readers.\ \
