Alwyn Rees and Brinley Rees, Thames & Hudson, London, 1961
After thanking such as Georges Dumezil and Proinsias MacCana for reading this in pre-publication form, the authors proceed to depict the traditional Irish storytelling tradition: its oral nature, the sacred context of its hearthfire, its timing during winter and darkness, the previously privileged position of the storyteller and poet, the wider IE and even broader background of, "Prose interspersed with speech poems" (p. 16), etc.
They proceed in the second chapter to outline the four cycles of Irish tales (Mythological, Ulster, Fenian and Historical), mentioning the five pre-Milessian groups of immigrants to Ireland, concentrating on the "Peoples of the Goddess Danann" (p. 28), a magical people bringing four talismans: the king pronouncing stone, Lugh's ever-victorious spear, the unavoidable sword of Nuadu and the hunger conquering cauldron of the Dagda.
They mention the Christian embarrassment at talking about pagan gods, name some of the deities, outline the story of the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, including quoting that famous exchange between the doorkeeper at Tara and multi-talented Lugh.
Next they turn to the Welsh MABINOGION: "The First and Third Branches about the family of Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed, the Second Branch about the family of Llyr, and the Fourth Branch about the family of Don." (p. 41)
They treat then the Ulster Cycle, raising glimpses of "The Story of the Pig of Mac Datho", "The Feast of Bricriu", "The Cattle-Raid of Cuailnge," and the Fenian Cycle, quoting the qualifications for membership in the warrior band, including mastery of the dozen poetical books, contrasting these two cycles as heroic (Ulster) and romantic (Fenian).
They advance then into the Welsh Arthurian tales and then the Irish Historical cycle, mentioning Niall's kiss of the old hag who is the Sovereignty of Ireland and the wider concept of the king married to the land.
The second part of the book begins with the concept of darkness and light, that duality dividing day and year, states the significance of the thresholds of sunrise, sunset, Samhain, Beltaine, as well as, in Wales, Midsummer's Eve, goes on to speak of the four divisions of the day and adds the names Lugnasad and Imbolc to quarter the year.
Chapter IV is titled "Coming Into Existence" and starts with the statement, "Celtic tradition has preserved no native story of the creation of the world and of man." (p. 95) They outline the story of the coming of the Milessians to Ireland, quoting on pages 98-99 Amairgen's song which begins, "I am Wind on Sea." They mention the importance of precedent in traditional societies and how the LEBOR GABALA records firsts. Mention is also made of Dumezil's tripartite division of IE society, extending this to four and then five.
This thought continues in Chapter V, which begins by raising the issue of the fifths of Ireland, in one categorization (p.123): Learning (Connacht), Battle (Ulster), Prosperity (Leinster), Music (Munster), and Kingship (Meath). Considerations of these correlations continue through Chapter Six, with, of course, the caution that these are meant symbolically and naturally the inhabitants of a particular fifth are not all warriors, musicians, etc. Chapter VII continues such numerological speculation, mentioning the importance of not only five, but also of nine, even in China, and including 12 and 13. Chapter VIII turns to Wales divided into three parts and Chapter IX, "Numbers," includes the five (with the extra forfeda) fives of the ogham.
Part Three, "The Meaning of the Story", is a fascinating distillation and exploration of those categories of tales most connected with the mythic life cycle: births, youthful exploits, wooings, elopements, adventures, voyages and deaths.
Among its interesting points: the wrongness (e.g. illegitimacy, through adultery, etc.) of the hero's birth, the marriage of a craftsperson to the craft, the designation of an Irish bridal procession as, "Dragging home the bride" (p. 268), the likeness of Beltaine ceremonies to the spring festivals of the Great Mother, humans often being called on to resolves disputes in the other world, the prevalence of truth in the supernatural realm, the list of 33 islands in the immram of Maelduin, that the voyage tales, "Preserved the tattered remnants of an oral Celtic 'book' of the dead" (p. 325), comparable to the BARDO THODOL, "The violation of gessa," as, "a sure omen of approaching death" (p. 327), and heroic deaths, including Cu Chulainn's, at Samhain.
The epilogue mentions the importance of, "The thin line between opposites," "mazes," "the point" where "three or more independent entities...coincide", "puns", "metaphors," and "riddles" (pp 345-9).
Overall a fascinating book and well worth the read.