These stories... are really hilarious. I mean they are seriously great. It is one of the most tragic things that I will never be able to hear these recited to me and five hundred others in a great hall over the course of three days by a bard who truly knows his craft, because these fragmented translations--they can't capture how great these stories really were. Instead there are only glimpses of what these could be. Also, they're really funny. Like half these stories only happen because the Irish will apparently fight anything that moves solely on the basis of 'why wouldn't we fight them?' Cú Chulaind has a power that when he's angry he can pull one eyeball into his head so far that 'a heron can't reach it,' and protrude the other until it's the size of a cauldron. I mean... what kind of power is that even. How is that useful at all. This is, you will note, the man who can perform the 'hero's salmon leap,' a feat for nine men, and in fact does on several notable occasions. The hero's salmon leap. This is a Naruto move if I ever heard one. Only better because it's from ancient Ireland. The translator notes in this book are really cool as well; the introduction was wildly interesting, and I loved reading the bits of interpretation and thoughts about reconciling different versions before each story. If I ever get a time machine, I'm going back to Ireland before the time of Christianity. Also, the in-depth descriptions of every single warrior could legitimately give GRR Martin a run for his money. Weirdly, they kind of made me want to paint every single minor warrior in these stories. And then write my own stories about them, since they had about a paragraph each and never showed up again. Why aren't there more modern adaptations of old Irish myths? (I need to see someone perform the hero's salmon leap on the big screen. Please.)Sorrow is stronger than the seaif you are wise, Conchobar.
I was a bit frustrated with this book due to the way it was translated. I’m not sure what the translation conventions are concerning old Irish texts, but I feel like a lot more could have been done for the flow of the text as well as its explanation. The phrasing of the dialogue was backwards, some of the expressions were hard to understand and a lot of the content was conflicting, especially where different variants of the story existed as well as missing segments. I feel like the translator could have pointed out the inconsistencies and added more notes concerning the content for a better understanding of the text instead of presenting the reader with an at times confusing flow of events with barely any explanation to go with it except a few musings at the beginning of each story. That being said, the Irish myths sadly did not survive as well as the Greek oral tales of Homer did so there are a lot of bits and pieces missing or different variants of the same stories that are completely different(naturally since they were written centuries apart) and trying to continue one story started a few centuries before with later fragments seems pointless(I’m thinking here especially of the Intoxication of the Ulaid). Originally oral stories, the myths have a lot of repetition in them, a lot more than the Greek tales ever did to the point it gets frustrating at times, especially during such tours de force as the description of heroes in the Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel. I enjoyed the role women played in some of the stories. From the existence of warrior women to the assertive role they had in relationships(the Sid women pursued the men they loved) and the way they easily accepted lovers and new romance. The stories themselves were interesting, but the clumsy way they were presented took a lot of the pleasure out of the read.
This is a hard book to rate. The stories contained with in it are often poorly written and confused, but this is not really the translator's fault. Instead, what we have here are traditional myths and folktales that have been written down very poorly by people of no talent and indifferent commitment. The translator, Jeffrey Gantz, does the best that he can, but he translates and does not interpolate, so the flaws of the originals remain the same. That is the right choice, in my opinion. But that means that the stories are kind of a mess. On the other hand, they are remarkably uncorrupted by Christianity and in many ways reflective of an Iron Age lifestyle (battles are small, they use chariots, cattle raids are a main, if not the main, point of conflict). So one does get a valuable insight into the Celtic mind, and a Celtic mind barely affected by classical civilization. So it is must reading for anyone interested in the ancient Celts, but it lacks all merit as storytelling, so decide where your priorities lie before reading.
—Julian Meynell
A collection of loosely-organized myths with barely any continuity, long segments of genealogy and repetition like the slow parts of the Odyssey. Yet even in these rough fragments, there are still fragments of storytelling genius. There are segments about rolling heads and noble warriors that would fit in well with the The Prose Edda, there are comic scenes of drunkenness, there is a burdened hero, Cú Chulaind, like Hercules, there is even real love and heartbreak.The notes and introduction were essential. With them, this is a reliable entry point to a vast body of point, but it's still moderately challenging to read.
—Hadrian
It is hard to rate a book like this. If I say I did not like it I am talking about its entertainment factor, not the cultural meaning of these tales or the fact that the oral tradition has a completely different approach of addressing its audience. I am deeply in awe of the fact that these stories have survived the test of time and have been restored. Who knows, some of them might have been first told many thousands of years ago. To have these stories with us today is a gift that can't be praised highly enough. They help us to recreate the beliefs, habits, aestheticism, fears and values of the ancient Celts. And still, it was a very tedious read. It is interesting to see how much our reading / viewing patterns have changed since these early days of story telling. These are male stories, told to a male audience during long, cold nights in festive halls, a bard telling his tales to a warrior audience. So you have pages upon pages that describe battle gear or livestock, or the genealogy of the fictitious tribal members. Their honourable deeds, however, are often dealt with in half a sentence. By today's standards, though, this catalogue style is less than captivating. It is too repetitive and formulaic to exude any charm. What we focus on today, plot lines involving romantic interests or inner conflicts, are brushed off in the blink of an eye. Oftentimes, things just happen, but I don't know why or how. Plot devices are not introduced or properly dealt with, while I lack the background knowledge to see through it. These stories may be fascinating if you read them in a university class, with a teacher who can take the stories off the page and make them come alive. Reading them by myself for entertainment value, they are very confusing and tiring. The most interesting part of this book was the foreword, which was very informative and helpful.
—Mariele
