Celtic connections

Students: Dan Bianca-Mihaela and David Silvia-Georgiana

"Faculty of Letters" 2nd year, English-Romanian
Coordinator: Professor, PhD Ioana Mohor-Ivan
 Why "Celtic connections"?

We have chosen this topic because it is an interesting theme, full of tales and
mythology;
The first part is focused on Celtic life and history
The second part is focused on Fenian Cycle
The third part is focused on Arthur's tales and connections with the Celtic
culture
The last part is all about the spread of Arthurian tales in media and literature
 Beginnings in the Celtic World

Q: Who were the Celts?

A: linguistically related groups, each bearing a name derived from an
ancestor, a god or a goddess, by a totem animal, a sacred location

Or in other words a Celt can be defined as someone who spoke or speaks a

Celtic language.
 The Celts in Classical Literature
The Celts did not write documents about their myths and histories, they
honoured the spoken word.
The earliest written reference to the Celtic tribes is found in the late sixth
century B.C.E in the works of Narbonne (in France).
Most informations are written by enemies of celts: the Greek and the
Romans;
Examples: Herodotus and Julius Caesar,Commentaries on the Gallic Wars wrote
informations about Celtic traditions, religion and rituals.
 Celtic Languages
Nowdays exist six Celtic tongues which fall into two groups (they are divided
by pronunciation and grammer).
Irish and Scottish are called Gaelic, Manx, the dying language of the tiny
Isle of Man are called Goidelic Celtic or P-Celtic, while Welsh, Breton and
Cornish are called Brythonic or Q-Celtic Idem, VIII.
 Celtic Religion and rituals
The Celts were polytheistic
The standard rituals were centered on turning of the seasons (solstices and
equinoxes
 Fenian Cycle
Irish mythology can be divided in four main cycles:
1. The Mythological Cycle
2. The Ulster Cycle
3. The Fenian Cycle
4. The Historical Cycle
 The Fenian Cycle
The Fenian Cycle, also called the Ossian Cycle is a collection of stories about the
Fenian cult and institution of warriors.
"na" is formed by the High King Cormac MacAirt with warriors from each
clan in order to protect his kingdom.
Fionn's life: his avenging of his father's death; his time studying with the
poet; the wisdom of the world; leader of "Fianna"; his son Oisin; his death
in the battle
 Fenian echoes in the Arthurian tales
1. The Arthur's and Fionn's birth and upbringing
2. The great warriors are mortally wounded in battle
3. Grainne and Guinevere
4. Their death tales
5. Grainne and Diarmuid; Tristan and Iseult
 Arthurian tales
The birth of a King
- Uther Pendragon had a consumming passion for Igraine (Duke of Tintagel's
wife)
-With the help of Merlin, Uther took Igraine and nine months later Arthur, the
future King was born.
-After the marriage of Arthu with Guinevere, Merlin dissapeard
 Arthurian tales
The sword in the stone
After the death of Uther, the kingdom needed another ruler
Merlin came with the idea: whoever draws this sword is the rightful king of
England.
Arthur was proclaimed the King of England.- acquired his court- Camelot.
 Arthurian tales
A queen for a Kingdom
Arthur met Guinevere in the courtyard after he heard a harp echoing
through the castle
Merlin tried to dissuade him: marry her and you will bring yourself nothing
but misery, marry her and it will spell your ruin and the ruin of your
kingdom.
 Arthurian tales
Excalibur
The Lady of the Lake held the sword and gave it to Arthur
Excalibur will bring Arthur victory and glory
The sword will cut "through iron and steel"
 Celtic elements in the Arthurian Legend
The Grail legend is a composite of a hundred Celtic tales and motifs, often quite
independent of each other, and woven into a lovely and mysterious, but quite
inharmonious tapestry (Loomis 1933, 419).
Holy Grail
Morgan le Fay
Avalon
King Arthur
Excalibur
 Reproductions of the Arthurian tales
There are many movies based on the Arthurian tales
They can be devided into several categories:
1. Adaptations of legends, reconstructed history or modern Arthurian material
2. Production whose plot moved the legend to modern times
3. Television series
4. Based on Tristan legend
5. Animations, humour and video games
 Arthur in music and in books
The 2004 expanded edition of heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson's 6th solo
album The Chemical Wedding features a song called Return of the King, with
heavily refreneces to Arthurian elements, including Uther.
Thomas Mallory, Le Morte d'Arthur
Alfred Tennyson, Iddyls of the King
Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mists of Avalon
Bedivere and dying Arthur by
John Duncan
Le morte d'Arthur
Iseult, by Sir Frank Dicksee
 Refrences

1. A Companion to Irish Literature,Vol I, Vol II,Julia M. Wright, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2010,
pp. 27-37
2. Arthurian Literature and Legend, Alan Lupack, Oxford University Press 2005,2007
3. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, Patricia Monaghan, New York, 2004
http://www.knowth.com/the-celts.htm
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa84
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celt-people
https://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/celts.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/factfile/
http://www.cornwallinfocus.co.uk/culture/celts.php
https://museum.wales/articles/2007-05-04/Who-were-the-Celts/
https://museum.wales/articles/2007-05-04/Who-were-the-Celts/
Thank you for attention!