Overview

Reveals how the ancient Celtic text of the Mabinogion was the mythical predecessor to the legends of King Arthur. • Revised edition of Arthur and the Sovereignty of Britain (UK) that includes the author's latest research and insights. • A comprehensive reader's companion with synopsis of stories and full commentary. • Written by renowned scholar Caitlín Matthews, author of The Celtic Wisdom Tarot (15,000 sold). The ancient Celtic stories of the Mabinogion have received universal recognition from scholars as both sources of the Arthurian legend and keys to insights into the ancient magic of the Celtic Otherworld. Now renowned Celtic scholar Caitlín Matthews, drawing on a full range of medieval texts and ancient Welsh writings, provides a fully revised and updated reader's guide to these rich and far-reaching tales. In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews sheds particular light on Sovereignty, the Goddess of the sacred land of Britain, and the spiritual principle of the Divine Feminine. Clearly revealed are the many alternate forms taken by the Goddess of the Land--including her incarnation as Morgan of Avalon, who plays a dominant role in the Arthurian cycle. Also established are links between the legendary characters of the Mabinogion and their counterparts in other living myths of the Western world. Through the marriage of the Celtic kings to the Goddess of the Land, the sacred contract between political rulership and responsibility for the land's well-being is dramatically revealed. In King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land, Matthews once again articulates definitively the continuing relevance of ancient Celtic thought and belief as illustrated in the powerful myths and legends of ancient Britain.

Full Product Details

Author:   Caitlin Matthews
Publisher:   Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Imprint:   Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Edition:   2nd Revised ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 23.00cm
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9780892819218

ISBN 10:   0892819219
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   03 December 2002
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

King Arthur and The Goddess of the Land The Divine Feminie in the Mabinogion Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Acknowledgments How to Use This Book A Guide to Welsh Pronunciation 1 Arthur and the Matter of Britain The Fame of Arthur, Undying King The Matter of Britain The Calling of the Kings The Goddess of the Land The Adventures of Eochaid Muigmedon's Sons 2 Lludd and Llefelys The Testing of Lludd Sovereignty's Son The Contention of the Two Brothers 3 The Dream of Macsen Wledig Britain in Roman Rig Goddess of the Dream Paths The Fair Unknown and the Loathly Lady 4 The Dream of Rhonabwy Three Nights in Avalon Modron, Queen of Ravens The Game of the Goddess 5 The Lady of the Fountain The Lion and the Unicorn Rex Nemorensis The Hospitable Host 6 Gereint and Enid The Rites of Summer The Hunting of the White Hart In the Apple Orchard 7 Peredur In the Wasteland Grail Family and Hallows Quest The Royal Blood in the Holy Snow 8 The Green and Burning Tree In the Lands of the Living The Bright and the Dark The Mythic Company 9 The Joy of the Court The Symbols of Sovereignty Queen Dragon The Maidens of the Wells The Court of Joy 10 The Sovereignty of Britain The Foster Mother Queen of the North The Flower Bride's Farewell The Anastasis of Arthur Appendix The Wheel of the Year: King and Goddess Bibliography Index

Reviews

The heart of the Celts beats in these tales from the ancient Welsh, interpreted by one of today's most astute and sensitive writers on mythology. --Patricia Monaghan, author of The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines

The heart of the Celts beats in these tales from the ancient Welsh, interpreted by one of today's most astute and sensitive writers on mythology. --Patricia Monaghan, author of The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines

Once again Caitlin Matthews has used her tremendously rich powers of imagination and presentation to produce a personal interpretation of Celtic literature that inspires and enchants. --Ronald Hutton, Ph.D., author of The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles The heart of the Celts beats in these tales from the ancient Welsh, interpreted by one of today's most astute and sensitive writers on mythology. --Patricia Monaghan, author of The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines As with its companion Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, I have found King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land to be essential reading. No other study takes the reader through the Mabinogion more masterfully. This book is an indispensable guide to indigenous Celtic literature and myth. --Ari Berk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mythology and Folklore, Central Michigan University

As with its companion Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, I have found King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land to be essential reading. No other study takes the reader through the Mabinogion more masterfully. This book is an indispensable guide to indigenous Celtic literature and myth.

Author Information

Caitlin Matthews is internationally renowned for her research into the Celtic and ancestral traditions. She is the author of 36 books, including The Celtic Tradition, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, and Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom. She is co-founder of the Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to oral, shamanic, and sacred arts. Caitlin Matthews has a shamanic practice in Oxford, England, and teaches worldwide.

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