Overview

Nine tales of early Irish literature beautifully retold in a modern, evocative style A mysterious woman appears nightly at the bedside of a prince and sings to him until he falls sick with love for her. A determined hero tracks his beloved through several incarnations, struggling to win her back. A young warrior seeks a woman who turns into a swan. These are the plots of little-known, anonymous tales composed over a thousand years ago in the monastic libraries of Ireland. In poetry and prose, they tell us what happens when human and supernatural lovers cross the boundaries between our world and the Otherworld (síd). Set in a lost time of heroes, demi-gods, warrior queens, and other folk of the Irish Otherworld (áes síde), these stories inspired some of the earliest fairy tales of France and England. What is more, they are sexier, funnier, and bloodier than better-known medieval myths and romances. In Otherworld, historian and novelist Lisa M. Bitel offers lively retellings of these Irish original myths using her expertise in Irish history and literature to guide modern readers. She traces themes and characters that link the nine magical tales, explains customs and locations, and brings out the humor. Like all storytellers--whether medieval or modern, performers or scribes--Bitel interprets the originals as she leads her readers over the boundary of reality to the Otherworld. Drawings especially created for the book by Saba Joshaghani accompany these astonishing tales.

Full Product Details

9780197600610

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Reviews

The Celtic corpus of fantastic legends is undersung, compared to classical myths. In Otherworld, Lisa M Bitel's light-footed retellings do justice to the stories strangeness as well as their earthy wit. * Marina Warner, Books of the Year 2024, New Statesman * A joyous, entertaining selection of some of Ireland's oldest - and less well known - stories. Just great. * Éilís Ní Dhuibhne , Irish Times * [Bitel's] deft prose makes the story action come alive. She combines lyricism with accessibility. The tales reward a slow and careful read to appreciate the vivid imagery and richness of language... This book proves a great primer in Irish mythology as we are introduced to many of the main players. * Olivia Armstrong, Fortean Times *

Author Information

Lisa M. Bitel discovered the magical literature of early Ireland while studying at Harvard University and later University College Dublin. Since then, she has written or edited six books and many articles about medieval Europe, focused on Ireland, gender, or the history of Christianity before 1000 C.E. She teaches at the University of Southern California and makes frequent trips to Ireland.

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