A sweeping history of Ireland''s native gods, from Iron Age cult and medieval saga to the Celtic Revival and contemporary fiction
Ireland-s Immortals tells the story of one of the world-s great mythologies. The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation-s languages, the book describes how Ireland-s pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era-and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lively narrative of supernatural beings and their fascinating and sometimes bizarre stories, Mark Williams-s comprehensive history traces how these gods-known as the T-atha D-anann-have shifted shape across the centuries. We meet the Morr-n, crow goddess of battle; the fire goddess Brigit, who moonlights as a Christian saint; the fairies who inspired J.R.R. Tolkien-s elves; and many others. Ireland
