Margie Lawson
Make your writing soar
The ancient Celts believed that all things, animate and inanimate, possessed a spirit. Mountains, hills and trees were manly; rivers and meadows were feminine. The Celts knew that spirits watched their every move. So any action was carefully considered because of the effect it might have on their destiny. Ogham, the first Gaelic alphabet, was based mostly on the names of trees and bushes. That reverence for nature passed gently to Celtic Christianity.
Then there was the tough side of Celtic Mythology: the thunder god, the god of light, the young god, even Cuchullan and Fionn, warriors everyone. These muscular and fearsome gods were remembered because of the battles they fought. The first of August was a huge festival because it memorialized the combat between Lug, the god of light, and Taran, the thunder god. Water monsters were feminine entities; they gave life but then took it away.
The ancient gods were a reflection of the society which worshiped them, and the druids were the priests who interpreted their will. They have had a bad reputation from the likes of Julius Caesar, but were they so evil? Did they make French fries of hundreds of people?
Find out more about the Celtic gods: who they were and why they were worshiped. You'll also find out something of the ancient druids and the belief in fairies.
The course includes self-quizzes and simple research projects to generate story ideas. Discussion and questions are encouraged.
Sheila Currie lives in a world of thousands of books, fiction and non-fiction. Visiting friends worry about avalanches.
She was born on the east coast of Canada where there are many other people whose families came from Scotland and Ireland. Her love of those countries led her to study in Nova Scotia, Canada and then in Scotland where she obtained an M.A. in Scottish History and Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. She was fortunate enough to have a summer job selling Gaelic books door-to-door in the West Highlands and Islands. She went from one cup of tea to the next–a wonderful opportunity to talk to local people and hear their stories.
She has taught history and Gaelic at university and for Hearts Through History Romance Writers. At long last she has published The Banshee of Castle Muirn, the first book of a trilogy–set in magic and historical Scotland.
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© 2023 Margie Lawson, all rights reserved.