Celtic Source
Dr Gwilym Morus-Baird discusses various aspects of Celtic myth and culture, with a particular focus on Welsh and Irish source texts.
- Update frequency
- every 9 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 78
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
78. The Oldest Welsh Fairytale Explained: Elidyr and the Fairy Realm
Get the short guide 'The 5 Keys of Celtic Myth' here: https://celticsource.online/the-5-keys-of-celtic-myth/The story of Elidyr and the Tylwyth Teg is the oldest Welsh fairy tale on record. It tells …
77. The Physicians of Myddfai - An Interpretation
Get the short guide 'The 5 Keys of Celtic Myth' here: https://celticsource.online/the-5-keys-of-celtic-myth/
How can a simple Welsh folktale about a shepherd who falls in love with a magical lake maid…
76. The Welsh Myths of Calan Mai
Get the short guide 'The 5 Keys of Celtic Myth' here: https://celticsource.online/the-5-keys-of-celticmyth/
Calan Mai (Beltane) is a time of flowers, birdsong and sunshine, but Welsh myths set at this…
75. Celtic Wisdom Traditions
Get the short guide 'The 5 Keys of Celtic Myth' here: https://celticsource.online/the-5-keys-of-celtic-myth/
If you're interested in following the Mabinogi course, you can find more information here: …
74. Battle Scars and Sacred Stars - The Story of the Picts
Two thousand years ago, an unstoppable empire met an immovable people. Rome’s mighty legions had conquered most of Celtic Britain . . . except for the tribes of the far north. We have little direct e…
73. The Integrity of Celtic Myths
Sign up for the Mabinogi course here: https://celticsource.online/courses/the-four-branches-of-the-mabinogi/
How do we preserve the integrity of Celtic myths in a modern, largely English-speaking cult…
72. The Imbolc Mystery - What Ancient Irish Sources Really Tell Us.mp3
Saint or goddess? Christian feast or pagan festival? The story of Saint Brigid and Imbolc has puzzled scholars for quite some time now. So what do the actual Irish sources tell us?
To get the file of …
71. The Celtic Equinoxes?
The Wheel of the Year was a concept invented in the mid-20th century to describe a cycle of 8 seasonal pagan festivals, many of which were taken from Irish culture. More recently, the whole concept o…
70. The Celtic Rites and Sacred Time
The Wheel of the Year, the cycle of seasonal festivals that have been observed across the world, is one of the key features of historical Celtic culture. In many ways, the wheel embodies both a pract…
69. Disagreeing about Religion and Geoffrey of Monmouth
History books on Witchcraft:Owen Davies, Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History, (2003); Ronald Hutton, The Triumph of the Moon (1999); Emma Wilby, Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits (2005); …
68. Arthur's Myth: Death, Cauldrons and The Holy Grail
The older Welsh myth of Arthur is often overshadowed, both by the obsession with the chivalric Arthur of medieval Europe, and then more recently by the search for the historical Arthur.
These subjec…
67. What is a Bard? Old and New Traditions
A wide rangeing conversation with singer Genevieve Andersen about the role of the bard in Welsh culture, past and present, and the ethics of being inspired by other people’s traditions.
66. Reimagining the mysteries of Tam Lin - A conversation with Charlotte Hussey
In her most recent collection of poems, Charlotte Hussey has drawn on the fairytale of Tam Lin as found in a 16th century ballad from the Scottish Borders. In this interview we look at some of the po…
65. Taliesin in Modern Poetry
Many modern poets have found the awen in Taliesin's myth, not just in Wales but also beyond. Simon Lilly and Chris Martin are two such wordsmiths who have thrown themselves willingly into the cauldro…
64. What the Welsh story Triads can tell us
Trioedd Ynys Prydein, the medieval Welsh storytriads, can tell us a few different things about other sources of Welsh myth, particularly the Mabinogi. Courses on Celtic myth and folklore: https://ce…
63. The Ancient Celtic Horse Goddess?
What do we mean when we say that Celtic goddesses like Rhiannon and Macha are medieval variations of an older, original horse goddess? What are we missing out in that apparently simple statement?
Co…
62. The Blessings of the Táin
The Táin Bó Cuailnge, often simply called the Táin, is one of the most important Irish myths, and perhaps even one of the most important in Europe, with some claiming that it’s the earliest surviving…
61. Taliesin the Guide.
Why is Taliesin a suitable guide to the world of Welsh myth? Here's a few reasons why.
60. Myth Mountain: Why Myth and Why Mountain?
This is a new podcast my wife and I will be making over the next few months. If you want to hear more, please search for the Myth Mountain podcast on your favourite platform and subscribe. You can fi…
59. Danu and Dôn
There have been several decades of speculation about the relationship between these two mysterious mythic mothers who both founded divine lineages in Celtic myth. But what is their relationship? Are …