Prefer audiobooks to traditional books? You can snag 3 months of Audible Premium Plus for free using this link.) The Top 10 Irish and Celtic Mythology Reference Books 1. And that’s exactly why I put together this list of Irish and Celtic mythology dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other works of reference. When seeking to learn about the mythology of the ancient Celts and Irish, to understand their culture and religion as they understood them all those centuries and millennia ago, having a scholarly, authoritative reference book to lean on can be a godsend (pun 100% intended). Upon checking the source, I discovered the description came not from translations or interpretations of the earliest written recordings of Irish myth (as scribed by medieval Irish monks), but from a collection of much, much more recent folk tales-still interesting and culturally significant, but closer to fantasy than mythology. It sounded too good to be true…and it was. What’s more, there was a footnote linking to the source of said description. In this book, Philip Freeman brings together the best stories of Celtic mythology. I was looking for a bit more information on the love-god’s appearance, and lo and behold, there was a beautiful, detailed description, covering his hair color, eye color, and complete wardrobe. Despite the pervasive cultural and literary influence of the Celts, shockingly little is known of their way of life and beliefs, because very few records of their stories exist. While researching the Irish god of love for a recent post, I confess that I took the highly unscholarly step of checking Wikipedia (gasp!).

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Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman