

Some even have the second sight, the ability to see fairies and other spirits dancing through the soft evening. They acknowledge a world beyond the world of the senses. They see in ways that others do not or cannot. More important, it is presumed they share an inborn mystical inclination. Such people are imagined as fair-skinned, possibly redhaired, often freckled. Who Were the Celts? The terms Celt and Celtic seem familiar today- familiar enough that many people assume that they are ethnic descriptions, words that define a people related by blood and culture. Beyond that, scholars and other experts disagree as much as they agree. Narrowly, a Celt can be defined as someone who spoke or speaks a Celtic language. Indeed, some claim that Celtic peoples adapted themselves to and absorbed influences from pre-Celtic cultures wherever they lived and that, therefore, the idea of a Celtic culture is itself hopelessly flawed. There is no one agreed-upon definition of what constituted Celtic society and the Celtic worldview. If the name itself is not exact, neither is what it names. Tribal names, used by other Europeans as a generic term for the whole people. INTRODUCTION iv A TO Z ENTRIES 1 BIBLIOGRAPHY 479 INDEX 486 Arroyo Cover design by Cathy Rincon Printed in the United States of America VB Hermitage 10 You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at Text design by Erika K. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755.

BL900.M66 2003 299'.16-dc21 2003044944 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Includes bibliographical references and index. The encyclopedia of Celtic mythology and folklore / Patricia Monaghan. 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Monaghan, Patricia. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore Copyright © 2004 by Patricia Monaghan All rights reserved. C E LTIC MYTHOLO GY AN D FOLKLORE Pat r i c i a M o n a g h a n
