Gods And Fighting Men : The Story Of The Tuatha De Danaan And Of The Fianna Of Ireland
by Lady Augusta Gregory
"Gods and Fighting Men" is a fascinating collection of Irish Mythology from the earliest legends. It affects all of Ireland and the stories are fairly widespread throughout the Gaelic world. Lady Gregory wrote these translations with a view to retain the native Irish sense of story-telling; this she achieved remarkably well. As one of the best collections of Irish mythology available today, "Gods and Fighting Men" is written in an elegant and fluid style that breathes life into Ireland's forgotten gods and heroes. This classic, which was first published in 1904, contains the mythological stories of Lugh, Mananaan, the Children of Lir, and the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan, as well as those that deal with Oisin, Finn MacCumhal, the Fianna and their exploits, Oisin, and Diarmuid and Grania." Lady Gregory's motto, as taken from Aristotle, was "to think like a wise man, but to express oneself like the common people." She certainly accomplished that feat in "Gods and Fighting Men," which is a truly interesting account of Irish myths from a storyteller's point of view.
