Irish Mythology
- 5 hours on-demand video
- 16 articles
- 8 downloadable resources
- Full lifetime access
- Access on mobile and TV
- Certificate of Completion
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Try Udemy for Business- You will have a working knowledge of the four cycles of Irish mythology, along with key themes, stories, characters and motifs.
- You will know many legends and famous tale from Irish mythology and be able to tell these to friends.
- You will gain a solid insight into the mindset and identity of the early Irish people.
- You will connect with an ancient culture and heritage.
- All you need is an interest in the subject and a willingness to learn!
- While it is not essential, it is useful if you have already taken my course 'Ancient Ireland Culture and Society'
Learn about Ireland's rich mythical past from the characters and stories of its Four Cycles of Irish Mythology.
From the mysterious Túatha Dé Danann and fairy-people of Irish folk-belief of the Mythological Cycle, we will travel north and witness the deeds of the boy warrior Cúchullain as we go through the Ulster Cycle, before tasting the Salmon of Knowledge and sleeping under the stars of Leinster with the mighty Fianna in the Fenian Cycle, and finally take a tour through the courts of famous kings as we bring our journey to a close with the Cycle of Kings.
These tales have been told around fires and at bedsides for millennia, speaking of ancient times; tales about the extraordinary other-worldy places, triumphant feats of heroes, of mysterious creatures and evil phantoms, of gods and kings, of maidens and of monsters.
From the dense forests of Ireland to its chilly mountain peaks and its rugged coastlines, Éire’s entire landscape screams out with the tales of her legends of the heroic sagas.
Chocked full of stories, analysis, and lots of useful resources this course will be your go-to reference archive for Irish Mythology.
This course is aimed at those who have little or no information about the myths of old Ireland, but is also detailed enough to engage those who are already fans and offer some new insights and perspectives.
There's also heaps of bonus materials and downloadable resources.
So what are you waiting for?
Begin your journey now...
- Everyone who likes world mythology, Irish heritage, and story telling.
- Anyone who wants to learn a lot more about a fascinating and rewarding subject.
Irish mythology is classified into four distinct collections known as "cycles". Each cycle refers to different eras and groups characters and stories together.
The Mythological Cycle is the first of the Four Cycles to occur chronologically.
Notes and analysis of the legendary migrations to Ireland from Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éireann.
From where did this most elusive group originate, What treasures did they bring, Why did they come to Ireland, and What are the reasons gien for their name?
Were they a race who brought an advanced culture to Ireland, rich in arts, agricultural science, and higher learning? How did the gods and goddesses of old Ireland become the fairies and demons laater years?
An old Irish fairy belief held that a family member, usually a child, could be snatched away by the fairies and carried off to the other-world. Sometimes the faeries replaced their stolen victim with one of their own, an imposter, known in Irish folklore as the 'changeling'.
'The Stolen Child' was written by William Butler Yeats in 1889 as part of a collection called The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems. The poem is sung from the fairies perspective who seek to woo the 'human child...the the woods and waters wild.'
A story about two central figures from the TDD competing for the Bru called Newgrange to be their own abode.
This remscéla, or foretale, explains what caused the pangs of the Ulstermen.
This remscéla depicts a chapter from the life of Chonchobhar MacNessa, who was king of Ulaid during the time of Cúchullain. Here we learn why his fellow countryman, the former king Fergus Mac Roich, his fighting alongside Queen Medb against Ulster during the Táin.
This remscéla describes the mysterious events of Cúchullain's birth and how he came to be fostered by the court of Chonobhar MacNessa.
This remscéla is among the most famous of Cúchullain's Boyhood Deeds.
This is an extract from a longer rescéla called Cúchullain's Courtship of Emer.
Acallam na Senórach, which means something like the ‘Dialogue of the Sages’, or the ‘Colloquy of the Ancients’, the ‘Discourse of the Elders’, is a Middle Irish text composed of five 15th and 16th C. manuscripts amounting to over 8,000 lines of prose and poetry, making it the longest surviving work of original medieval Irish literature.
While he took the high-kingship by walking to the Hill of Tara naked upon the advice of a bird-man from the sid, Conary is probably better known for the tale of his death; a tale called Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, or the Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel, which tells of his ambush and at the hands of Saxon princes and vengeful lords.
Were the rights of women really so good in ancient Ireland? If you talk about these subjects with others you will hear this fact repeated often, but is it true? We find the truth is much more complex than it first appears...
Naturally, the contribution of Irish women is to great to sum up in 20 minutes, so in this short video I provide a broad overview of the role of women in early Ireland, drawing from our history and mythologies.
Learn about the status of women at home and at work, marriage, divorce, and a handful of powerful Irish women and goddesses.
"Mná na hÉireann ¦ Women of Ireland in History, Mythology, and Early Irish Society" was produced from excerpts from my online course "Ancient Ireland: Culture and Society" which has 40 lessons covering a wide range of topics.