Celtic Fantasy
Celtic fantasy is a genre of literature, film, and music based on Celtic folklore. While it is considered by many to be high fantasy, since the stories are usually set in a medieval or ancient world, it is different because it is inspired by famous tales from Celtic history, culture, and mythology. Many of these legends include: The Tale of Tír na nÓg, The Legend of Cúchulain, Jack and His Comrades, The Legend of Knockmany, The Tales of King Arthur, Branwen ferch Llŷr, Tristan and Iseult, Beowulf, and many, many others.
Celtic fantasy books are usually full of mystery and magic, thrilling their audiences. Many themes in Celtic fantasy include pagan religions, fantastical creatures such as faeries, dragons, elves, and selkies, beings with supernatural powers such as druids, or simply persons from Celtic history and legends such as knights, heroes, Gwyn ap Nudd, etc. Other topics could simply be traditions valued by the ancient Celtic peoples such as honour, loyalty, respect for those in authority, and heroism.
Because Celtic Fantasy stories are based on legends, many times these stories are retellings as in the example of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green. It is his version of the famous Welsh legends written in the early medieval ages, later to be popularized by the Normans.
Many times, these legends form the inspirations for many stories written today such as Glastonbury by Donna Fletcher Crow. Another example is Caledonia: The Legend of the Celtic Stone by Michael Phillips. Other examples of fantasy include the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote The Silmarillion and L.B. Graham, who wrote The Binding of the Blade series.
However, Celtic Fantasy isn't restricted to only literary works. It has formed the inspiration for many video games, films, and music groups such as Skyrim, How To Train your Dragon, The Secret of Roan Inish, Eurielle, Leah, Plethyn, Anúna, Brunuhville, Tartalo Music, Enya, Julie Fowlis, Ceredwen, Celtic Woman, and many more.
Essentially, Celtic Fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy whose themes are usually based off of either ancient legends and folklore, or a fantasy-medieval world which has themes prevalent in Celtic folk legends.
Personally, I love it because it's a way for me to combine my favorite genres, historical fiction and fantasy, together into various stories and plot-lines. Also, it's always interesting to read what someone else has done in that genre.
Example of Celtic Fantasy on Wattpad:
Woman of the Sea by CelticWarriorQueen17
Synopsis:
Calum ap Brochan has grown up hearing whispers of tales once widely spoken about the Sea-people who ruled the Sea and governed the fate of the island that has always been his home. Yet the people that he has grown up with mysteriously disappeared before he came of age. Now, few others remain beside himself.
A feeling of doom is growing.
The island is cursed.
But why?
Excerpt:
The dawn was breaking across the sky which had calmed down after the storm. Iníswyn watched from where she stayed a few feet away from the sandy beach. The body had not moved. She was beginning to think she had been too late to save him when she saw him choke and cough up sea water. Then he rolled over and blinked at the sky, eventually sitting up and gazing in bewilderment around him. His eyes lit on her and he stared. Carefully, she crept up the beach as far as she dared from the water. "Who are you?"
"Do you not remember?" she questioned in reply. Her voice was soft and gentle like the gentle waves on a summer's day, but there was an echo of the power of the sea storm from the night before. She rolled her "r's" in a delicate manner and her accent was strange, sounding from another time and another place.
"No, I do not."
"You saved my life once, Calum."
Suddenly, he remembered. "You were the Sea-maiden on the shore?"
"Aye, I was."
"Why did you save my life? And how do you know my name?"
"I heard a boy call out your name once when you were both crossing the dunes near the place you are staying. Why did I save your life? Well, why did you save mine?"
"I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do."
"And so it was. I saved your life because you saved mine. By your actions, you have begun to heal the great rift that lies between my people and yours."
"What rift?"
"Do you not know?'
Calum shook his head. Then he heard a great cry resound from the ocean. The Sea-maiden turned her head and looked behind her. "I must go. I will tell you soon." She began to slide backwards into the deeper parts of the shore.
"Wait!" he called after her, standing. "What is your name?"
"Iníswyn. Wait for me a week from now on the western shore." With that, she disappeared beneath the waves.
Calum stared hard, but he did not see her again. Turning, he left the beach and headed inland, intending to cross far south of his father's lands and return to Liam's croft. They were probably wondering where he was by now. But still, there was much that did not make sense to him. What rift is she speaking about?
Inspirations:
Setting
Characters
Music
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