Tagged: myth and legend

Books

The hero with a thousand faces by

Whether we listen with aloof amusement to the dreamlike mumbo jumbo of some red-eyed with doctor of the Congo, or read with cultivated rapture thin translations from the sonnets of the mystic Lao-tse; now and again crack the hard nutshell of an argument of Aquinas, or catch suddenly the shining meaning of a bizarre Eskimo fairy tale: it will be always the one, shape-shifting yet marvellously constant story that we find. together with a challengingly persistent suggestion of more remaining to be experiences than will ever be known or told.

I think maybe I’m just not in the mood for studious type books. At least, that’s the excuse I’m making for not really enjoying this book. Then again it may simply be that we’re all aware of these great themes that so many myths and fictions retell over and over again. Back in 1949 it was all original and new and so of course deserved all that attention. Now? Well the writing style is a little on the ponderous side and I think I’ve read most of these arguments before.

6 May 2008
Books

On Raven’s Wing by

The atmosphere surrounding the little boy vibrated with tension. He could not see the stifled anger and baffled desire, but he sensed their residue accumulating like dustballs in the corners of the fort. Unspoken recriminations crowded the silences; bitter glances were hurled like spears over small Setanta’s head.

When I first read this book I wrote the month and year inside the cover, so I know that I first read it in February 1994, but I’ve reread it plenty of times in the past 13 years. It has been one of my favourite books ever since. That might possibly be because it is based on the Irish legend of the Táin Bó Cúalnge, or Cattle-Raid of Cooley. The Táin is made up of a collection of stories, based around the heroes of the Red Branch, the warriors of Ulster, and especially Cúchulainn.

23 May 2007
Books

Celtika by

I was neither a stranger in this territory, nor familiar with it. The last time I had passed this way, the route into the wilderness of forest and snow that was the northern land of Pohjola had been an open gorge, guarded by nothing more sinister than white foxes, chattering mink and dark-winged carrion birds.

suppose that you are thinking that a series entitled The Merlin Codex might be about the Merlin of the Arthurian legend. If so, and you are expecting Camelot to make an appearance in this book, you are in for a surprise. Yes, the main protagonist is Merlin, but he isn’t the character you might have expected. Instead, although very old he is also quite young. In appearance at least. And instead of serving or advising Kind Arthur he travels with Jason of the Greek myths. The book is set hundreds of years after the quest for the Golden Fleece, and the love affair with Medea and the resulting tragedy, but Jason is not dead. He has been kept in a sort of suspended non-life by the magic of his ship, the Argus, and now Merlin has returned to bring him back to life. Merlin, you see, has discovered that Medea did not actually kill her two sons.

3 April 2007
Books

Anansi Boys by

ISBN: 0755305078 It begins, as most things begin, with a song Fat Charlie is fat, but the nickname has stuck. It is his father’s fault, if Fat Charlie’s dad calls something...

30 June 2006
Books

The Bull Raid by

ISBN: 1405212551 This is a YA book based on the Irish legend of The Táin. Cúchulainn is the legendary Ulster warrior who is forced to defend the province from the Connacht...

18 September 2005
Moving Pictures / Reviews

King Arthur dir. by

This film suffered from many poor reviews. Both from critics and, in my case, from friends who found it boring. Course I don’t read reviews before I go see films, I try to make up my own mind. Still I wasn’t expecting a lot from this film.
I’ve never really been a huge fan of Arthur films. First Knight was really really crap, imo, and Excaliber was a bit wierd. Plus there is the whole Monty Python thing :)

So why’d I go to see it?
Ray Winstone of course!

20 August 2004
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