u/epiphanyshearld

When I became the mod of this sub, I promised to post a reading list for people who want to get into the mythology. Some time has passed… but better late than never is my way of thinking of things.

Before I begin, I just want to say that this list is a slightly edited version of the reading list r/AYearOfMythology completed in 2025. As I am a mod on that sub, I think it is fair game for me to post the full schedule for 2025 here Obviously, 2025 is over and we have finished actively reading these texts, but if you want to join in any conversations over on the sub, fell free to do so. The link also leads to several ‘Translation Guide’ posts I wrote during 2025, which may be of interest to anyone looking to start reading this mythology.

Mythology Basics:

General:

• The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis – this book is a comprehensive retelling of a huge number of Celtic myths. I say ‘retelling’ because Berresford Ellis does retell these myths in his own words, but his aim is more academic than most modern style retellings. He covers myths from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Britanny, the Isle of Man and Cornwall.

Welsh Myths:

• The Mabinogion by Anon – this is the core surviving text that we have covering the Welsh side of the myths. It is also where King Arthur gets introduced into the mythology.  
• Taliesin by Lady Charlotte Schreiber aka Lady Guest – Schreiber compiled the best-known version of the Mabinogion, but it isn’t necessarily the best translation to read, which is why I didn’t link it above. However, her version is unique because she added the tale of ‘Taliesin’ at the end of the book. Taliesin was a mythical bard figure in Welsh mythology. He was possibly also a historical figure, and many later bards and scribes attributed poems to him. I’m including this here because there is a compilation of ‘his’ works available to read (see next point). Project Gutenberg link to Schreiber’s Mabinogion
• The Book of Taliesin: Poems of Warfare and Praise in Enchanted Britain by Taliesin, translated by Gwyneth Lewis and Rowan Williams – this book is a collection of Taliesin’s (and those using his name) work.

Arthurian Myths:

Note that the Arthurian side of the myths originated in the Welsh mythos. However, it kind of got co-opted by the French and later English, creating its own (huge) mythology. For the 2025 reading over on r/AYearOfMythology we decided to focus on the earliest works in the Arthurian area and work through things as chronologically as possible. We also only covered a handful of texts, because we wanted to get a broad overview of the general Celtic mythos over focusing on just one area.

• The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth – this book is the og Arthurian text (outside of the Mabinogion). It’s a bit dry but it is one of the best places to start. Writers, like Chretien de Troyes were inspired by this text.
• Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes – these are the stories that really started the Arthurian trend. They are long, and the last one is frustratingly incomplete, but they are all good. If Monmouth sounds too dry for you, this would be my pick for where to start in this area.
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anon
• Sir Orfeo by Anon (believed to be the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight writer).  I read this because it came in my copy with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and really loved it.
• Lais/French Medieval Romances by Marie de France – we didn’t read this in 2025, but Marie de France would be next on our list when it comes to Arthurian reads. She was one of the most prominent first wave (post Geoffrey of Monmonth) of writers who wrote in this area.
• Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory – we also didn’t read this in 2025, because it comes much later in the Arthurian chronology. If the vote for Arthurian mythology ever wins, we will cover it, in its rightful place. I’m including this book here because it is so well known. However, I do not personally recommend it as a starting place for Arthurian myth because there is debate over the version Malory published and it was written centuries into the Arthur canon. It’s a bit like picking a series up mid-way through and expecting to understand the full story.

 

Irish Myths:

• Early Irish Myths and Sagas by Jeffrey Gantz
• Tain Bo Cuailnge (The Tain)
• Irish Fairytales and Folklore by W.B. Yeats (also known as 'Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry') – this is a collection of myths compiled by W.B. Yeats. It’s a lovely read and was one of our most popular in 2025. I was kind of kicking myself that we read this so late in the year, because it’s a fantastic read. W.B Yeats and another Irish writer, Lady Gregory, did a lot of work in the area of transcribing oral tales into the written word in the early twentieth century. We placed this read late in 2025 because of when it was published, but you could easily use this as a starting point for Irish myths, if you wanted to.
• Celtic Twilight by W. B. Yeats – This is another collection of Irish myths and folktales. We didn’t read it in 2025 but based on how fun a read ‘Irish Fairytales and Folklore’ was, I imagine this is also a good read.
• Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Gregory – This is another text we didn’t have time to cover, sadly. It’s long but reviews are really good. Like Yeats, I think this is probably one of the most readable texts in this section. Gregory focused more on the ‘epics’ of Irish mythology, as far as I’m aware. Her other text Cuchulain of Muirthemne focuses on one of Ireland’s most famous heroes, Cu Chulain.

Miscellaneous:

• Beowulf – I’m including this here, because we read it over on the other sub. This text is a conundrum because it is set in Scandinavia and seems to fit mostly into the Norse mythology, but it is a story from England and does seem to have Celtic influences.

Non-Fiction:

• The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe
• The Ancient Celts (Second Edition) by Barry Cunliffe
• Druids: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe
• The Celtic Myths by Miranda Aldhouse-Green – I found this book invaluable when I was coming up with the reading list for 2025. It covers the basics of the mythology and provides a lot of information on further reading for the primary source texts. If you are interested in Arthurian mythology specifically, I would recommend this book because it goes in depth about the chronology of texts in this mythos.

 

Zotero:

This link leads to a collection of titles that was recommended by readers in the lead up to the 2025 Celtic reading by r/AYearOfMythology

 

This list is by no means complete. If you have any suggestions for beginner-friendly texts, both primary and non-fiction, please let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to the post