Otherworld Women in Early Irish Literature / Heather Key.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Key, Heather, author.

Series:

Early medieval North Atlantic.

The Early Medieval North Atlantic Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fantasy in literature.

Women in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

München, Germany : Routledge, 2025.

Summary:

In early Ireland, there were many names for what scholars have dubbed the 'Otherworld': the Plain of Delights, the Land of Youth, the Land of Promise, and more. Many of the myths and legends from this period involve an encounter between a hero and a woman from this Otherworld, with sufficient frequency to form a distinct theme within the literature. This book examines the particularities and consequences of these otherworldly encounters, attending in particular to the question of gender and the social dynamics at work. Five stories purportedly from the lost book Cín Dromma Snechta receive detailed analysis, alongside material from other sources, in order to reconstruct the mindset of the early Irish who told these stories about the Otherworld and their views about women in general.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Preface

Part I Introduction

1 Women in Early Ireland

2 The 'Otherworld' of Early Ireland

Part II The Texts

3 Echtrae Chonnlai and Immram Brain

4 Serglige Con Culainn

5 The Eponymous Goddesses of Lebor Gabála Érenn

6 Echtrae Nerai

7 A Fair Shake: Otherworld Men as Intermediaries

Conclusion

Appendix

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Nov 2023).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-003-70093-4

1-04-079129-8

90-485-5598-1

9781003700937

OCLC:

1371970698