Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

Responsive image


Celtic Otherworld

The 'Land of the Ever Young' depicted by Arthur Rackham in Irish Fairy Tales (1920).

In Celtic mythology, the Otherworld is the realm of the deities and possibly also the dead. In Gaelic and Brittonic myth it is usually a supernatural realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy.[1] It is described either as a parallel world that exists alongside our own, or as a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth.[1] The Otherworld is usually elusive, but various mythical heroes visit it either through chance or after being invited by one of its residents. They often reach it by entering ancient burial mounds or caves, or by going under water or across the western sea.[1] Sometimes, they suddenly find themselves in the Otherworld with the appearance of a magic mist, supernatural beings or unusual animals.[2][3] An otherworldly woman may invite the hero into the Otherworld by offering an apple or a silver apple branch, or a ball of thread to follow as it unwinds.[3][4]

The Otherworld is usually called Annwn in Welsh mythology and Avalon in Arthurian legend. In Irish mythology it has several names, including Tír na nÓg, Mag Mell and Emain Ablach. In Irish myth there is also Tech Duinn, where the souls of the dead gather.

  1. ^ a b c Koch, John T. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2006. p.1671
  2. ^ "The Celts: The People 'At The End Of The World'". Columbia Theological Seminary. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b MacKillop, James. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford University Press, 1998. pp.21, 205, 270, 322–3, 346, 359–60. ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
  4. ^ Cf. Eleanor Hull, The Silver Bough in Irish Legend, in Folk-Lore, xii.

Previous Page Next Page






Arallfyd CY Keltische Anderswelt German Άλλος κόσμος (κελτική μυθολογία) Greek Otro Mundo (mitología celta) Spanish Alltar GA Altromondo Italian 켈트의 별세계 Korean Paraísos celtas Portuguese

Responsive image

Responsive image