Review: The Celts: A History

The Celts: A History by Peter Berresford Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a history, and somewhat of a hagiography, of the Celts. Much of the book is spent on negating misconceptions about the Celts which have presumably been accepted as truth. I don't doubt what the book states (I'm certainly not qualified to), but it just seems like it doth protest too much.

I also found it odd that the author links the Celts to Ancient Indian practices so much, but hardly ever mentions Ancient Greek or Roman ones (except to show how the Celts influenced them). After all, those two cultures are also Indo-European, so there should be just as much in common with them.

Regardless, I found this very eye-opening. Much of the book focuses on words and etymology, and it is certainly interesting to see how many of our words have Celtic roots (including Brazil!). It is also always interesting to remember that the Celts were spread throughout Europe and how much of their influence remains (including with place names).

I found his hinting that the holy trinity has a celtic origin to be a bit of a stretch though.

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