We have come so far that all the old stories whisper once more…
Robert Duncan
Myth whispers to us at a deep level: it speaks to the imagination and the heart rather than the rational mind. And it helps to awaken us from the trance of the materialistic world-view to discover new meaning and magical dimensions which open us to awe and wonder, renewing our faith in life and our love of Nature and all her creatures.
The fund of myth and story available to us is a treasure-trove that Druids love to explore, and in the first year of training in the Order students enter deeply into one tale to discover the transformative power of story.
In addition to the huge amount of material in the Matter of Britain, we can be held spellbound by the Irish tales and sagas, and the Welsh books and legends. The Irish and Welsh Triads, pithy wisdom-sayings set in a threefold form, also provide encouragement and teaching for Druids today.
The collection of Welsh tales known as The Mabinogion, which draws on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, inspires many Druids today. An audio version of The Mabinogion, read by Prof. Ronald Hutton is avalable from iTunes here.
An audio version of The Four Branches of the Mabinogion (Y Mabinogi) with story, song, and music is being created by our Pendragon Damh the Bard. Find out more here.