Author’s Note
This one was a lot of fun to write – I got to play with some of my medievalist folklore background, and share it with you! If you want to know more about the folklore parts, Peter Berresford Ellis does a fantastic job retelling stories from across the Celtic world in The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends; Jeffery Gantz’ translations of Irish myths for the Penguin series are always reliable, and if you want to go the antiquarian route, John Rhys and Lady Gregory are delightful to read. The Penguin edition of The History and Topography of Ireland by the medieval churchman and traveler Gerald of Wales is also excellent for exploring medieval views of the Irish—or the Welsh, in Gerald’s book on Wales! (Which also includes a disturbing bit of medieval trivia about beavers…
