The Carmina Gadelica : Hymns and Incantations

The Carmina Gadelica is the most comprehensive collection of poems and prayers from the Gaelic tradition of oral poetry. Gathered by Alexander Carmichael, in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, ‘from Arran to Caithness, from Perth to St. Kilda’. It contains within it charms and prayer for all manner of things, to welcoming the new moon, protecting crops, guarding against the fair folk, blessing a journey, lighting a fire, and keeping the home safe. This tome is also annotated, giving more background any information about the culture where it relates to the hymns and invocations. There are over 550 prayers, poems, songs, runes, incantations, invocations, words of healing, protection charms, and other texts.

The poems had been handed down through the generations in a living oral tradition. This tradition and the way of life which sustained it have begun to disappear but these poems and prayers live on to remind us of the faith of the unknown poets who composed them. Previously only available as a bilingual text in six volumes, this one-volume edition in English only is an important contribution to the wider awareness of Celtic literature.

John MacInnes’ introduction puts the poems in the context of the life and folklore of the Gaelic community.

Why we love it

The whole of the Carmina Gadelica being in one volume is a fantastic read, and a fantastic reference. Although it’s well known that the Carmina Gadelica was edited, especially to remove the more pagan elements still surviving through song, its still a valuable text of songs belonging to our ancestors.  It is a very effective text to pray by, and to adapt for your own purposes. There are some beautiful prayers to saints like Brighid- and invocations to the elements and the worlds It’s one of our personal favourite prayer books.

688 Pages – Carmina Gadelica : Hymns and Incantations by John MacInnes (Introduction By)

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