The Twelve Winds of the Ancient Gaelic World

About this book

Introduction At a time when most of Europe was struggling in the dark ages, the Gaels maintained a highly developed society. Though it took centuries for them to record much of their knowledge, they understood the complexities of the world around them with sophistication and refinement. They were a people strongly influenced by the forces of nature, and the wind, that mysterious wonder of creation, appealed to their imagination. Over time, this continuing fascination evolved into twelve dynamic, living winds, each with separate characteristics. This work attempts to examine these twelve winds in combination with their colors, and to explore some of the possible influences and effects of each. It is also an attempt to illuminate one of the wonders of the natural world as may have been seen through the eyes of the Gael. The winds are attended by several tales, which have been adapted from existing historical accounts, as in “Columba and the Druid,” or based on old legends, as in “Rory the Turbulent.” The majority, though based on Gaelic myth, are fictional.