Celtic Creation Myth

I bought a book about Celtic myths and legends. The first story in the book is the Celtric creation myth: Long long ago, volcanoes formed the land. It was very hot, and vapors covered the earth. Then a great rain came and cooled the earth. Then the bodies of water were formed from the great rain.

What is strange is that this fits the geological theory of how land and the bodies of water formed. Coincidence or not?

Originally posted by BiohazardMouse
I bought a book about Celtic myths and legends. The first story in the book is the Celtric creation myth:

What book?

I have read many books pertaining to philosophy and religion. And I have never once came across a Celtic Creation myth. Perhaps I need to re-read a couple, but I do not recall one. Although I am far from getting my degree in theology and beliefs, I have done my work.

Heres a few of the the books I read while studying, Celtic beliefs are my favorite and possbly a forte,


American Museum
Sourcebooks
in Anthropology

Myth and Cosmos
Reading in
Mythology and
Symbolism,

World Religions

Pre-historic
Tribal Asia
Early Australasian
Traditional African
Aztec and Mayas
Andean
Northern Europe Iron Age
Mesopotimia
Ancient Egyption
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Ancient Iran
Hinduism
Jainism
Sikkism
Buddism
China
Japan
Judaism
Christianity
Islam,

The Encyclopedia of
Celtic Wisdom
Caitlin & John Matthews,

The Celtic Book
of Living and Dying
Juliette Wood,

The Druids
Stuart Piggott,

The Druids
T.D. Kendrick,

Secrets
of the
Druids
John Matthews,

Ancient Europe
A Survey
Piggott,

Everyday
Life
of the
Barbarians
Malcom Todd,

They Key of It Al
Encyclopedic
guide to the
Sacred Languages
of the world,

Along with my lessons
Gaelic
The Celtic Language.

Please let me know what book you got, as I am interested in verifing and reading what it may have to offer.

Personally I wouldn't say Coincidence, If you look at any pagan culture, be it celtic, aboriginal or many others. They all worship gods pertaining to earth in some way, (sun gods, wind gods etc) So this belief system stemed from the world around them and the forces wielded by nature.
It seems only logical that they should believe in a creation method closer to the real thing than some hocus pocus 7 days tale. Although it is odd how what i'm presuming you partially quoted, fits so accuractly. Maybe they had some extra knowledge of times before mankind, perhaps through spirits?

The book is Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Ellis.

Originally posted by BiohazardMouse
The book is Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Ellis.

Never read Ellis, how is the book composed?

Here is a reading list I am FAR from denting...but I'm plinking away at it.

Celtic

According to Maori legend, the earth was formed when Maui forced the earth Mother and Sky Father apart. I think variations on this theme exist in most pacific cultures including Japan.

New Zealand was formed when Maui and his brothers fished it out of the sea. The North Island is the fish with the head at the south, the South Island is the canoe and Stewart Island is tha anchor.

Alien: If this is wrong please correct it.

I'll say it's bogus.

First, the Celts didn't know about volcanos. There aren't any in the lands where they lived. Second, the surviving Celtic myths mention fairy hills and so forth and they are most emphatically not volcanos.

Yahoo's got several groups on Celtic religion and Celtic reconstructionism (the branch of the Celtic religions that tries to strip the nonsense and made up stuff and "channeled" traditions out of the religion and put back what we know of the original tradition.) You can check there as well -- but I've never seen any volcanos in ANY Celtic myths or legends or tales.

Originally posted by Byrd
I'll say it's bogus.

First, the Celts didn't know about volcanos. There aren't any in the lands where they lived. Second, the surviving Celtic myths mention fairy hills and so forth and they are most emphatically not volcanos.

That depends on what type of celts your refering to? Unless I'm way off the mark here, the celtic religion spread across almost all of europe at one stage.

Originally posted by feygan
That depends on what type of celts your refering to? Unless I'm way off the mark here, the celtic religion spread across almost all of europe at one stage.

Okay... I get to bore everyone with my field research notes for a paper on the Celtic Reconstructionism religions:

Celts was the name applied by ancient Greek writers, from the 5th century BC on, to a group of peoples who inhabited central and western Europe. From the 2nd millennium to the 1st century BC these people, who spoke Indo-European dialects later lassified as CELTIC LANGUAGES, spread through much of Europe. From a heartland in central Europe,
they settled the area of France, penetrated northern Spain, and crossed to the British Isles probably in
the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Moving south and southwest, they sacked Rome c.390 BC and
attacked Delphi in 279 BC. One group then crossed into Anatolia and established the state of GALATIA. The modern populations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall,and Brittany retain strong Celtic elements.

They came from central and western Europe (no volcanos, hence nothing volcanic in their baseline mythology.)

One more snippet of my research -- these are field notes and not attributed but you can find the same information elsewhere:

TIMELINE AND IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS FOR CELTIC PEOPLES

MESOLITHIC PERIOD
Kilgreany B, a human male, is found in the southern caves of Ireland. He is the earliest of all the specimens found so far.

BRONZE AGE
1600-800 BC
The Celts are in Western and Southern Gaul.

EPIMEGALITHIC
1200-200 BC
Alpine "Beaker People" enter Ireland via Britian.

HALSTATT CIVILIZATION
800-400 BC
Furness Burial Mound (430-580 BC) Kildare, Kildare County, Ireland.

Du'n Ailinne Hilltop Enclosure (390 BC-520 AD) Kildare, Kildare Co.

500 BC
Celts invade Southern Gaul and Northern Italy.

400 BC-0 AD
LA TE'NE CIVILIZATION

IRON AGE
200 BC-500 AD
Druids migrate to Ireland, being forced by the Romans. They begin to institute Ogham and the enforcement of law. Those fleeing the Romans from other lands bring the beginnings of Christianity with them.

69 AD
Venutius gains control of the Brigantians after his wife, Cartimandua,divorces him and elopes with his armor-bearer, Vellocatus (and you thought history was boring!)

800-700 AD
Merging of native Irish religion with Christianity.

Gaelic traditionalists trace their origins back to the settlement of Ireland by a Celtic tribe led by King Milesius from Iberia (what is now known as Spain) in 1,000 BCE. This tribe were the founders of the Goidelic cultural and language group which settled in Ireland, the Isle of Man, Brittany, and later, Scotland.

I have a book "Atlas of world history" Which shows the location of the celtic peoples as being in the area of southern eastern euorpe not the central europe you speak of. Your own quote mentions an invasion of Delpi which is in Greece a land ripe with volcanos also there is plenty of geothermal activity in Iceland which COULD have been visited by Celtic people ( I say Could)Also the extent of celtic migration ranges from Gibralter all the way to China. Dont dispell something out of hand.
I dont think this is very important in any reguards It only shows a knowledge of geothermal activity!