Tales of the Elders of Ireland

Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Acallam na Senórach) represents the largest literary text surviving from 12th-century Ireland, the most comprehensive early collection of Fenian stories and poetry. Three parallel worlds interact: the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick with his scribes, clerics, occasional angels, and souls rescued from Hell; the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and an array of Irish kings; and the timeless Otherworld, peopled by ever-young, shape-shifting fairies. The Tales dwell in detail on the inhabitants of the Irish Otherworld and provide an extensive account of their music and magic, their internecine wars and their malice toward, and infatuation with, humankind – themes that still feature in the story-telling of present-day Ireland.