help!!

GNHU 220-01: Celtic Mythology

Spring 2018

Dr. Glen R. Gill

Term Paper Assignment

Choose one of the six general topics listed below and use it to develop a thesis for your term paper. Please note

that most topics call for comparative analysis. Feel free to make use of the literary, artistic, archeological,

anthropological, religious and philosophical theories and approaches that have been presented and discussed in

in class. Use of secondary critical sources is encouraged, but any research you use should only support and

augment, not take the place of, your own thoughts and encounters with the myths on this course, and all

sources must be properly documented. Keep in mind also that the paper is intended to demonstrate your

proficiency as a student and reader of Celtic myth, not your familiarity with criticism on these tales. The paper

should be approximately 2500-3000 words (10-12 pages) in length, not including works cited list. Papers must

scrupulously adhere to MLA documentation format and be presented in 10- or 12-point font with one-inch

margins. You must use the coursepack for your source texts. You will submit your paper through Canvas and

also to me in person, in hardcopy, on its due date of Apr. 30th. Please just staple your paper: do not use paper

clips or covers of any kind. Late essays will be penalized one letter grade per day.

Topics

1. Choose two heroes from Celtic mythology (preferably from different cycles) and compare their respective characters, actions, symbolism, artistic representation and/or the relative success or failure of their deeds: a

list of possible choices would include Lug, the Dagda, or Conaire from the Mythological cycle;

Cuchulainn, Conall, or Fergus from the Ulster cycle; Finn, Diarmuid, or Oisin from the Fenian cycle;

Connla, Art, Cormac, or Bran from the Cycle of the Kings. What similarities and differences are evident in

the two heroes? What do representations of these heroes tell us about Celtic conceptions of heroism, about

the cycles in which they appear, and about Celtic mythology and culture more generally?

2. Celtic mythology is filled with examples of characters who transform themselves, or are transformed, into animals or supernatural creatures, or who are otherwise symbolically associated with animals. Focusing

specifically on the myths that we have studied in class, produce a paper that explores the role and function

of animal symbolism and/or animal transformation in Celtic mythology.

3. Celtic mythology, as we know, comes down to us primarily through the work of various, even-handed but largely anonymous Christian scholars: through their work, we have a sense of Celtic mythology as

something definitively pagan, and yet related (or at least relatable) to Christianity in various ways. In what

ways does the symbolism, analogies, narratives, and language of Celtic mythology reflect Christian

thought and/or the hand of the Christian scribes?

4. Celtic mythology is populated by a large number of conventional and unconventional female characters. From supernatural beings like the Morrígu and Macha, to mortals like Derdriu or Emer, to warrior women

like Scáthach and Queen Medb, female characters in Celtic mythology run a wider gamut than most

mythologies, and many of the major narratives and representations turn on the presence and contributions

of female figures. Produce a paper that examines the character and significance of a female character in

Celtic mythology, or which compares two such figures.

5. Many Celtic myths involve interactions with that mysterious and strange realm that Celtic scholars call “the Otherworld.” Whether it is located in a síde, under the ocean, on a distant island or in some other

significant site, crossing over into the Otherworld usually has life- and world-changing consequences.

What does the Otherworld symbolize in the Celtic imagination, and what purposes and functions does it

serve in the Celtic myths?

6. Choose and develop an essay topic of your own for your term paper. Note, however, that your topic must involve texts from two or more cycles, be comparative in scope, and your topic and thesis must be

approved by me by April 4th.