The Carmina Gadelica ~ What It Is and Where to Find It

The Carmina Gadelica, also known as Charms of the Gaels, is a compendium of prayers, hymns, charms, incantations, blessings, folk poems, songs, proverbs, and miscellaneous lore gathered in the Gàidhealtachd regions of Scotland between 1860 and 1909. (Wikipedia)Alexander Carmichael was a civil servant and exciseman whose work took him throughout the Highlands and Islands, and he spent those decades sitting with people in their homes, listening, and recording what was being said and sung in a tradition that was already beginning to disappear.The Original Six-Volume SetCarmichael himself was responsible for the first two volumes, published in 1900. His daughter Ella re-edited them in 1928.Further volumes were edited by his grandson James Carmichael Watson and published in 1940 and 1941. A fifth volume was edited by Professor Angus Matheson in 1954, and the series was completed in 1971 with a sixth volume containing a lengthy glossary and indices.( Wikipedia)So the complete work spans seventy years and three generations of Carmichael’s family to finish.The original six volumes are bilingual, Gaelic and English on opposite pages. Internet Archive They are the scholarly definitive edition, and they are extraordinary, but also dense and not the easiest entry point.The One-Volume English Edition (Best Starting Point)In 1992, Floris Press published a one-volume English-language edition with a valuable introduction by Dr John MacInnes. (Wikipedia)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.This is the most accessible version of the original collection and the one most practitioners reach for first. It’s available on Amazon and through most booksellers.The Celtic Vision ~ The Most Accessible VersionIf you want to start somewhere gentler, The Celtic Vision edited by Esther de Waal is the best gateway. Assembled from the original six volumes of Alexander Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica by noted Celtic author Esther de Waal, this rich array includes elements of piety that address every side of life.De Waal curated the most beautiful and accessible prayers and blessings into a single slim volume that reads beautifully and is widely available in paperback.It includes the smooring prayers, milking songs, blessing prayers, and protective charms.. This is the version many practitioners keep on their altar rather than their bookshelf.Free Online AccessThe Carmina Gadelica is fully available online, with each contributor listed with their occupation and location. GoodreadsThe Sacred Texts website – hosts the full bilingual text of all six volumes for free, including Carmichael’s original English translations and his extensive notes on customs and dying traditions. This is genuinely one of the most useful free resources in Celtic folk tradition available anywhere.A Note on Carmichael’s EditingIt is worth knowing that Carmichael’s editing methods were challenged in 1976, with accusations that he had meddled with, altered, and polished original texts.The Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell conceded that much of the first three volumes must be taken as a literary rather than a literal presentation of Gaelic folklore. (Soundyngs)The Carmichael Watson Project at the University of Edinburgh has since published his original field notebooks online, allowing comparison between what was recorded and what was printed. This doesn’t diminish the beauty or the value of the collection . It simply means approaching it as a curated literary work as much as a verbatim folk record, which is what the best folklore collectors have always produced.In short: Start with Esther de Waal’s The Celtic Vision for a beautiful, readable introduction. Move to the Floris Press one-volume English edition for the fuller collection. If you want everything, bilingual, scholarly, complete, the six-volume set exists and the full text is free online....