Celtic Women Heroines - 10 credits

Although this module bears the name Celtic Women Heroines, it provides a panoramic view of Celtic society, Celtic mythology and naturally a description of how the Celtic woman creates a foil for the Celtic man.

The discussion goes beyond the traditional well known image of the emancipated female, the warrior queens depicted by Boudica, the beautiful romantic heroines such as Rhiannon or the tragic wronged queens exemplified by the likes of Branwen and examines the various sources of information on Celtic women:

• Comparisons between Celtic women and their Roman counterparts


• Archaeological evidence


• Irish, Welsh and Breton law


• Marriage and the Celtic Judicial system


• Mythical evidence


• Christianity

A substantial section is dedicated to discussing the Celtic women who took part in battle, namely women warriors. Their battle strategies are described as well as their general role in warfare, portraying women as warleaders, observers, supporters and arbitrators.

The module concludes with references to Celtic women today and notes the changing role of the heroines of Celtic Society over the centuries.