Re: musings

On Wed, 15 Oct 1997, Julia Taylor wrote:

> First, I'd like to thank Karen for her Guide to Celtic Everything. However,
> this got me wondering about the connection between filk/fandom and
> Celtic Folk--as in what is it, what underlies it, and how did it develop?
> When I first encountered this "connection" (specifically by seeing
> Telynor at Rustycon some years ago) I thought it very strange. I mean, I
> could see where it would tie in to the SCA, but fandom? I had come to
> like Celtic music myself from spending many hours at the Northwest
> (then Murphy's) Stage at Folklife, but I'd never considered it would be
> linked to fandom. I've pondered this before, and I was just wondering if
> anyone has any insight to offer. Is this northwest thing, or is it more
> widespread? As much as I like Celtic music, I also am getting a bit sick of
> encountering celtic stuff everywhere these days, and maybe I think its a
> bit too high profile in fandom, as 'twere.... (I guess I always like things
> better when I think they are obscure.)
>

The connections are odd, and pre-date fandom itself; Victorian England had quite a Celtic vogue and this extended to Victoria herself, rather as Amerindian culture is in vogue among European-Americans nowadays; perhaps cultural appropriation of a defeated enemy or perhaps manipulation of the culture of a victorious enemy.

Celtic and pseudo-Celtic (Iolo Morganwg!) mythology has been part of fantasy (and so-called science fiction) since half of forever; the why of this would make a fascinating essay. Something in the Celtic culture, when translated--it is possible this does not exist in the original material!--has a kind of glamour (itself a word of Celtic roots, I believe.)

In any event, one can go back to people like Leigh Brackett and Robert E. Howard for fantasy-fiction Celtic sources. Yeats and the Order of the Golden Dawn are direct recent magical connections. And of course there is Tolkien.

You know, this might be a subject for a lit'rary monograph. Maybe several.

Randolph Received on 10/15/97