Offers insight into the last tribal culture in Europe. In this book, the author explores the mysterious beliefs of these ancient people: their gods and monuments, heroic tales and pagan rituals, and the enduring imaginative power of their art and lore.



This new and completely redesigned edition offers a vivid and evocative insight into the last tribal culture in Europe. Sharkey explores the mysterious beliefs of these ancient people: their gods and monuments, heroic tales and pagan rituals, and the enduring imaginative power of their art and lore. Their epic mythmaking and sinuous art conjure a world of strange transformations and liminal states, moving freely between life and death, light and dark, mortal and divine. The latter part of the book comprises eleven richly illustrated ‘Themes’ sections: illuminating groupings of ancient art that complement the main text.