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• 1 2022-12-08T08:17:15-08:00 Celtic Folklore 6 plain 2022-12-08T13:45:04-08:00     
  
  Abstract:
  For this project, I have acquired a set of 20+ items relating in some way to Celtic mythology and folklore. I have created four data visualization’s that relate to different sets of this data. The idea here is to provide a glimpse into significant elements of Celtic Folklore. Within the essay, different aspects are highlighted such as commonalities in language, important figures, associated factors, and miscellaneous facts relating to Irish mythology. The data collection entails a multitude of different media; images, scholarly articles, elementary websites, and more mediums of media are included in the data set. Folklore–in general–is a wide topic with multiple interpretations, and differing translations that could make this discipline seem less accessible or even convoluted. My intention when making these data visualizations was to highlight a few key aspects that may provide a better understanding into Celtic folklore while also understanding the importance that the ambiguity of it provides. The main focus of these visualizations is to highlight and convey similarities in such a broad field through the use of charts, graphs, maps etc. After going through the data, the patterns that stood out to me the most were similarities in word choices. There is a lot that can be said about the word choice used by different authors when discussing ancient or modern mythology. I also included other visualizations to help develop a more well-rounded perspective and understanding of folklore. This project and these four visualizations help offer a snapshot into culturally rich topic of Irish mythology.
  1. Pooka and Púca (Word Association)
  
  
              This data visualization is a word association cloud reflective of two scholarly articles. Both articles are variations of the mythical creature–The Pooka. There is a lot of variation surrounding this figure specifically in different countries. The Welsh and the Irish have both similar and competing stories for this figure. In order to better understand the purpose and the instrumentality of the Pooka, looking at multiple sources seem to be the most effective way of getting certain points across. I used both of these texts to create a visualization that highlights common words that both authors use. Different words such as story, told, night, tradition etc. are highlighted within this data visualization. From this it is easy to see commonalities among two different variations of the same figure, this also shows certain elements of this mythological figure that may be agreed-upon across different disciplines or even cultures. Across the world, there are different renditions of the Pooka relative to specific countries. For example, there have been accounts of a Puka in Native American regions and also Eastern European regions. Different intentions are not exactly what we’re looking at here. The intention of this visualization is to see what words and therefore characteristics of the Pooka have adamantly survived throughout centuries of retellings. The idea here is to see the words associated with the Celtic Pooka and what different scholars may find relevant to include in their telling’s and re-telling the folklore.
  2. Irish Mythology (location mention map)
  
  For this data visualization, I chose what I believe to be one of the broadest of texts on the topic. The article Irish Mythology touches on different ideas as a way to introduce Irish mythology to someone who may or may have not been exposed to it previously. This text discusses both modern and ancient discourse surrounding folklore and specifically Irish folklore. The author offers a great introduction to the study of Irish mythology. Within the text, the author includes different ideas such as myths, Irish identity, preservation etc. Here I wanted to show how widespread mythology was and is around the Celtic region. As with all cultures, mythology is ingrained in a plethora of different ways. It may not always mean the same thing to every person; It could be the passing down of oral tradition or it could be a written story that is shared during the holidays. This visualization documents the different areas where locations were mentioned in the text. Mythology is not always something that is traceable or even documentable. In this case, the existence and prevalence of Irish mythology is rich and therefore significant to aid in one’s understanding of the relationship between Celtic mythology and the Celts.
  3. Irish Mythology and Characteristics of Irish Folklore (Word Association)
  For this visualization, I compared the two texts Irish mythology and The Characteristics of Irish Folklore. I chose these two texts out of my items because these were the most general of my items. They offer more of an overview rather than focus on a specific figure or subject. Seeing as these two act as introductory sources to Celtic folklore, it was interesting to see the words that they share and how prominent they are throughout both texts. I think the cirrus (word trend) was the best visual representation for showing trends between these two. Since the subject I'm looking at is vast and there are multiple interpretations, I find the words commonly associated with both texts to be intriguing and very telling regarding Celtic folklore.  I'm interpreting the data by looking at words most used to better understand what folklore is to begin with. Words such as tradition, local, dead, custom, gods, power, and stories are very indicative of the culture embedded in mythology.
  4. Druid Circles (Photograph Comparison)                                                                                                                                                                                           
  
  
  
  The last visualization is of two sites that are significant to ancient Celtic druids– a key player in the origins and re-telling’s of folklore. One of the sites is the Druid’s Altar which is an archaeological site in Kilkenny, Ireland. The second site is the Druid Circle in Kenmore, Ireland. Both of these sites were and still are significant and understanding ancient Celtic pagan life. These sites still act as gateways and portals to connecting with Celtic ancestors. Many neo-pagans today still visit these sites for a plethora of different reasons.  Something significant to note about Celtic mythology is the understanding of the connection that Celtic pagans had with nature. Sites like these were seen as ways to connect with nature and therefore their ancestors. This visualization allows for viewing two very significant sites and hopefully develop a better understanding of Celtic pagan values in regard to earthly connection.
  
  Conclusion:
              While Celtic folklore is a large and deeply rich discipline, that should not deter one from studying it or any cultures folklore at that. Throughout these four visualizations, I hope to have given a better insight into the topic that is Celtic mythology. Any study of culture can be deeply vast and hidden within interpretations and translations. The goal of this project is to show just a few examples of what Celtic folklore can be (words, cities, archeological sites, etc.) and the different mediums in which one can study it.