Did the book accurately portray the Celts?

Use this forum to discuss the September Book of the Month "Apollo's Raven" by Linnea Tanner.
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KMSingh
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Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?

Post by KMSingh »

It's hard to tell how accurate it is. In fact, from what I've read historians are pretty sure that the early British tribes weren't even Celts. But I think the important things is that Tanner has done a great job of creating the world of her story. Even when a writer chooses a time period that we know more about it's important to bring that world to life. Tanner succeeded in doing that.
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Post by holsam_87 »

The author did good at generalizing how Celtics culture was then.
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Post by kdstrack »

From what I have read about Linnea Tanner, the Celtic culture is something she has loved since childhood. She has done extensive research, including several trips to France and England. So, yes, she knows what she is talking about.
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Post by Linnea Tanner »

As the Celts left few written records, I based my research on Apollo's Raven from various sources: Roman and Greek historians, Celtic mythology, and archaeological evidence. Recent archaeological findings strongly suggest that southeast Britain was heavily influenced by the Romans by the invasion of Claudius in 43 AD. Britannia was probably more like a client state similar to Cleopatra's reign in Egypt before Mark Antony was defeated. There is evidence that Rome has a military presence in Britannia before Claudius's invasion and that they influenced the selection of rulers. This is what I base the backdrop of Apollo's Raven. I took liberty with some of the Celtic mythology, as most of these myths and legends were written by Catholic monks and medieval writers. The Celtic beliefs were similar to those of the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras. He believed in reincarnation as well as transmigration of the soul between different animal species. Their art form seems to transform from one form into other shapes.
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Post by Britty01 »

gali wrote: 01 Sep 2018, 00:13 As far as I can tell, it seemed historically accurate. The author presented the Roman's mindset and policy perfectly. I am not so sure about the portrayal of the Celts, though. Their culture was well described, but some point bugged me.

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I found it odd that two of the queen's daughters were from her lover, and that the king knew about it and accepted it just like that. One maybe, but not two, especially when the second one was born a few years after the marriage.
It is odd, but he asked for her in marriage to unite the two kingdoms so it was politically expedient for him to do so. Rhiannan's father would have to side with him in a major battle against other enemies, including the Catuvellauni. I think he was also afraid of the curse that Rhan had made when she was going to be executed. It would be his daughter that would kill him. I guess by his reckoning, the first two were no threat.
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Post by Britty01 »

AliceofX wrote: 31 Aug 2018, 23:56 I don’t really know that much about the Ancient Celts so I’m wondering if
someone more knowledgeable could offer their opinion. Did the book seem historically accurate to you? Well, as much as a fantasy book can be.
The book was fairly historically accurate. The map did place the tribes in the southern part of Britain which would be right. They were Iron Age people and traded their wares in Europe. Probably why Romans came to what they called Briton at the time. It seems they have been called Celts in more modern times, but it is quite possible that some did arrive from Europe trying to escape the Romans. So that is open for debate. They are not thought to have invaded in a large force like the Anglo-Saxons and eventually Romans did, albeit after 100 years. One of the Kings did exist according to historical records. They did believe in the power of Druids/Druidesses and took part in animal sacrifice. 24 AD is a reasonable time period based on what pieces of information are in the book. At that time the Romans had been sending forces to England about 80 years. It took almost another 20 years before they actually conquered much of England, not Scotland, hence Hadrian's Wall. I am not sure their women were really treated equally although the female princesses who were warriors might have stood a better chance. I think a lot of that has come from a more romantic period of history and myths told over time.
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Post by amsula_2018 »

The book is fiction. Why is there a need to be historically accurate? For me, what matters in the books is if the readers enjoyed it and the message of the story.
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Post by Bon0 »

Fantasy scenes aside, it was historically accurate.
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Post by ShareTheGift »

The author definitely did her research and used historical names, though on some the spelling is slightly different (Cunobelin/Cunobeline). Dress seemed to be accurate and they did have druids who were interested in knowledge and also afterlife and connectedness. However, all the sorcery is likely exaggerated as it usually is in the movies.

A good book on Celtic history is The Celts (A Lucid and Fascinating History) by Nora Chadwick (a Celtic scholar). I was fortunate enough to pick up a copy about 2 years ago.
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Post by CommMayo »

amsula_2018 wrote: 19 Sep 2018, 08:18 The book is fiction. Why is there a need to be historically accurate? For me, what matters in the books is if the readers enjoyed it and the message of the story.
Haha, this is an excellent point! Also, once you start to introduce so much mysticism and shapeshifting, focusing on historical accuracy is totally missing the point of the book.
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Post by AliceofX »

amsula_2018 wrote: 19 Sep 2018, 08:18 The book is fiction. Why is there a need to be historically accurate? For me, what matters in the books is if the readers enjoyed it and the message of the story.
The author could have easily chosen to set the book in a made up fantasy world (and considering how much magic there is in the story it might have worked a lot better). Instead, she chose to set it in ours amongst people that once existed, and to me that carries an obligation to be faithful to who they were.
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Post by CommMayo »

AliceofX wrote: 21 Sep 2018, 08:47 The author could have easily chosen to set the book in a made up fantasy world (and considering how much magic there is in the story it might have worked a lot better). Instead, she chose to set it in ours amongst people that once existed, and to me that carries an obligation to be faithful to who they were.
This, too, is a very valid point. When citing historical events and building a world in a past civilization, there are some expectations that what is portrayed is historically accurate. Perhaps it begs the question: Is this historical fiction or purely a fantasy book?
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Post by Zain A Blade »

There's very little known about the Celtics from historical records, there is a lot of controversy over who they were and almost everything we know about their way of life is from fictional depictions in movies and literary works. So, there is really no way of ascertaining how accurate the author's depiction of the Celtic tribes are.
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Post by Rodrigo Niguez »

Celts civilization is properly captured. There could be little details not highlighted in this text but overall, I think the author did a great work in bringing out their civilization.
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Post by amsula_2018 »

AliceofX wrote: 21 Sep 2018, 08:47
amsula_2018 wrote: 19 Sep 2018, 08:18 The book is fiction. Why is there a need to be historically accurate? For me, what matters in the books is if the readers enjoyed it and the message of the story.
The author could have easily chosen to set the book in a made up fantasy world (and considering how much magic there is in the story it might have worked a lot better). Instead, she chose to set it in ours amongst people that once existed, and to me that carries an obligation to be faithful to who they were.
Why is there a need for history to be accurate in a fiction book? It is created in an alternative world where there is magic.
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