The Celtic Dragon Myth

The Scottish folklorist J.F. Campbell pieced together the tale of the Celtic Dragon, an intricate oft-told story involving not just dragons but mermaids, giants, and sidhe (fairies). This story, or portions thereof, is found in many Indo-European folklore traditions, as far afield as India. Campbell includes not only his merged narrative, but original Gaelic texts for two of the episodes. Campbell is best known for his four volume Popular Tales of the Western Highlands, also available at this site. The book includes a contribution by George Henderson, the Gaelic text and an English translation of the related tale of Fraoch and the Dragon.

About Author:
John Francis Campbell (Scots: Iain Frangan Caimbeul; Islay, 29 December 1821 – Cannes, 17 February 1885), also known as Young John of Islay (Scottish Gaelic: Iain Òg Ìle) was a Scottish author and scholar who specialised in Celtic studies. Campbell was known as authority on Celtic folklore and that of the Gaelic peoples in particular. His best known published work is the bilingual Popular Tales of the West Highlands (4 vols., 1860–62), and Gaelic various texts.