Dr. Shelley Williams

Figures and stories from Celtic mythology appear frequently in pop culture, books, games, and films. The phrase ‘Celtic mythology’ generally refers to the pre-Christian polytheistic beliefs held by the people living in the British Isles before the Roman invasion. However, not a single primary source has survived from the Celts themselves concerning their own mythology; all we have are later Roman and Christian texts describing Celtic cultures, and these are far from objective sources of information. The prevailing picture we have of a Celtic mythology is an amalgamation of a handful of medieval texts, and a world of historical imagination. As the leading scholar Mark Williams states, popular representations of Celtic mythology are often "retellings of retellings, in which dubious 'truths' about Celtic myth are endlessly recycled." So what can we know about the Celtic pantheon? Join me as I guide an exploration into the depths of British history and come face-to-face with Celtic mythology. This course offers a rich exploration of history and literature in conversation, designed for anyone drawn to mythology, pre-Christian belief systems, and the enduring allure of “Celtic” art and identity. Together we will uncover how and why these myths have been reshaped, misrepresented, and revived—and what that reveals about the cultures that told and retold them. Along the way, you may find not only a clearer understanding of these powerful narratives, but also fresh inspiration for your own creative and intellectual engagement with them. Course sessions: 1. Sources: Unpicking the Evidence 2. Webs of Irish, Welsh, Germanic and Norse Mythologies 3. Case Study: Brigid 4. Sacred Sites: Geography and Mythology 5. Material Evidence: Visual Art and Objects that tell Celtic Stories 6. Ossian and the Eighteenth-Century 7. The Fabulous Victorians 8. Scholarship to the Present and Beyond [show less]

Unlock the secrets of medieval buildings—real and imagined! Step into a world of soaring cathedrals, fortified castles, sacred wells, and the fantastical architecture of Chaucer’s imagination. In this course, we’ll explore how medieval structures were built, used, and imagined, learning to “read” their stories, symbolism, and hidden messages. From dramatic sieges to miraculous springs, from intricate stained glass to impossible fictional spaces, you’ll gain the tools to explore medieval architecture on your own, uncovering the stories that these remarkable buildings have been telling for centuries. Session 1: The Temple of Solomon and Heavenly Jerusalem Session 2: A church for Saint James in the Field of Stars Session 3: Under Siege Session 4: Chaucer’s murals and the Italian Trecento: Chaucer's The Knight’s Tale, Session 5: Chaucer’s The House of Fame Session 6: Reading Stained Glass at Chartres Session 7: Sacred Wells and their Shrines Session 8: Reading St. Mary’s Church in Iffley, Oxfordshire [show less]

Descend into the medieval ‘Dark Zone,’ a world beneath the surface where dragons coil, cave-witches curse, and the earth itself becomes a site of danger, revelation, and transformation. This course plunges into the rich subterranean imagination of Old and Middle English literature, tracing caves, hollows, and underground spaces from the tenth through the sixteenth century. Moving between sweeping thematic frameworks and analytical close reading, we will examine how caves function as mythic thresholds, spiritual testing grounds, and spaces of exile, prophecy, and refuge. Through attentive readings of canonical and lesser-known texts, students will discover how medieval writers used the underground to think through fear, faith, gender, power, and the limits of the known world. Session 1: Let’s go spelunking! Plato’s Republic, Jung and more Session 2: Primordial ‘Earth halls’ in Old English poetry Session 3: Subterranean worlds in Beowulf Session 4: Arthurian Caves Session 5: Mapping Sir Gawain and the Green Knight's Green Chapel Session 6: Saturn’s “derke cote”: occult caves in Chaucer’s poetry Session 7: Anchorites and cave-witches Session 8: Wookey Hole: a case study of a cave, history, and cultural imagination through time [show less]