Pagan Themed Historical Fiction

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 3:29 am

Druids by Morgan Llewellyn
Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
Daughter of Ireland by Juilene Osborne-McKnight
The Burning Time by Robin Morgan
Sisters of the Raven by Barbara Hambly
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Moon Under Her Feet by Clysta Kinstler
Julian the Apostate by Gore Vidal
White Raven by Diana L. Paxon

annis · Post by **annis** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 3:48 am

Some more Diana L Paxson titles;
"White Mare, Red Stallion", set amongst warring Celtic tribes in Scotland during the period of the Roman occupation of Britain

'Wodan's Children" series
1. The Wolf and the Raven
2. The Dragons of the Rhine
3. The Lord of Horses
Set in C5th Rhineland, based on the Germanic Ring Cycle legend.

Again set in Germania, during the time of the Roman invasions
Donna Gillespie's
"Light Bearer" and "Lady of the Light"

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 3:49 am

Thanks so much

I was thinking of old thread on HF.org and remembered this one. New suggestions always welcome!

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 4:00 am

More:

Cerridwen Fallingstar, The Heart of the Fire
Ellen Evert Hopman, Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey
Jess Wells, The Mandrake Broom

Cuchulainn · Post by **Cuchulainn** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 4:13 am

Manda Scott's "Boudica" trilogy that turned into a four-book series. They are all pagans in that.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 5:05 am

Great list! There are some new ones here that I will be adding at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info. I've recently reviewed Horsley's Confessions of a Pagan Nun at http://www.HistoricalNovels.info/Confes ... n-Nun.html.

Some other novels set in pagan Ireland include:

Randy Lee Eickhoff's Ulster series, based on ancient Irish legends:
#1: The Raid
#2: The Feast
#3: The Sorrows
#4: The Destruction of the Inn
#5: He Stands Alone

Also, several of Morgan Llywelyn's novels:

Red Branch
Finn MacCool
The Isles of the Blest

annis · Post by **annis** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 5:26 am

Another Morgan Llywelyn with an ancient Celtic theme
"The Horse Goddess"

diamondlil · Post by **diamondlil** » Thu August 28th, 2008, 9:47 am

Jules Watson's Dalriada trilogy - The White Mare, The Dawn Stag and The Boar Stone. The third book has been released in the US under the title The Song of the North.

Melisende · Post by **Melisende** » Fri August 29th, 2008, 1:33 am

Kenneth Flint -

~~ Ulster Cycle
~~ Finn McCool

Website - http://www.mindspring.com/~pjones/kcf/rots.html

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Fri August 29th, 2008, 2:04 am

I have to confess that the term 'Pagan' leaves me at a loss. As a student of comparative religions, it's kind of like saying 'monotheism-themed books' because it is so wide. So a little specification for my bewildered brain:
Do you mean specifically anti-monotheism works? Or just anti-Christian? Or perhaps, everything pre-Christian?

By Pagan, do you mean all of the ancient god/goddess systems? The Roman pantheon, the Greek gods, the Druidic system in its many forms, the Nordic Gods? Does it refer to books based on the great mythic cycles, such as the Ramayana, the Kalevala, the Tain, the Mabinogion, Gilgamesh, the Homeric Epics? Does it include the Sumerian and Egyptiona gods and goddesses? How about pre-Columbian America and native Shamanistic reliegions? Is Hinduism Pagan? (by the technical philosophical definition of non-monotheistic, it would be, but I'm not sure it is for this category.) Does that extend to Asian cults, or is there a geographic component, like Northern Europe? A time component, like before AD 800? Modern-day voodoo and animism, or just older stuff?

Most historical pagan rites involve human sacrifice. Should the recommended pagan-themed fiction be accurate to the historical facts? Or does pagan in this case mean essentially fantasy revisionism, the world as we wish it could be, with mythical/magical elements thrown in?
Or is it primarily a goddess religion that is requested -- no male dieties, unless they are lesser or equal?

I can tell you that proponents of all these different belief systems would be pretty horrified to find themselves grouped together, as they make opposing and exclusive claims to truth. Define the terms. I'm at a loss.