Ossian: Scotland's LOST Mythological Epic!

In 1760 a Scottish poet named James Macpherson claimed to have restored a Gaelic epic from the third century AD - thus one of literature's most contentious and enduring controversies was born!

Is Ossian a fraud, a hoax or something else? Listen and find out!

CORRECTIONS:
1. Kalevala was compiled from oral tradition not textual tradition.
2. I meant to refer to Franz Boas as a "European" not a "Westerner".

[moesypittounikos]

This is a fantastic presentation! Here is an example of oral history I've always found fascinating. When Renaissance scholars decided to search for two massive boats the Emperor Caligula own, in some lake somewhere (I can't remember the name of the lake) which eventually got sank to the bottom after his assassination, they travelled to a village on the edge of the lake and asked the locals what is under the lake.. The peasans said two tmassive boats belonging to the Emperor Caligula are at the bottom of the lake. So this information was past down from grandparents to children for 14 hundred years. Italy must have been full of pockets of information in the minds of the local peasants. Small villages were like time capsules rich is ancestral memory. Sadly, after the First World War everything got turned over like uprooting the roots from an ancient garden and all the memories disappeared.

[wrightsright]

I was relieved to see this in my subscription box, I have been experiencing withdrawal over the last two weeks. This was really fulfilling to listen to the first time around because of all the content you fit within a short period of time. Definitely going to go through this with a fine tooth comb in a second watch through because this is just overflowing with information that you could miss things only watching once. Excited for a Valentine's day video, a favorite holiday of mine. Keep up the awesome work!

[svarturhrafn]

please dont delete your channel. i've just found this gem

[olive]

People seem too focused on the controversy that they ignore the genius of Macpherson. Never really thought that he influenced that many people's works. Great video

[stuartnapier]

Excellent research and delivery on a fascinating and complex topic - thank you.

[Gtenkenig]

I'm studying German and we're dealing with Johann Gottfried Herder's perspective on Ossian and the old songs tomorrow. This video is so helpful and it gives me so much background knowledge that I would never have learned in my seminar.
Thank you so much for putting the effort into making a video on it and for conveying information in such a fun and easy to understand way.

[dpavlovsky]

_The Sorrows of Young Werther_ brought me here.

[athiefinthenight]

Thanks for covering this, very interesting

[igneousnoodles]

Utterly fascinating and expertly delivered, sir. I read heavily into Cu Chulainn and always winced at the over-the-top splatterfests that marked much of the action in the tales. It just seemed to take me out of the narrative. I'd like to look into this further, though. Thanks!

[michritch]

So, I listened to your podcast because I'm interested in Scottish history and because I've just run accross "Ossianic Chanting". How do those chants relate to McPherson's tale? I've been to Scotland a few times, have been studying Scottish Gaelic for a few years, and found your topic fascinating.

[sheriberrie]

wow this was a truly great critical video essay, many thanks for sharing with us

[cycloneaxe]

Superb buddy, I'm Scottish and have many points you brought up to research, most of which I had no idea about, cheers 👍

[annazoe]

I am looking into the subject because of how fascinating it is. Wondering whether you can recommend any books or other sources to learn about it. How did you go about it? Thanks for the video!

[sarrost]

I'm here after running into your linux videos. Hoping to stay for the mythology.

[diogenes]

MOST interesting, and engaging, thank you. So many ramifications when we step back and see the Ossian phenomenon in a broad cultural context as you suggest. Have you studied the psychology and 'collective subconscious' at work in the extraordinary influence of romanticism? If so it might make another lecture. Also, the characteristic limited range of imagery and repetitive reference mirrors exactly the formulaic early celtic nature poetry. Thanks again.

[duneideann]

This has the mark of the English and the Union all over this Trying to stamp it out as they did with the people, the dress and the language

[davidjamesmclean]

Thanks for this video. Just finished reading Ossian. It's amazing and I love that it it's a Scottish hero epic that sits alongside the Illiad, oydessey, Niebulung, Aeanid, Prose Edda, Volsung saga and many others. I think the controversy of the historical authenticity over the source material is a non arguement and would go further to say the fact that alot of the story is of Macphersons own device only makes his work more impressive. The poem is tragic and moving to read and stays with the reader long after reading it.

[Aibheis_Scots]

what gets me is outside the UK countries always pronounce Scotland as Scatland lol sounds weird, folks wake up its S.C.O.T.L.A.N.D lol