The Lebor Gabála Érenn or The Book of the Taking of Ireland, is a pseudo-historical collection of poetry and prose narrative which was first compiled in the 11th Century CE. The Lebor Gabála centers around an origin myth which describes the settlement of Ireland and its history from the Biblical Flood narrative to the Middle Ages. Considered by scholars to be a highly fictionalized and unreliable account of ancient Irish history, the Lebor Gabála Érenn combines elements of Christian narrative with surviving threads of oral history and Irish mythology. Comprised of about ten books, several versions and passages of the Lebor Gabála Érenn are extant
This is a companion discussion topic for the original definition at https://www.worldhistory.org/Lebor_Gabala_Erenn/.
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- Why do you think the Lebor Gabála Érenn mixes Bible stories with Irish myths?
- Do you think this book is more useful as history or as a legend, and why?
- Why might medieval Irish writers have wanted a story about Ireland’s origins?
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