Abstract

This is a foreword and introduction to a collection devoted to the study of mythological and topological data from early Ireland and ancient India. The books is concerned with the periods when the key structures of Irish and Indian culture underwent important transformations. This process was characterised by the “melting” of earlier semiotic forms which affected fundamentally the nature of the existing culture. In the period of transition, earlier mythological forms, which had in all probability been at the core of ritualistic activities, became diluted and were included into later narrative structures. The impact of these changes on the sacred landscape and sacred topography of the traditions is discussed in the volume. While the Foreword introduces to the logistics of the project that led to the publication of the volume, Introduction presents the theoretical background to the problem and surveys seven articles contributed to the volume