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Old Grey Magician by George MacPherson sampler

Fionn Cycle: A loose collection of tales originating in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man which surround hunter-warrior leader Fionn, his band of men and his poet son, Ossian. Old Grey Magician: A mystical, morally ambivalent figure who appears throughout Celtic mythology; in Ireland he is the Dark Druid, and often he appears as a seabird. The shapeshifting sorcerer is a thorn in Fionn’s side, solving impossible problems but always asking too much in return. George W Macpherson has been telling the traditional tales of Fionn and the Fianna for years, artfully drawing in audiences with his storytelling talent. Gathered from sources all over the country and occasionally beyond, and collected here for the first time, the Old Grey Magician’s exploits offer a fascinating insight into the traditions of Scotland and the development of oral storytelling. Introduced and situated in physical and literary history by Donald Smith, this collection reminds us of the importance of retaining the stories that shaped us.

Fionn Cycle: A loose collection of tales originating in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man which surround hunter-warrior leader Fionn, his band of men and his poet son, Ossian.

Old Grey Magician: A mystical, morally ambivalent figure who appears throughout Celtic mythology; in Ireland he is the Dark Druid, and often he appears as a seabird. The shapeshifting sorcerer is a thorn in Fionn’s side, solving impossible problems but always asking too much in return.

George W Macpherson has been telling the traditional tales of Fionn and the Fianna for years, artfully drawing in audiences with his storytelling talent. Gathered from sources all over the country and occasionally beyond, and collected here for the first time, the Old Grey Magician’s exploits offer a fascinating insight into the traditions of Scotland and the development of oral storytelling. Introduced and situated in physical and literary history by Donald Smith, this collection reminds us of the importance of retaining the stories that shaped us.

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the old grey magician<br />

many other parts of Britain and Central Europe.<br />

The <strong>Grey</strong> <strong>Magician</strong>’s reputation as a <strong>Magician</strong> and<br />

Healer was mentioned with awe in these stories,<br />

yet there was always an element of fear too.<br />

I collected stories of the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Grey</strong> <strong>Magician</strong>, his<br />

interaction with the Fianna and other beings on<br />

land and sea and in doing so became aware of his<br />

importance in the diaspora of the world.<br />

In this book I tell some of his stories hoping<br />

that they will arouse interest not only in the <strong>Old</strong><br />

<strong>Grey</strong> <strong>Magician</strong>, but also in the varied beings<br />

involved with him, and that it will lead to his<br />

stories being resurrected and collected in as near<br />

to their original form as possible .<br />

I am still hoping I might see some of the<br />

beautiful Mermaids of the magical world of the<br />

<strong>Magician</strong>, but not perhaps too close.<br />

The <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Grey</strong> <strong>Magician</strong><br />

Who was or is the <strong>Old</strong> <strong>Grey</strong> <strong>Magician</strong>? This is a<br />

subject on which both Academic and Oral<br />

Research have so far failed to find a definitive<br />

answer.<br />

The <strong>Magician</strong> is found in different guises – both<br />

male and female – in Welsh, Irish, Scottish and<br />

14

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