author
J. A. (John Arnott) MacCulloch
1868–1950
A Scottish clergyman and folklorist, he became one of the early 20th century’s best-known writers on Celtic religion and myth. His books bring together scholarship, legend, and storytelling in a way that still feels inviting to curious readers.
1 Audiobook
The Religion of the Ancient Celts
by J. A. (John Arnott) MacCulloch
About the author
Born in Edinburgh in 1868, John Arnott MacCulloch was a Scottish clergyman, folklorist, and scholar of religion. He is especially remembered for his work on Celtic religion and mythology, a field in which his writing reached a wide audience beyond the academy.
His best-known books include The Childhood of Fiction (1905), The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911), and the Celtic section of The Mythology of All Races (1918). He also wrote about Scotland itself in The Misty Isle of Skye, showing the same interest in landscape, tradition, and belief that shaped his mythological studies.
MacCulloch died in 1950. Today he remains a familiar name to readers exploring Celtic studies, folklore, and comparative mythology, especially because his work aimed to make complex traditions readable and engaging for general audiences.