The Ogam letters,
their sibling trees and their kennings as given by the Auraicept and the Ogam
tract following Calder and McManus edition of Middle Age texts.
This table shows what the ancient scholars
would say and think of the Ogam, their own spelling and their interpretation of
it. When I open a book relative to the Ogams, I am bound to see some strange
spellings, orderings and letter meanings, all of them stated with a surprising
authority. This table will show how much the ancients were trying to explain
why such or such tree was sibling to an Ogam letter. Even when they disagree,
their explanations enable us to understand that different points of view might
have coexisted already in their time. For example, the second letter, Luis, may
be associated to the rowan-tree (because of the beauty of its berries) or to
the elm-tree (because of the wealth of its catkins), I cannot tell where is
‘the’ truth or if both are true. Anyhow, when you choose one of these
attributions, please take into account that the ones who had the best knowledge
of the topic had also different opinions, do not (implicitly) state that
whoever disagree with you is a nut.
My presentation is based on translations from
the Middle Irish due to Calder and McManus. A translator is obviously not
supposed to explain his own doubts nor to provide alternate translations. I do
not feel I am criticizing them by giving you several possible interpretations
of the Irish text. My translation from the Irish is placed in between
(“ ”). I always try to follow as closely as possible Calder’s and McManus’
ones and it may happen that ‘my’ translation is a simple copy and paste of
Calder’s or paraphrasing McManus’. It may happen also that I dare propose very
different translations: When the explanations of these differences are too
lengthy to be included here, they are given in the “Commented version of
Calder’s translation of the Ogam tract.”
I was able to find six different descriptions
of the Ogam letters. 1. At the beginning of the Auraicept (‘BegAur’) they are given as a list of
names. 2. Fenius’ one ( ‘Fen’), 3.
Ogma’s (‘Ogm’), 4. Morann Mac Main’s
(‘Mor’), 5. Mac
The name of the letter may be the one of a tree
as well in ‘normal’ Middle Irish. This is not always true and, besides, these
words often show a strong polysemy. This is why I provide a list of their main
meanings. The text provides also a metaphoric description of the Ogam letter,
called kennings by McManus (actually, the Old Norse plural of this word is kenningar but I think McManus is right
to deal with this word as if it were an English one).
McManus (in his
1988 paper in the Ériu Journal and p. 42 of his A Guide to Ogam) gives an edition of the two words kennings coming
from ‘Mor’ and ‘Mac’ in the Auraicept. You will see that the original text provides
a bit more explanations than two words. McManus gives also a third version the
original of which I could not consult: they are Cú Chulainn’s word-ogams. I
give you all I could get, namely McManus’ edition. If you directly refer to McManus’ work, note that he calls ‘A’ what I
call ‘Mor’, ‘B’ what I call ‘Mac’, and ‘C’ what I call ‘CC’.
As I already said, the meanings I give you originally come from Calder
and McManus. I however checked the meaning of each word either in Vendryes’
dictionary or, more often, in the ‘authority of the authorities’ in Old and
Middle Irish, that is, the Dictionary of the Irish Language (DIL). See detailed
references in the “Commented version of Calder’s translation of the Ogam
tract.” When McManus’
translation of ‘Mor’ and ‘Mac’ kennings differs largely from
Calder’s or mine, I’ll add his understanding in the following format: (MM: Irish. ‘Irish version’; Trans.
‘English translation’). I also did not mind repetitions when they were taking
place in the Irish text. For example, I never had to use blackthorn and sloe,
woodbine and honeysuckle, service-tree and yew, as Calder does.
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Group B |
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B beith or beithe |
BegAur: Fen: LETTER and TREE: bethi (meaning: letter ‘B’ or birch). KENNING:
Feocos foltchain in beithi (feocos = of
withered trunk; foltchain
= folt-cain, beautiful hair) Ogm: LETTER and TREE: beithi,
bethi DEFINITION: Beithi immorro o bethi na cailli
forsin cetna fid for set na aipgitri in ogaim. (“Moreover, beithe
is [named] from the birch in the forest for the first letter on
the way of the Ogam alphabet.”) Mor:
LETTER and TREE: beithi. KENNING: Feocus foltchain ar son bethi, ar at e sin da egosc in bethi (“Faded
trunk and fair hair for bethi for
these are two aspects of the birch”). Mac: Ogm: LETTER and
TREE: beithi, bethi. KENNING: Glaisium
cnis -i- beithi sin in ogaim o bethi na cailli; sic in reliquis sequentibus. (“The
most silvery of skin,
i. e. le birch of the Ogam from birch of the forest; sic in reliquis
sequentibus.”). (MM: Irish. ‘Glaisium cnis’;
Trans. ‘Greyest of skin’). CC: Maise
malach (MM:
Beauty of the eyebrow). MEANING of each
word: maise = beauty in one’s appearance; mala = eyebrow. Word for word: “having beautiful eyebrows.” |
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L luis |
BegAur: Fen: LETTER: luis (meaning: letter ‘L’, or
rowan-tree), TREE: cairtheand (rowan-tree), Old Irish caerthaind. KENNING: Li sula luis -i- caertheand ar ailleacht a caer (li = beauty, delight; sula comes from sell = pupil, eye, look; “Delight of eye is
mountain-ash, i.e., rowan, owing to the beauty of its berries.”) Ogm: LETTER: luis TREE: lemh
(lem = elm). DEFINITION: Luis -i- lemh sin isna cailltib (“Luis i. e. elm in the
forests.”) Mor: LETTER and TREE: luis. KENNING:
Li sula -i- luis sin -i- in luisiu (luisiu comes from loise, luise, luisne = flame, shine. “Delight of the eye,
i. e. the flame”). (MM: Irish. ‘Li súla’; Trans. ‘Lustre of the eye’). Mac: Cara ceathra (-i-
lem). Cara -i- dil lasna ceathra in lem ar a blath 7 ar canach. Tucad
uad-side for luis in ogaim, ar is uad tuccad luis fair. (“Friend of cattle (i. e. elm). Friend,
i. e. dear
to the cattle is the elm for its bloom and its catkins. The cause of
the proper poetic use of luis in
the Ogam is the place of luis in
poetic inspiration.”) CC: Lúth
cethrae (MM:
Sustenance of cattle). Notes on McManus’
translation: lúth = power of movement, vigor; cethrae = plural noun meaning ‘quadrupeds, cattle’. Word for word: “vigor of the cattle” |
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F fern |
BegAur: Pharaoh Fen: LETTER and TREE: fernd (= fernn) (meanings: letter
‘F’ or alder; also shield, stick, man (poetry), good. KENNING: Airenach
Fiann -i- fernd, air is di na
sgeith (“The vanguard of the warrior-bands, that is, alder, for the shields are
made of it.”) Ogm: LETTER and TREE: fern or fearn.
DEFINITION: Fern -i- fearn sin isin caill (“Fern i. e. alder in the forest”) Mor: LETTER: Fern. TREE: fern. KENNING:
Airinach Fian -i- sciath ar fern aigiseom sin ar a
ndergi ar aenrian: no air is i in fern adbur in sceith tucad o fernae forsin
fid ogaim rogab ainm uaidhi. Airenach Fian -i- sciath fern sin aigisium (“Forefront of the
warrior-band i. e. shield for the alder ‘with it famous’ [= due to] its reddish
color [or reddened by blood]
on the same way: or because alder, the material of the shield was given to
the letter of the Ogam taking its name from fernae [other form of fern
= alder]. Forefront of the
warrior-band, i. e. shield due to the alder. ”) Mac: LETTER: fernn. TREE: fern. KENNING:
Comet lachta -i- ferrn in ogaim sin o fern na caill,
ar is i coimetas in lacht, ar is di doniter lestair imon lacht. (“Guarding of milk, i. e. alder of
the Ogam from alder in the forest, for it is it that guards the milk, for the
vessels containing the milk are made of it.”) CC: Dín
cridi (MM:
Protection of the heart). MEANING of each
word: dín = protection
defense and action of protecting; cride = heart (emotions), central
part, love, worth (courage). Other possible translation: “defender of what is your
center.” |
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S sail |
BegAur: Saliath Fen: LETTER and TREE: sail (meanings: letter ‘S’ or willow). KENNING:
Li ambi i- nemli lais -i- ar cosmaillius a datha fri
marb (“The colour of a lifeless
one, i.e., it has no colour, i.e., owing to the resemblance of its hue to a
dead person”) Ogm: LETTER and TREE: Sail (willow).
DEFINITION: Sail in ogaim -i- sail dono sin isin caill (“Sail of the Ogam, i. e. willow, again, in the forest”) Mor: LETTER and TREE: willow. KENNING:
Li n-aimbi -i- li mairb -i- am fo diultad conach beo
acht is marb. Li n-ambi dono -i- sail aigiseom sin, 7 tugad uaidisium forsin
fid n-ogaim. (“ Mac: LETTER and TREE: willow. KENNING:
Lut[h] bech -i- sail sin ara blath 7 ar a canach.
Tucad uad-side ara fid coibhnesa in ogaim. (“Activity of bees, i. e. willow for its bloom and
its catkins. Hence it is put for the cognate Ogam letter.”) CC: Tosach
mela (MM:
Beginning of honey). MEANING of each
word: Tosach = beginning,
principle, forward part; mil (genitive mela) = honey. Other possible
translation: “principle of
honey” (that is, sweetness or smoothness or, may be, the bees, the nectar of
the flowers?). I insist on mil genitive
form since méla means: shame. [Commentary on the double “bloom
and catkins”. Look at the Irish text: Mac |
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N nin |
BegAur: Nebuchadnezzar Fen: LETTER: nin (meaning: letter ‘N’ or le
ash-tree; also: any letter of the Ogam (see the note below), part of a weaver’s beam, wave, cloud?). TREE: uindsind, uinnius, uindis (meaning: ash-tree, spear shaft). KENNING:
cosdad sida nin -i- uinnius, ar is di doniter craind gae triasa coscairther in sidh no
cosdudh sidha uindis. (“A bridle on peace
is nin, i. e. ash-tree,
for
of it are made the spear-shafts by which the peace is broken or or, a bridle on
peace is uindis”)
Nin -i- ginol garmna dognither do uindsind -i- isin aimsir sidha togaibter garmna. (“Nin, i. e. the jaw of a weaver’s
beam which is made of ash, that is, in time of peace weavers beams are used.”)
[Comment: Fenius states
here that the ash-tree can be useful in war and in peace, depending on how it
is used.] Ogm: LETTER and TREE: nin (ash-tree). HERB: nenaid (nettle). DEFINITION: Nin in ogaim –i- ginol
garmna no nenaid isna feadaib. (“Nin of the Ogam, i.
e. the maw of the weaver’s beam or nettles in the forest.”) Mor: LETTER and TREE: nin (ash-tree). KENNING:
Cosdad sida -i- nin sen: ginol garmna fri fid e:
airde sida sin. Cosdad sida aigi sin o nin na garmna. (“Verification of peace, that
is nin: it is the maw of a weaver’s
beam as applied to the tree: a sign of peace it is. A verification of peace with
is
that from the ash-wood of the weaver’s beam.”) Mac: LETTER and TREE: nin (ash-tree). KENNING:
Bag ban -i- nin garmna -i- ginol garmna. Uad-side
fora fid coibnesa. (“Nothing but a
threat (or: bloodless fight), i. e., nin of weaver’s beam, i.e., maw
of weaver’s beam. Hence for its cognate letter.”) (MM: Irish. ‘Bág ban’; Trans. ‘Boast of women’, that is, the same translation as Calder’s.
As a prefix, ‘ban-’ indeed means ‘female-’. However, the (normally bloodless)
fights of boasting are not unknown in the Celtic world). CC: Bág
maise (MM: Boast
of beauty). MEANING of each word: Bág = boast, pledge, threat; and
also: fight, warring qualities; maise = ‘of beautiful appearance’. Other possible translations: ‘good looking
pledge’ or ‘quite a beautiful threat’, that is, it may have yet another
ironical meaning than ‘boast of beauty’. Compare with Mac Note
on the meaning Nin: the oldest text dealing with Ogam, viz. Auraicept, often names it as
‘beith luis nin of the Ogam’ (beithi luis nin in ogaim) by which many
believed (including the French linguist Vendryes who states that in his
etymological dictionary of the ancient Irish language) that these three
letters are the first three of the Ogam. As opposed, Auraicept shows the Ogam
letters always following the same ordering, the one I use here, even if a few
are skipped. It is noticeable that this rule has absolutely no exception and,
in particular, Nin is always the fifth letter. We will see one only tiny
deviation to this rule, not an exception, with letter Getal. What seems to be
a contradiction between the way the Ogam is called “beithi luis nin in ogaim”
and this rigorous constancy in the letter ordering is understandable because
of Nin meaning “any Ogam letter”: beithi luis nin in ogaim is then
translated ‘beith luis letters of the Ogam’. |
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Group
H |
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H úath or huath |
BegAur: Herod Fen: LETTER: úath or huath (meaning: letter ‘H’ or
white thorn, also: terror, scary, ‘name of a color’, a small number, earth (soil),
mold). TREE: úath or scé (white thorn). KENNING: comdal cuan huath -i- sce: no ar is uathmar hi ara deilghibh. (“A pack of dogs is huath, i.
e. white thorn: or because it is scary owing to its thorns”) Ogm: LETTER: Uath. TREE: crand
fir (test tree) or sce (whitethorn). DEFINITION: Uath in ogaim crand fir no sce ar a delgaighe insin (“Uath of the Ogam, i.
e. test tree or whitethorn, on account of its thorns”). Mor: Conal cuan -i- uath
sin, ar is uath la nech conal chon alladh. Conal cuan do rad re huath in
ogaim ar coibnius in anma, ar uath iat ar aenrian. (“Pack of wolves, i. e. uath [terror], for a terror to any one is a pack of wolves. Pack of wolves is said of the Ogam [letter] huath owing to the affinity of the
name, for they are a terror, in the same way.”) Note:
You will recognize a ‘copy and paste’ in the strange style directly imported
from Calder who tries to render the Irish original. Nevertheless, Calder says
‘thorn’ for uath which means
‘terror’. I kept his style but I restored the exact (that is, DIL’s) wording.
This is typical of the kind of changes I did to Calder’s translation. Mac: Banadh gnuisi -i-
uath, ar is ban gnuis in duine in tan doberar uat[h] no uamun uimi. Uad-side
for fid in ogaim ar aentaid anma aturu fen -i- uath cechtar de. (“Bloodless (or pale) face i.
e. fright, for bloodless is the face of whom confronts the fright or the fear
of the grave (uamun uimi). Hence
for letter of the Ogam owing to identity of name between the same two, i. e. fright is
placed for both.”) CC: Ansam aidche (MM: Most difficult at night) MEANING of each
word: Ansam = (from ansae) the most difficult, the toughest; however, the superlative
form ansam takes also the meaning
‘beloved’. aidche = ‘during the night’. Other possible translation: “The toughest during the
night”. [Note: A nightmare, during which a mara (= a night witch, not a female horse!) is supposed to choke
you by sitting on your breast, was seen as the hardest to stand of the nightly
frights. The meaning ‘beloved’ seems to be out of context.] |
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D duir |
BegAur: David Fen: LETTER and TREE: duir, dair, daur (meaning: letter ‘D’ or oak
or oak-wood). KENNING: airde dossaib duir (“A sign of the trees is oak”) Ogm: LETTER: Dur. TREE: Dair (oak). DEFINITION: Dur
in ogaim dair dono isin caill. (“Dur of the Ogam,
oak, again in the forest”). Mor: Ardam dossaibh -i-
dur sin a dualus a feda isin caill. (“The loftiest of the lush trees, i. e. oak from this tree in the
forest.”) Mac: Gres saír -i- daír.
Tucad uad-side fora fidh coibnesa in ogaim. (“Artistic work done with craftsmanship, i. e.
oak. Hence
it was put for its cognate Ogam letter.”) [Note:
Calder translates gres saír by ‘carpenter’s work’ while both words grés and sairse (or soíre) mean the same: craftsmanship including
an artistic hint, and grés being
possibly a typical female craft.] (MM: Irish. ‘Grés soír’; Trans. ‘Handicraft of an
artificer’). CC: Slechtam
soíre (MM: Most
carved of craftsmanship). MEANING of each word: slecht = cut, cutting; slechtam = ‘the most cut’,
the most ornate; Other possible translation: “Beautiful work done with craft.” |
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T tinne |
BegAur: Talamon Fen: LETTER: tinne (meaning: letter ‘T’ or
holly; also: metal rod, mass of melted metal, metal, salted pork, a music
instrument). TREE: cuileand (cuilenn = holly). KENNING:
trian roith tindi -i- ar is cuileand in tres fidh
roith in carbait. (“A third of a
wheel is holly, that is, because holly is one of the three timbers of the
wheel.”) Ogm: LETTER: Tinne. TREE: quulend (holly) or trom (elder). DEFINITION: Tinne in ogaim -i- quulend
no trom isin caill. (Tinne of the Ogam, i.
e., holly or elder in the forest.) Mor: Trian -i- aill inde
sin aniu. (“One third i. e. another thing of
this meaning to-day”). Note: trian = one third. The
plural means also “triple feast” where ‘triple’ receives a connotation
to the sacred. (MM: Irish.
‘Trian
roith’; Trans. ‘One of the three
parts of a wheel’). Note: Obviously, McManus explains this kenning by
chaining Fenius’ view to Morann Mac Main’. Mac: Smir guailí -i-
cuillenn sen. Uad-side fora fidh coibnesa in ogaim -i- tinne secundum alios; ar is ainm tindi do
cuillenn, ut alii dicunt. [Notes: smér = blackberry, fire (the last only found in glossaries); smir = ‘marrow’, figuratively:
vitality; gúal = coal” hence Calder’s “fires of coal”]. (“The life force of coal i. e. holly. Hence for its cognate Ogam letter, i. e. tinne (holly) others say; for tindi is a name for holly, as others
say”.) Note: Holly is seen as a living bone
inside which is a marrow that will provide the best quality charcoal. Note (of self praise): McManus reads ‘smiur
gúaile’ and translates by ‘marrow of coal’. CC: Trian n-airm (MM: One of three parts of a weapon). MEANING of each
word: arm = weapon, n-airm = of a weapon. Other possible
translation [See the comments to ‘Mor’]:
“The third of a
weapon” or “The (sacred) triple feast of
the weapon”. |
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C coll |
BegAur: Cae Fen: LETTER and TREE: coll (meaning: letter ‘C’ or
hazel; also: destruction, defender). KENNING: cainfidh -i- coll -i- each ac ithi a chno. (“Fair wood, i. e. hazel, i.e. every one is
eating its nuts”) Ogm: LETTER and TREE: Coll (hazel).
DEFINITION: Coll in ogaim -i- coll isin caill. (Coll of the Ogam, i. e., hazel in the forest). Mor: Cainiu fedaib -i-
coll sin ar a chaini a fedaibh. (Fairest of trees, i. e. hazel owing to its beauty in woods.) Mac: Cara bloisc -i-
[coll]. Uad-side fora fidh coibnesa in ogaim. (“Friend of
cracking [the noise], i. e. hazel. Hence for its cognate Ogham letter.”) Note: I guess: “friend of the noise occurring when nutshells are cracked”. (MM: Irish.
‘Carae
blóesc’; Trans. ‘Friend of
nutshells’). CC: Milsem fedo (MM: Sweetest tree). MEANING of each
word: milis = ‘having a pleasing
taste’; fid = tree, copse of
trees, letter of the Ogam. Other possible translation: “the tastiest tree.” |
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Q quert or
queirt |
BegAur: Kaliap Fen: LETTER: queirt, modern spelling is ceirt (meaning: letter ‘Q’ or apple tree or
also a rag). TREE: queirt and abhull (apple, apple tree). KENNING:
Queirt dano, is o chrand rohainmnighead -i- abhull ut dicitur: clithar boaiscille -i-
elit gelt quert -i- aball. (“Queirt again, is named
from a tree, i. e. un apple tree as it is
said: Shelter of a wild animal, i. e. a grazing hind is in its good place,
i. e. un apple tree.” [= a hind
grazing under an apple tree stays in its proper place]. Note: Calder’s
translation says “a wild hind is queirt,
i.e. an apple tree.”) Ogm: LETTER: Quert. TREE: quulend (holly) or cairthend (cáerthann = rowan-tree) or crithach (aspen). DEFINITION: Quert in ogaim
quulend isin caill no cairthend no crithach. (“Quert of the Ogam is holly in the forest or rowan-tree
or aspen.”) Mor: Clithar mbaiscaill
-i- buaili -i- boscell -i- gelt -i- basceall is and tic a ciall do in tan
degas a bas. Clithar boiscell dono -i- quert sin: no boscell -i- elti -i-
edruma iat. Clithar boiscell dono -i- gelti no elti: quert a dualus a feda. (“Shelter of a wild hind, i.
e. a healing [Calder: “a fold”]: i. e., boscell
(here, I think, a somewhat crazy person – not a really ‘lunatic’ one), i. e. bas-ceall, meaning of death, that is intelligence
comes to him/her when he/she goes to his/her death. Shelter of a wild animal,
again, i. e. apple tree: or boscell,
i. e. hinds, i. e., they are edruma
[Calder: “light”, I suggest the following hypothesis: “in their proper space”).
Clithar boiscell, again, i. e. wild
or hinds: quert (apple tree) with reference to
its letter.”) Note: Both Calder’s
‘fold’ et le ‘light’ confused me very much. My own translation, if it is not
totally boscell, at least as the
positive feature to present quert as
linked to healing of a form of a mild disquiet madness (‘wild’) which is
cured either when the meaning of death and life are understood or by staying
in one’s proper place (two meanings that might not be as different as it
seems), that is an apple tree for a hind. (MM: Irish. ‘Clithar baiscill’; Trans. ‘Shelter
of a (?) lunatic’).
Mac: Brigh annum [Calder reads: an duine for annum I. e. ‘nn’ is often equivalent
to ‘nd’ and that ‘m’ is often
scribbled in a way it can be confused
with ‘in’.]-i- quert. Uad-side
fora fidh coibnesa. (“Strength of a man,
i. e., quert (apple tree). Hence for its
cognate letter.”) (MM: Irish.
‘’Brig
anduini; Trans. ‘Substance of an
insignificant person’).
Note: McManus’
hypothesis, i. e. annum = anduin is probably right. Anduine, nevertheless, means ‘someone
of low status, someone bad’ and brig
or brigh expresses strength, indicates
a positive feature. A more proper translation then could be: ‘strength of
lowly person’ or ‘strength of a wicked person’. CC: Dígu fethail (MM: Dregs of clothing). MEANING of each
word: Dígu = a refuse; fethail = ? I was unable to find a
word meaning ‘clothing’ and slightly related to fethail. The word fethal signifie ‘emblem’. Other possible (?) translation: “The rejected part of a
symbol.” |
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Group
M |
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M muin |
BegAur: Muiriath Fen: LETTER: muin. TREE: muin (meaning: letter m, vine or
the upper part of the back between the shoulder blades). KENNING:
Muin dono -i- finemhain, ut dicitur, airdi masi muiri -i- iarsinni fhasas a n-airde -i-
finemhain. (“Muin, again, i. e. the richness of vine, as it is said: Highest of beauty
is muin, i. e. because it grows aloft, i. e. the
richness of vine.”) Ogm: LETTER: Muin. TREE: muin (vine) or midiu (vine). DEFINITION: Muin
-i- midiu. (Muin i. e. vine) Mor: Tresim fedma -i-
muin les-sium -i- ar rentaidh anma fri muin duine no daim, ar is iat is tresi
feidm ann. (“Strongest fight,
i. e. muin, vine with it, i. e. owing to identity
of name with muin, the back of a man or
of an ox [muin means also: ‘upper
part of the back’], for they are the strongest in existence as regards fight.”) Mac: Aruusc n-arrligh
-i- muin duine. Uad-side fora fidh comainmnig[th]ech. [Calder reads Arusc n-airlig instead of Aruusc n-arrligh] (“Condition of (or words
of) slaughter, i. e., a man’s upper back. Hence for its synonymous
letter.”) CC: Conar gotha (MM: Path of voice). MEANING of each
word: Conar = way, road; goth = javelin, spear; guth = voice. Other possible
translation: “Way of the spear.” |
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G gort |
BegAur: Gotli Fen: LETTER: Gort. TREE: Gort (meaning: field of
pasture or of arable land, field of battle, territory; also ivy, letter g). KENNING:
Gort dono -i- edeand. Glaisiu geltaibh gort -i- edind. (“Gort, i. e. ivy. Greener than pastures is gort, i. e. ivy.”) Ogm: LETTER: Gort. TREE: gort (arable field or ivy) or gius (fir-tree). DEFINITION: Gort
-i- gius (“arable field or ivy, i. e. fir-tree.”) Mor: Millsiu feraib -i-
gort leis-sium sin ar aentaidh [in] anma
frisin gort arba. In tan (quum) bis
ina fuachonn, is millsi na gach fer in fer sin -i- in gort arba. Uad-side
forsin fid ut i n-ogam ar
comaentaidh in anma atura. (“Sweetest of grass, i. e. gort,
[ivy] with it owing to the identity of the name with the corn-field. When it is a
blade of young corn, sweeter than any grass is that grass, i. e., the cornfield. Hence for that
letter in Ogam owing to the complete identity of name between them.”) Mac: Mednercc, -i- gort.
Uad-side fora fidh comainm-nigthech. (“Mednercc i. e., ivy. Hence for its
synonymous letter.”) Note: For once, Calder does
not translate ‘mednercc’. DIL cites
this kenning without translation. med
= scales, scaling weight, nercc
= ? McManus solves this mystery by proposing: med -> ined -> inde -> inne = ‘most inner part of a place’, i. e. figuratively: 1.
real value, 2. meaning, and concretely: 3. center, 4. heart, 5. wealth; nercc -> erc = 1. skies, 2. spotted , 3. spotted fish (salmon or
trout) , 4. spotted cow or cow with red ears, 5. lizard , 6. bee,
7. deception. He proposes the translation: “a proper place for the cows.”
Many other translations are possible, for instance, ‘heart of the beehive’ or
‘middle of the skies’ etc.] CC: Sásad ile (MM: Sating of multitudes). MEANING of each
word: Sásad = ‘action of fulfilling
a need, food; ile = ‘original
matter of the universe’; uile = the whole.
Other possible translation: “Who fulfils the need of all.” |
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NG or GG getal or cath |
BegAur: Gomers Fen: LETTER: Getal. TREE: gilcach, raith (meanings: broom, fern). KENNING:
Ngetal dono -i- gilcach no raith ut dicitur: luth lega getal -i-
cilcach no raith. (“Ngetal, again, i. e. broom
or fern, as it is said: the vitality of the physician is getal, that is, broom or fern.”) Ogm: LETTER: Getal. TREE: getal (broom) or gilcach (broom). DEFINITION: Getal -i- gilcach. Mor: Luth legha getal
sen -i- ar is luth lasna leigib, 7 coibnius
etir cath 7 getal. (“The physician’s
strength, broom and letter ‘ng’ are a sign of it, it is, one says, the
strength going with the physicians, and there is an affinity between cath (fight) and getal (broom)”). (NOTE: We meet here the one deviation from the law
of uniqueness of the letter ordering given by all authors. A second
definition of Getal has been added between ‘o’ and ‘u’ in Morann Mac Etiud midach -i- cath. Tucad ua-side for getal. (“The
physician’s dress, i. e. cath, fight. This is why it has been put for getal, broom”). [McManus, instead of ‘dress’
says ‘raiment’.] Mac: No definition, which has certainly been
added between Morann Mac Main’s ‘o’ and ‘u’ by a scribe who left out this
sentence and wanted to fix his mistake where room was available. CC: Tosach n-échto (MM: Beginning of slaying). MEANING of each
word: Tosach = beginning,
principle, forefront’; écht = slaughter, mourning,
great deed. Other possible translation: “Principle of great deeds (if warring deeds, the
‘deeds’ may then be a slaughter.)”. |
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S straif
(str) |
BegAur: Stru Fen: LETTER: Straiph. TREE: straif (meaning: a plant used for dyeing, possibly blackthorn, letter st or sd). KENNING: Straiph
dono -i- draighen, ut dicitur: aire
srabha sraibh -i- draighin. (“’The letter) straiph, again,
i. e. blackthorn, as is said: la
hedge of a herd is sraibh [blackthorn
used as hedge], i. e. draighin [bushes of blackthorn].” Note: the word sráb
has several meanings, and this text can point at the hedge of a brook, multitude, army, herd. Ogm: LETTER: Straif. TREE: straif (blackthorn) or saildrong (copse of blackthorn). DEFINITION: Straif saildrong
isin caill. (“Blackthorn or copse
of blackthorns in the forest.”) Mor: Tresim ruamna -i-
straif leis-sium sin i n-ogam. Straif iar raet; ar isin straif is tresiu ruamna ic dathadh na
raet, ar is i dogni in airget ngeal conad gorm ic denum airgit decht de. Is i
berbthar tresin fual isin or mban co ndene derg de. Tresim ruamna in straif ia[r] raet. Tugad uaid-side isin
fid dianad ainm straif ar aentaid anma aturu -i- straif ainm cechtar de. (“The strongest red dye, i. e.,
i. e. straif (blackthorn) with him in the Ogam. Blackthorn, according
to facts; because the strongest red dye is in blackthorn, because it is what the pale silver
become azure, making of it refined silver. It is what is boiled in urine with the
white gold to make it red. The strongest red dye is blackthorn according to
the facts. Hence it was put in the letter named straif, owing to identity of name between them, i. e. straif is the name of each of them.”) Note: The
file seems to strangely insist on
the “accordance to the facts.” This is explained by the fact that the grammar
part of the Auraicept, insists on the difference between the “language of the natural” et la “language of the artificial.” Straiph thus belongs
to both genres: as a letter it belongs to language of the artificial and, as
blackthorn, to the language of the natural. Mac: Moridrun -i-
straif. Tucad uad-side fora fidh comainm-nightech. (“Morad run (increasing of
secrets), i. e. blackthorn. Hence it was put
for its synonymous letter.”) CC: Saigid nél (MM: Seeking of clouds). MEANING of each
word: Saigid = 1. ‘it looks
for’, ‘it reaches’, ‘this applies to’, ‘he sues’, ‘he demands; 2. going
forwards, attacking, looking for; nél = 1. clouds; 2. swoon. Other possible translations: “Looking for the clouds,
reaching a swoon, etc.” |
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R ruis |
BegAur: Ruben Fen: LETTER: ruis. TREE: trom (meaning: elder, elder’s
fruit, liver, heaviness, mass, sternness, trouble, censorship). KENNING:
Ruis dono -i- trom, ut dicitur, ruamna ruice ruis -i- trom. (“Ruis, again, i. e. elder,
as is said: The hue of shame ruis, i. e. elder (or any other
meaning of trom.)”) Ogm: Missing letter. Mor: Tinnem
ruccae ruis sin -i- on ruidiudh no on ruis iar ret, ar is tre ruis
scribthair, 7 is ruidhiud fasas a n-aigid in duine tri sug in lossa do
cuimilt faethi. Tindi rucae dono do rad frisin ruis o rus no on ruided, ar is
tri ruis scribtair-side fen.(“Mass of blushes, i. e. le
elder (or elder berry) i. e., from reddening of shame according to the
fact, for it is written by ruis
and it is a reddening taking place on the a man’s face when the juice of this
herb is rubbed on it. Mass of blushes, again, is said of ruis, elder, from shame or from reddening, for
it is by ruis that it is itself written. Note: The berry of
the mountain elder is red, not black. The juice of the common black
elder-berry is red also. Mac: Ruamna dreach [drech = face, attitude]-i- sug in rois doní ruamna na ndrech co mbi ruidead intib. Ruamna
drech dano do rad fri ruis in ogaim on ruidead no on rus, ar is tri ruis
scribthar side fen. (“Redness of faces, i. e., sug in rois
[Calder:
sap of the rose; possibly also: ‘strength of good health’], which causes the redness of the faces, so
that blushing is in them. Redness of faces,
again, is said of ruis of the Ogam,
from the blush or
from the reddening, for
it is by elder that it is written.”) CC: Bruth fergae (MM: Glow of anger). MEANING of each
word: bruth = glow, fierce, the
fiercest; fergae = anger, hero. Other
possible translations: “Fiercest of
anger’ or ‘Hero’s glow’ [The Celtic hero, when entering his war trance, is
often said to show a glow out of his forehead].” |
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Group A |
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A ailm |
BegAur: Achab Fen: LETTER: ailm. TREE: giús, ochtach (meaning: letter a, pine-tree, fir-tree). KENNING:
Ailm dono -i- crand giuis -i- ochtach. (“Ailm [letter ‘a’ and pine-tree], again, i. e. giuis [giús = pine-tree, fir-tree], i. e., ochtach [=pine-tree or fir-tree]. “) Ogm: Missing letter. Mor: Ardam iactadh -i-
mactad [read machtad]-i- ailm aigisium sin; ar is ailm (no a) adber in duine ac
iachtad i ngalar, no ic machtad -i- ag ingantugud secip raeta. (“Ardam
iachtadh, loudest of groaning, i. e. astonishment, i. e., ailm (pine-tree) with it; for it is ailm (or a) that a man
says while
groaning in disease, or in amazement, i. e. while being amazed at whatever
circumstance.”) Mac: Tosach fregra -i-
ailm sin; ar is i cetlabra gach duine iarna genemain a. (“Beginning of an answer, i. e. pine-tree; for the first expression of every
human being after his birth is a.”) CC: Tosach garmae (MM: Beginning of calling). MEANING of each
word: Tosach = beginning,
principle, battle front; gáir = shout; gair = ‘missing’ (amount, space),
word, command. Other possible translation: “Beginning or principle of a shout.” |
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O onn |
BegAur: Fen: LETTER: onn. TREE: aitten (meaning: furze, gorse). KENNING:
Onn -i- aiten (“Onn,
i. e. gorse.”) Ogm: LETTER: Onn (pine-tree, pine cone, or
again ‘furze-bush’).
TREE: Onn, aiten (gorse) or uinius (ash-tree,
ash-tree shaft of a spear). DEFINITION: Onn -i- aiten no uinius. Note: Under the
apparent confusion of the attributions, we see that onn is any cutting or stinging tree: pine-tree by its needles,
ash-tree by its human use, gorse by its thorns. Mor: Congnamaigh
echraide -i- onnaid in carpait -i- na roith -i- onn leis-sium sin, ar is tri
onn scribthar onnaid in carbait. Aliter
comguinidech -i- aiten. Tucad uad-side forsin fid ut dianad ainm onn ar
aetaid ataru ar is ainm onn do cechtar de; 7 is on aitenn tucad int ainm is
onn frisin fidh n-ogaim secundum alios.
(“Who pierces (wounds)
the horses pulling chariots, i. e. the movement of the chariot, i. e. what
makes it move, i. e. onn with it, for
this is by onn [letter O] that getting
a chariot going is written. Otherwise
stated, com-guinidech, who
strongly wounds, i. e. gorse. Hence it was put for that letter which is named onn, owing to identity between them, for onn is a name for each of them; and it is from furze-bush that the name onn was put for the Ogam letter as others say.”) Note: Calder sees congnam
in congnamaigh, i. e. helper,
instead of congnaid (‘wounder’) as
McManus does. Mac: Fethim saire no
fedem -i- onn -i- o. (“The easiest craft or fedem (contemplation) i. e. onn i. e. o.”) Note: The meaning of fedem is unknown; Calder suggests
‘stone’, DIL suggests a “vox nihili.” I suggest understanding
fethem as: ‘the act of watching’
which is a pun with fethim that
begins the sentence and which is not a really a specialised craft. CC: Lúth fían (MM: Sustaining (equipment) of
hunting/warrior bands). MEANING of each word: Lúth = movement; ability to move;
merriment; fían = gang of warriors, hunters
or mercenaries. Other possible translation: “Progress of warrior troops.” Note: My translation perfectly fits Morann Mac Main’s comments
(and follows a meaning given by DIL). |
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U |
BegAur: Urith Fen: LETTER: Ogm: LETTER: úr (= 1. fresh, new, ‘green’;
2. (of places) beautiful; 3. (of wounds) recent; 4. heath and letter ‘u’), úir (= earth (soil)) TREE: draighen (draigen = blackthorn).
DEFINITION Mor: Uaraib [úar = 1. cold, 2. (of
places) friendless; 3. non profitable. It has also the figurative meaning of
‘cold’.] adbaib -i- Mac: Siladh clann, CC: Forbbaid ambi (MM: Shroud of a lifeless one). MEANING of each
word: Forbbaid = ‘what is covering something else’; ambi = genitive of ambéo =
corpse, lifeless. Other possible translation: “What covers a corpse.” Note: McManus’ translation
does not emphasize the simple interpretation: soil (úir) covers the
corpses. Note (a somewhat
prejudiced one): The Xian message “Grow and multiply” addresses the humans, here
it addresses trees and herbs. This seems to me perfectly proper to the druidic
path of thought. |
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E edad |
BegAur: Essu Fen: LETTER: edhadh. TREE: uath (meaning: horror, a
horrible thing, whitethorn, a color, a few, clay). KENNING: Edhadh -i- ed uath -i- crand fir no crithach. (“Edhadh, i. e. ed uath, horrible trouble (or horrible
fright), i. e. true tree or aspen”) Ogm: LETTER: Edad. TREE: edad (possibly aspen) or eu (éo = yew).
DEFINITION: Edad -i- eu. Mor: Ergnaid fid -i-
edad aigisium sin, ar is don crunn crit[h]aig is ainm ergnaid fid. Tucad
uada-side forsin fidh ogaim dianad ainm edhadh, ar is uad tucad edad fair. (“The discerning (or clever,
knowing) tree i. e. aspen with it, for the discerning tree is a name for the
tree which is aspen. Hence it was put for the Ogam letter named edhadh, aspen.”) Mac: Comainm carat -i-
edadh isin caill. Uad-side fora fidh comainmnigthech i n-ogam. (“The same word as friend, i.
e., aspen in the forest. Hence for its synonymous Ogam letter.”) CC: Bráthair bethi ( ?) (MM: Brother of birch ( ?)). MEANING of each
word: Bráthair = brother, sibling; Other possible translation: “Of the same family as birch.” Note: |
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I ida or
idad |
BegAur: Iachim Fen: LETTER: idho. TREE: ibhar (meaning: yew, yew-wood). KENNING:
Idho -i- ibhar. (“Idho i. e. yew”) Ogm: LETTER: Ida. TREE: ida (names of a tree, possibly yew) or ibhar (ibrach = rich in yew, or made of yew.)
DEFINITION: Ida -i- ibhar. Mor: Siniu fedhaib -i-
idad aigiseom sin; ar is do ibar as ainm siniu fedaib. Tucad uad-side forsin
fid ut i n-ogam dianad ainm idad, ar is uad tucad int ainm is idad fair; ar
is do ibar is ainm idad. (“Siniu fedaib, oldest of woods, i. e., i. e. idad (a tree, certainly yew) with it; for
siniu fedaib is the name of this
tree. Hence it was given to this letter of the Ogam named idad and for hence it was idad; for ibar (yew) is a name
for idad.”) Mac: Crinem feada no
claidem -i- ibar. Uad-side forin fidh n-ogaim, rogab ainm aile uadh -i-
idadh. (“Crinem feda, most withered of the trees
or a sword, i. e. yew. Hence for the Ogham letter, which has taken a name
other than it, i. e. yew.”) (MM: Irish. ‘Caínem sen’; Trans. ‘Fairest of the ancients’
[Irish sen means “these who last
long”]) CC: Lúth lobair ( ?) (MM: Energy of an infirm person
( ?)). MEANING of each word: Lúth = movement; ability to move; merriment. McManus marks ‘ ?’ the
word lobair which is seldom met.
The DIL dictionary does not speak of anything like disability but suggests
treason. Other possible translation: “Energy of treason.” Due to the context, I guess that McManus “lobair ( ?)” refers to the old age of
the yew. |
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Group of
the diphthongs |
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EA ebad |
BegAur: Ethrocius Fen: KENNING: Ebhadh
-i- crithach. (“Ebhadh, i. e. aspen.”) Ogm: LETTER: Ebad. TREE: ebad (1. aspen; Mor: Snamchain fheda -i-
ebad les-ium sin, ar snamchaim fid -i- don bran mor is ainm sen. Tucad
uad-side forsin fid dianid ainm ebad in ogaim, ar is ainm do bratan é 7 is
tri ebad scribt[h]ar side amal aipgitir in betha -i- tre seg (-i- os), eo
(-i-) tre eonasc (-i- lon). (“The most buoyant wood, i. e. aspen, for the wood floats well i. e. a name
for the great raven. Hence it was put for the Ogam letter named ebad, for é is un name for the salmon and it is written ebad in the alphabet of the fauna i.
e. by the stag [seg] (i. e. stag [oss]), eo (i. e.) by the blackbird (or ousel - eonasc) (i. e. blackbird (lon) ).”) Note: Obviously, the great raven “floats well” in the wind. Mac: Cosc lobair -i-
elenn for in fid in ogaim, rogab ainm uad -i- ebad. (“Scolding (or punishment) of weakness, i. e. ‘a
tree possibly aspen’ for the Ogam letter, which has taken a name other
than it, i. e. aspen.”) Note: For once,
I completely disagree with Calder’s translation which is: “corrective of a sick man, to wit, woodbine for the Ogham letter, which
has taken a name other than it, to wit, ebad,
aspen, ea.” In particular elenn does not mean
‘woodbine’ but “probably aspen.” CC: Caínem
éco (MM: Fairest
fish). MEANING of each word: Caínem = superlative of caín = beautiful; éco = ? I do not understand
why McManus obviously reads: íasc = fish. My guess is that he refers to the
proto-celtic root of the word íasc: *eisko. I prefer a simpler solution. The word ecor = arrangement,
decoration. Other possible translation: “Fairest of surroundings.” |
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OI oir |
BegAur: Uimelicus Fen: LETTER: oir. TREE: feorus (meaning: spindle-tree) or edind (meaning: ivy). KENNING: Oir
-i- feorus no edind (“Oir, i. e.
spindle-tree or ivy.” [eidenn = ivy]) Ogm: LETTER: Oir. TREE: Oir (spindle-tree or
possibly: ivy.) or feorus (spindle-tree).
DEFINITION: Oir -i- feorus. Mor: Sruitem aicdi -i-
or iar ret. Tucad uad-side forsin fid ar aentaid in anma fil aturu -i- or
ainm cechtar de. (“The most venerable of materials, i.
e. or, spindle-tree, according to
fact. Hence it was put for the letter owing to the identity of the name that
is between them, i. e. or is the name of
each of them.”) Mac: Lí crotha -i- or.
Uad-side fora fid comainmnigthech or in ogaim. (“Beauty of form, i. e. heath. Hence for the
letter that has taken its name from it ‘or’.”) CC: Missing letter. |
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UI uilleann |
BegAur: Iudonius Fen: Uilleand -i-
edleand. (“Uilleand, i. e. honeysuckle.”) Ogm: LETTER: Uilleann. TREE: uilleann (uillenn = honeysuckle) or edlend (honeysuckle or
any climbing plant).
DEFINITION: Uilleann -i- edlend. Mor: Tutmur fid uilleann
-i- uilleann leis-[s]ium sin, ar is do edlenn is ainm. Tucadh uad-sidhe forsin
ogam dianad ainm uilleann, ar is uadh tucad uilleann fair, ar is do edlinn is
ainm. (“The fragrant tree
is honeysuckle (uilleann) i. e.
honeysuckle (edlenn) with it, for it
is a name for honeysuckle (uilleann),
hence it was put for the Ogam letter named honeysuckle (uilleann), for hence the
name uilleann (honeysuckle) was
given to it, for it is a name for edlinn
(honeysuckle).”) Mac: Cubat n-oll -i-
uilleann -i- edlenn. Uad-side forsin fid in ogaim rogab uaide -i- uilleann. (“Equally large, i. e. honeysuckle
(uilleann), i. e. honeysuckle (edlenn). Hence for the Ogam letter
which it has taken from it, i. e. honeysuckle (uilleann).”) CC: Missing letter. |
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IO pine-tree
or ifin or iphin |
BegAur: Affrim Fen: LETTER: iphin. TREE: spinan
(meaning: gooseberry) or ispin (meaning: thorn). KENNING:
Iphin -i- spinan no ispin 7rl (“Iphin, i. e.
gooseberry or thorn, etc.”) . Ogm: LETTER: Pin (1. Name of a tree with
edible berries; 2. pine-tree) TREE: pine-tree, caera pinne (‘pine-tree with berries’), ifin (gooseberry) DEFINITION: Pin
in ogaim, pin dano isin caill De atbertar caera pinne;
ifin dano secundum alios ainm in
feda sin. (“Pin in the Ogam,
pine-tree in the forest. Hence the name of pine-tree with berries,
gooseberry, again, others say, is the name of this letter. ”) Mor: Millsim feda -i-
pin sin aigisium, ar is don chrunn dianid ainm pin is ainm millsium feda. De
atbertar caera pinne. Tucad uad-side forsin fid dianad ainm pin, ar is uadh
tucad pin no ifin air. (“The most pleasant tree, i. e. gooseberry with it, for a name for the
tree named pin is milsem feda. Gooseberries are hence named. Hence it was put
for the letter named pin, for hence pin or ifin was put for it.”) Mac: Amram blais -i- pin
no ifin. Uad-side forsin fidh rogab ainm uaid -i- pin no iphin. (“Most wonderful of taste, i. e. pin or ifin (gooseberry). Hence for the letter that has taken its name from it, i. e. pin or iphin.”) CC: Missing letter. |
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AE or CS emancoll |
BegAur: Ordines Fen: Missing letter. Ogm: DEFINITION: Emancoll dono -i-
coll emnaide iar ret no iar fuath -i- coll dar coll ina fuath. (The twin hazel [may also mean: “triple hazel” and, here, ‘twin c’ as well]
again, i. e. c doubled according
to fact and form, i. e., c crossing
c in its shape [In his
introduction, Calder explains that this means: Mor: Luad saethaig -i-
ach no uch, emancoll leis-[s]ium sin, ar gabair emuncoll ar ach gia gabar ar
araill. (“Expression for
who suffers (or is depressed), i. e. ach,
ah! uch, alas! i. e. emancoll with it, for emancoll is taken for ach, though it may be taken for something else.”) Mac: Missing letter. CC: Missing letter. |
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