Bríatharogam
Encyclopedia
In Early Irish literature a Bríatharogam ("word ogham", plural Bríatharogaim) is a two word kenning
which explains the meanings of the names of the letters of the Ogham
alphabet. Three variant lists of bríatharogaim or 'word-oghams' have been preserved, dating to the Old Irish period. They are as follows:
The first two of these are attested from all three surviving copies of the Ogam Tract, while the "Cú Chulainn
" version is not in the Book of Ballymote
and only known from 16th and 17th century manuscripts. The Auraicept na n-Éces
or 'Scholars' Primer' reports and interprets the Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín.
Later Medieval scholars believed that all of the letter names were those of trees, and attempted to explain the bríatharogaim in that light. However, modern scholarship has shown that only eight at most of the letter names are those of trees, and that the word-oghams or kennings themselves support this. The kennings as edited (in normalized Old Irish) and translated by McManus (1988) are as follows:
Of the forfeda
, four are glossed by the Auraicept, ebhadh with crithach "aspen", oir with feorus no edind "spindle-tree or ivy",
uilleand with edleand "honeysuckle", and iphin with spinan no ispin "gooseberry or thorn".
Kenning
A kenning is a type of literary trope, specifically circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry...
which explains the meanings of the names of the letters of the Ogham
Ogham
Ogham is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the Old Irish language, and occasionally the Brythonic language. Ogham is sometimes called the "Celtic Tree Alphabet", based on a High Medieval Bríatharogam tradition ascribing names of trees to the individual letters.There are roughly...
alphabet. Three variant lists of bríatharogaim or 'word-oghams' have been preserved, dating to the Old Irish period. They are as follows:
- Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín
- Bríatharogam Maic ind Óc
- Bríatharogam Con Culainn
The first two of these are attested from all three surviving copies of the Ogam Tract, while the "Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
" version is not in the Book of Ballymote
Book of Ballymote
The Book of Ballymote , named for the parish of Ballymote, County Sligo, was written in 1390 or 1391....
and only known from 16th and 17th century manuscripts. The Auraicept na n-Éces
Auraicept na n-Éces
Auraicept na n-Éces is claimed as a 7th century work of Irish grammarians, written by a scholar named Longarad....
or 'Scholars' Primer' reports and interprets the Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín.
Later Medieval scholars believed that all of the letter names were those of trees, and attempted to explain the bríatharogaim in that light. However, modern scholarship has shown that only eight at most of the letter names are those of trees, and that the word-oghams or kennings themselves support this. The kennings as edited (in normalized Old Irish) and translated by McManus (1988) are as follows:
| Letter | Meaning | Bríatharogam Morainn mac Moín | Bríatharogam Maic ind Óc | Bríatharogam Con Culainn | ||
| ᚁ | B | Beithe Beith (letter) Beith is the Irish name of the first letter of the Ogham alphabet, , meaning "birch". In Old Irish, the letter name was Beithe, which is related to Welsh bedw, Breton bezv, and Latin betula. Its Proto-Indo-European root was * 'resin, gum'... |
'Birch' | féochos foltchain "withered foot with fine hair" |
glaisem cnis "greyest of skin" |
maise malach "beauty of the eyebrow" |
| ᚂ | L | Luis Luis (letter) Luis is the second letter of the Ogham alphabet, derived either from luise "flame" or from lus "herb". Its Proto-Indo-European root was either * 'to shine' or * 'to grow'. Its phonetic value is [l].... |
'Flame' or 'Herb' | lí súla "lustre of the eye" |
carae cethrae "friend of cattle" |
lúth cethrae "sustenance of cattle" |
| ᚃ | F | Fern Fearn (letter) Fearn is the Irish name of the third letter of the Ogham alphabet, , meaning "alder-tree". In Old Irish, the letter name was Fern, which is related to Welsh gwern. Its Primitive Irish root was * and its phonetic value then was [w]. Its Old Irish and modern phonetic value is [f].... |
'Alder' | airenach fían "vanguard of warriors" |
comét lachta "milk container" |
dín cridi "protection of the heart" |
| ᚄ | S | Sail Sail (letter) Sail or Saille is the Irish name of the fourth letter of the Ogham alphabet, , meaning "willow". The name is related to Welsh helyg and Latin salix. Its Proto-Indo-European root was *. Its phonetic value is [s].... |
'Willow' | lí ambi "pallor of a lifeless one" |
lúth bech "sustenance of bees" |
tosach mela "beginning of honey" |
| ᚅ | N | Nin | 'Branch-fork' | costud síde "establishing of peace" |
bág ban "boast of women" |
bág maise "boast of beauty" |
| ᚆ | H | Úath | 'Fear' | condál cúan "assembly of packs of hounds" |
bánad gnúise "blanching of faces" |
ansam aidche "most difficult at night" |
| ᚇ | D | Dair | 'Oak' | ardam dosae "highest tree" |
grés soír "handicraft of a craftsman" |
slechtam soíre "most carved of craftsmanship" |
| ᚈ | T | Tinne | 'Iron Bar' | trian roith "one of three parts of a wheel" |
smiur gúaile "marrow of (char)coal" |
trian n-airm "one of three parts of a weapon" |
| ᚉ | C | Coll Coll (letter) Coll is the Irish name of the ninth letter of the Ogham alphabet , meaning "hazel-tree", which is related to Welsh collen pl cyll, and Latin corulus. Its Proto-Indo-European root was *. Its phonetic value is [k].... |
'Hazel' | caíniu fedaib "fairest tree" |
carae blóesc "friend of nutshells" |
milsem fedo "sweetest tree" |
| ᚊ | Q | Cert | 'Bush' or 'Rag' | clithar baiscill "shelter of a [lunatic?]" |
bríg anduini "substance of an insignificant person" |
dígu fethail "dregs of clothing" |
| ᚋ | M | Muin | 'Neck', 'Ruse/Trick' or 'Love;' How about 'breath?' | tressam fedmae "strongest in exertion" |
árusc n-airlig "proverb of slaughter" |
conar gotha "path of the voice" |
| ᚌ | G | Gort Gort (letter) Gort is the Irish name of the twelfth letter of the Ogham alphabet, , meaning "field", which is related to Welsh garth 'garden' and Latin hortus. Its Proto-Indo-European root was * 'to enclose, enclosure'. Its phonetic value is [g].... |
'Field' | milsiu féraib| "sweetest grass" |
ined erc "suitable place for cows" |
sásad ile "sating of multitudes" |
| ᚍ | GG | Gétal | 'Slaying' | lúth lego "sustenance of a leech" |
étiud midach "raiment of physicians" |
tosach n-échto "beginning of slaying" |
| ᚎ | Z | Straif | 'Sulphur' | tressam rúamnai "strongest reddening (dye)" |
mórad rún "increase of secrets" |
saigid nél "seeking of clouds" |
| ᚏ | R | Ruis | 'Red' | tindem rucci "most intense blushing" |
rúamnae drech "reddening of faces" |
bruth fergae "glow of anger" |
| ᚐ | A | Ailm | 'Pine'? | ardam íachta "loudest groan" |
tosach frecrai "beginning of an answer" |
tosach garmae "beginning of calling" |
| ᚑ | O | Onn | 'Ash-tree' | congnaid ech "wounder of horses" |
féthem soíre "smoothest of craftsmanship" |
lúth fían "[equipment] of warrior bands" |
| ᚒ | U | Úr | 'Earth' | úaraib adbaib "in cold dwellings" |
sílad cland "propagation of plants" |
forbbaid ambí "shroud of a lifeless one" |
| ᚓ | E | Edad | Unknown | érgnaid fid "discerning tree" |
commaín carat "exchange of friends" |
bráthair bethi (?) "brother of birch" (?) |
| ᚔ | I | Idad | 'Yew-tree'? | sinem fedo "oldest tree" |
caínem sen "fairest of the ancients" |
lúth lobair (?) "energy of an infirm person" (?) |
| ᚕ | EA | Ébad | Unknown | snámchaín feda "fair-swimming letter" |
cosc lobair "[admonishing?] of an infirm person" |
caínem éco "fairest fish" |
| ᚖ | OI | Óir | 'Gold' | sruithem aicde "most venerable substance" |
lí crotha "splendour of form" |
|
| ᚗ | UI | Uillenn | 'Elbow' | túthmar fid "fragnant tree" |
cubat oll "great elbow/cubit" |
|
| ᚘ | IO | Iphín | 'Spine/thorn'? | milsem fedo "sweetest tree" |
amram mlais "most wonderful taste" |
|
| ᚙ | AE | Emancholl | 'Twin-of-hazel' | lúad sáethaig "groan of a sick person" |
mol galraig "groan of a sick person" |
|
- beithe means "birchBirchBirch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
-tree", cognate to Latin betula. The kenning in the Auraicept is- Feocos foltchain in beithi "of withered trunk fairhaired the birch"
- luis is either related to luise "blaze" or lus "herb". The kenning
- Li sula luis (.i. caertheand) ar ailleacht a caer "[delightful] for eye is luis (i.e. rowanRowanThe rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
) owing to the beauty of its berries"
- Li sula luis (.i. caertheand) ar ailleacht a caer "[delightful] for eye is luis (i.e. rowan
- the kenning "for the eye is luis" would support a meaning of "blaze".
- fern means "alderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
-tree", Primitive Irish *wernā, so that the original value of the letter was [w]. The kenning is- Airenach Fiann (.i. fernd) air is di na sgeith "the van of the warrior-bands (i.e. alder), for thereof are the shields"
- sail means "willowWillowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
-tree", cognate to Latin salix, with the 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 of a dead person"
- nin means either "fork" or "loft". The Auraicept glosses it as uinnius "ash-tree",
- fern means "alder
- cosdad sida nin .i. uinnius, ar is di doniter craind gae triasa "A check on peace is nin (i.e. ash), for of it are made spear-shafts by which the peace is broken"
- úath is unattested in inscriptions. The kenning "a meet of hounds is huath" identifies the name as úath "horror, fear", although the Auraicept glosses "white-thorn":
- comdal cuan huath (.i. sce L. om); no ar is uathmar hi ara deilghibh "a meet of hounds is huath (i.e. white-thorn); or because it is formidable (uathmar) for its thorns."
- úath is unattested in inscriptions. The kenning "a meet of hounds is huath" identifies the name as úath "horror, fear", although the Auraicept glosses "white-thorn":
- The original etymology of the name, and the letter's value, are however unclear. McManus (1986) suggested a value [y]. Linguist Peter SchrijverPeter Schrijver (linguist)Peter Schrijver, born in Delft, 1963, is a Dutch linguist, who is a professor of Celtic languages at Utrecht University, and researcher of ancient Indo-European linguistics. He worked previously at Leiden University and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich...
suggested that if úath "fear" is cognate with Latin pavere, a trace of PIE *p might have survived into Primitive Irish, but there is no independent evidence for this. (see McManus 1991:37)- dair means "oakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
" (PIE *doru-).- arirde dossaib duir "higher than bushes is an oak"
- tinne from the evidence of the kennings means "bar of metal, ingot". The Auraicept equates it with "hollyHollyIlex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
"- trian roith tindi L .i. ar is cuileand in tres fidh roith in carbait "a third of a wheel is tinne, that is, because holly is one of the three timbers of the chariot-wheel"
- dair means "oak
- the word is probably cognate to Old Irish tend "strong" or tind "brilliant".
- coll meant "hazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
-tree", cognate with Welsh collen, correctly glossed as cainfidh "fair-wood" ("hazel"),- coll .i. cach ac ithi a chno "coll, i.e. every one is eating from its nuts"
- cert is cognate with Welsh pert "bush" , Latin quercus "oak" (PIE *perkwos). It was confused with Old Irish ceirt "rag", reflected in the kennings. The Auraicept glosses aball "appleAppleThe apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
",- clithar boaiscille .i. elit gelt quert (.i. aball) "shelter of a boiscill, i.e. a wild hind is queirt, i.e. an apple tree"
- muin: the kennings connect this name to three different words, muin "neck, upper part of the back", muin "wile, ruse", and muin "love, esteem". The Auraicept glosses finemhain "vineVineA vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
", with a kenning consistent with "love":- airdi masi muin .i. iarsinni fhasas a n-airde .i. finemhain "highest of beauty is min, i.e. because it grows aloft, i.e. a vine-tree"
- gort means "field" (cognate to garden). The Auraicept glosses "ivyIvyIvy, plural ivies is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan.-Description:On level ground they...
":- glaisiu geltaibh gort (.i. edind) "greener than pastures is gort (i.e. "ivy")."
- gétal from the kennings has a meaning of "killing", maybe cognate to gonid "slays", from PIE . The value of the letter in Primitive Irish, then, was a voiced labiovelar, [gw]. The Auraicept glosses cilcach, "broom" or "fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
":- luth lega getal (.i. cilcach) no raith "a physician's strength is getal (i.e. broom)."
- straiph means "sulphur". The Primitive Irish letter value is uncertain, it may have been a sibilant different from s, which is taken by sail, maybe a reflex of /st/ or /sw/. The Auraicept glosses draighin "blackthornBlackthornPrunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
":- aire srabha sraibh (.i. draighin) "the hedge of a stream is sraibh (i.e. blackthorn)."
- ruis means "red" or "redness", glossed as trom "elderElderberrySambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
":- ruamma ruice ruis (.i. trom) "the redness of shame is ruis (i.e. elder)"
- ailm is of uncertain meaning, possibly "pine-tree". The Auraicept has crand giuis .i. ochtach, "firFirFirs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
-tree" or "pinetreePinetree- Vegetation :*Pine, coniferous trees classified in the genus Pinus*Other coniferous trees, such as Norfolk Island Pine, Araucaria heterophylla and Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis*Screw pine, various species of plants in the genus Pandanus...
" - onn means "ash-tree", although the Auraicept glosses aiten "furze",
- úr, based on the kennings, means "earth, clay, soil". The Auraicept glosses fraech "heath".
- edad and idhad are paired names of unknown meaning, although idhad may be a form of 'yew-tree', altered to make a pairing. The Auraicept glosses them as ed uath .i. crand fir no crithach "horrible grief, i.e. test-tree or aspen", and ibhar "yewTaxus baccataTaxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
", respectively.
- coll meant "hazel
Of the forfeda
Forfeda
The Forfeda are the "additional" letters of the Ogham alphabet, beyond the basic inventory of twenty signs. The most important of these are five forfeda which were arranged in their own aicme or class, and were clearly invented in the Old Irish period, several centuries after the peak of Ogham usage...
, four are glossed by the Auraicept, ebhadh with crithach "aspen", oir with feorus no edind "spindle-tree or ivy",
uilleand with edleand "honeysuckle", and iphin with spinan no ispin "gooseberry or thorn".