An Slí Gaeleach Céad 's a hAon (Phase one done, please pos

[CuAnnan]

This is a work in progress.

So. In case the title in Irish (The Gaelic Path 101), parentheses aside, didn't give it away this is about the Irish Gaelic path, what it means, who it's contributors where, where my particular faith (which I will not be discussing much) comes from and all that jazz.

We'll start with the intros, shall we?

I'm Wing, born in April of 1982. Which makes me an Aries (standard zodiac) Dog (Chinese Zodiac) and Fearn in the Beth Luis Fearn Ogham Calendar (more on this later).

I use the Gaelic Cycles as my core books (available here), though I do tend to rely a lot on my personal relationship with my God (Léadain, an ancestrial God) and Anú as well as on my Ancestors.

I am gay and my faith not only has no problem with it but, similar to may of the "primitive" cultures, views my gender preference as having been called out of normal life and into service of the Gods.

If you are trying to connect with Welsh roots, this is not the 101 for you. The Welsh were Gauls, not Gaels. They were P-Celts, not Q-Celts. We were cousins.

If you are trying to connect with Scottish roots, try it. If it works, hey good for you, if it doesn't, I'm not surprised.

If you are trying to connect with Irish roots, see above. My Gods are picky and just because you have Irish roots doesn't mean they want squat to do with you.

I refer to myself as a Celt.
This is true.
I am, more specifically, a Gael. I have gotten into the scholarly laziness place and been referring to myself and my beliefs as Celtic. The more precise term is Gaelic, however do not refer to my language as Gaelic.

I do not speak Gaelic Irish, I do not speak Gaelic, I speak a Celtic language called "Gaeilge" and if I say something in Irish, I say it "as Gaeilge".  

[CuAnnan]

In the beginning?

There is no one Irish Creation Myth. The Gaels were prolific mythologists. Our myths describe everything that can be described. Our language, our magical system, our people all come from something Mythological.

My family on my father's side is descended from the first Ard Rí (high king) of Ireland. I am nobility, though you wouldn't know it to hear my family story.

On my mother's side I am descended from a clann of the Fír Bolg (the people of the belly) who were a Faerie people. Not of the Sídhe, but related to them.

I'm not bragging. I'm demonstrating. Do I think this is true, well on my father's side we have genealogy on our team and on my mother's side we have the mythology which turns into the genealogy.

This brings us to my first interesting question. What is mythology, truth or fiction describing truth?

Do I believe that the Fír Bolg, the Sídhe and the Tuatha de Dannan exist and walked these shores before the coming of my Ancestors with Amergin White Knee, Eremon (from whom my family name descends) his brother Eber Finn and the rest of the Milesians? Yes. Do I believe they were Faerie and God? Yes. Do I believe my ancestor people interbred with them? Yes. Does that explain why I'm a conceited b*****d? Yes.

Irish mythology stems from this invasion. This invasion is the point at which the Gaels begin as a people. Amergin White Knee broke all of the lines of defence the people of the Tuatha de Dannan, my Gods original chosen People, had.
He did this with a single spell

Amergin White Knee

I am wind the wind on the sea
I am a wave of the ocean,
I am the roar of the sea
I am an oxen of seven exiles
I am a hawk on a cliff
I am a tear of the sun
I am a turning in a maze
I am a boar in valour
I am a salmon in a pool
I am a lake on a plain
I am a dispensing power,
I am spirit of skilful gift,
I am a grass-blade giving decay to the earth
I am a creative god giving inspirations

Who else clears the stones of the mountain?
Who is it who declaims the sun's arising?
Who is it who tells where the sun sets?
Who brings the cattle from the house of Tethra?
Upon whom do the cattle of Tethra smile?
Who is this Ox?
Who is the weaving god who mends the thatch of wounds?
The incantation of a spear. The incantaion of the wind.

The Original, at C.E.L.T. as part of the leinster book

Amergin Gluanbán, as gaielge

Am gáeth i mmuir.
Am tond trethan i tír.
Am fúaim mara.
Am dam secht ndírend.
Am séig i n-aill.
Am dér gréne.
Am caín.
Am torc ar gail.
Am hé i llind.
Am loch i mmaig
Am briandai.
Am gai i fodb. feras feochtu.
Am dé delbas do chind codnu.

Coiche nod gleith clochur slébe?
Cia on cotagair aesa éscai?
Cia dú i llaig funiud grene?
Cia beir búar o thig Temrach?
Cia buar Tethrach?
Cia dain?
Cia dé delbas faebru. a ndind ailsiu?
Cáinté im gaí cainte gaithe.?

They then set to war against them. While that great war went on, Amergin seperated himself from it and entered into a game of ficheall (Irish Chess-ish game) with one of the Goddesses of the Tuatha De Dannan. It was this match which decided the outcome of the war.

Now, if I have to tell you the significance of this story, then stop reading now, put down Celtic Mysticism and walk away from my religious sub-culture or things are going to get messy. I may seem like I'm being harsh but if you don't understand the significance of the Landing at Ireland, you're in the wrong sub culture.  

[CuAnnan]

Ogham.

What is ogham? Well, Ogham is a writing language. Within Celtic Mythology, there are several accounts of its creation. Fionn mac Chumail learned it when he ate of the salmon of knowledge, Ogma himself devised it out of trees and it was crafted by one of the Sons of Babel.

One of these is out of whack with the others, and the concept of a hard polithiest nature of the Celts. This is because the Irish myths were codified by the Christians. Regardless, I digress.

Ogham is broken up, depending on who you listen to, in to four families.

It is done as I have below, and it is done in other ways. I dismiss the other ways off hand because of the groupings that... well make sense.






Those letters are the phonetic values, not the equivalents, of Ogham. I do not accept, any more, the theory that Ogham was a Cypher for latin. It doesn't make sense upon reflection.

This list of meanings, while not the (oathbound) one I use, is ok.
http://www.sacredfire.net/grove.html

Stop.

Put the pen down.

You do NOT want to know what your name would look like in that script.

Ogham is not a font. It is not a toy. It is a magical language. Bind your name in it and you're ********.  

[CuAnnan]

Excersizes (1):

I believe we learn by doing.

Choose something in your life you'd like to change. Bind them together in an order of your choosing.

Choose four, no more, no less, ogham symbols according to whatever cite you want.

If you're willing to share,
Post the cite.
Post the four symbols.
Post the something.

Bonus excersize:

Safe in the knowledge that the symbolism key I use is oathbound, provide a translation for my tattoo:

Bottom section
Middle section
Top section

No. I won't tell you if you get it right. But I will give 500 Gold to the most interesting (as decided by me for whatever reason I want) response before the end of the month (August 2006)  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

I'll start with the bonus.

Knowing what little I do of you, what extremely little I do of Ogham, and my limited talents as a Student of Human Nature, I present the following interpretation, based mostly on the meanings you gave in that link, with one character interpreted from a site on Ogham divination.

The redux: Protection for or during relationships beginning, dying, and yet to begin.

The full explanation below, in white so that I don't cloud the concepts of anyone else attempting to interpret it:

Taken as three separate groups of four:
The first group indicates the concept of earthly or material protection and rebuilding of foundations, with wisdom and mediation. I get the feeling of protecting a nascent or existing relationship.

The second group indicates the concept of making choices, spiritual protection, and keeping order until camp is broken. This gives me the image of trying to still the pain when ending that which has to end.

The third group indicates the concept of cleansing, perhaps a shedding of the past, using that cleansing to inspire renewed growth or rebirth, and again a call for physical protection - one would guess of the new growth. I see this as saying "Time to move to new ground - ready arms to hold it".

Taken as three combined groups:
Protection of loved ones, and of budding relationships; being able to stay rational and protect your Self while ending that which needs ending; being able to shed the impurities of the past while still the ashes to fertilize new life for yourself, which you will protect.  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

My attempt:

Again, using the source you posted.

EDIT: I thought I posted the explanation in white. Turns out I posted it in nothing. No need for white in this case, I think, though - I was going for a literal binding of "My Choice for the Future Path Protected from Adversity".  

[TeaDidikai]

Do I get to play to the best of my ability?  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

Do I get to play to the best of my ability?

Go for it.  

[Pelta]

Your source contradicts itself! gonk I'm totally confused now as to what means what!

Anyway:
From the bottom up (the way a tree grows!), the bottom four represent the past - birth, reincarnation/rebirth, relationship with a father, and protection of a mother/sisters.

The middle four represent the present - continuity of time, strength and being able to support yourself, wisdom/magic/mysticism, the end of a relationship with a god.

The top four represent how you would like the future to go - new love/friendships/relationships, choices and opportunities in work and life, protection against enchantment/fae, and protection against serious injury and death.

So how'd I do? wink  

[TeaDidikai]

reagun ban

But I will give 500 Gold to the most interesting (as decided by me for whatever reason I want) response before the end of the month (August 2006)

([Fraction]Wing.)  

[Kalyani Srijoi]

Question on the ogham.

Yesterday, I was reading up on it, and it mentioned somewhere that they used to find it written on stones, I guess. Anyway, it said in the wikipedia article that these inscriptions were often personal names.

So, are you not ever supposed to write your name in it, or is it a bad idea for non-celts fooling around with fonts?

I mean, not saying I'm going to go try it. Just wondering why it's bad. I mean, what would happen?  

[CuAnnan]

Ban Triste-chan!

Question on the ogham.

Yesterday, I was reading up on it, and it mentioned somewhere that they used to find it written on stones, I guess. Anyway, it said in the wikipedia article that these inscriptions were often personal names.

So, are you not ever supposed to write your name in it, or is it a bad idea for non-celts fooling around with fonts?

I mean, not saying I'm going to go try it. Just wondering why it's bad. I mean, what would happen?

Answer pmmed.
Nobody else will be getting the answer to this on this forum, Oaths in place.  

[TeaDidikai]

~snickers~ I have a really angsty song in my head from all of this.  

[VisasMarr]

My attempt at the First exersize.



I used the source that you suggested, and this cite.

The 'something' is not something I want to divulge at the moment. But people are welcome to guess, if they are so inclined.

I am still working on the bonus.  

[Triste-chan]

RUN AWAY



Anyway. I'm kind of worried about the future, and how I'm going to deal with it, so this is kind of what I think I should be doing. And whatnot. You know. I used this for the meanings, but since it didn't have pictures, I used this for the pictures of what the letters looked like. So yeah.