The Chronicles of St. Patrick:
The Captivity
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
All pronunciations are approximations given the vagaries of time and dialects. Arcane English words are explained but not rendered phonetically.
Adze-Head an ancient Irish term for the Christian tonsure
ashplant a walking stick
aurla (URH-luh) a lawn, sometimes an ornamental lawn
banshee a spirit whose cry announced imminent death; also the name of Arts sword
booly summertime pastures for cattle
brainball a handmade slingstone made of cranial material mixed with lime; also a great shock
brat (BRAT) a short cloak
brewy (BRU-ee) an innkeeper, hosteller
bundrish a juicy seaweed
caione (KEEN-uh) a wail or lamentation for the dead
cakes (the Ceremony of the Cakes) in this rite whoever consumed the scorched cake was devoted to death
carn (KARN) a heap of stones that marks a grave
carragheen (KARR-uh-heen) a soup containing a red seaweed
caves places of concealment or storage
celtar (KEL-ter) a magical cloak which rendered the wearer unseen
cochal (KOCK-ul) a short cape with armholes, sometimes reaching only to the elbows
coibche (KO-veh) a dowry of clothes and warriors
corbel a bracket of stone used to support an arch
crannog (KRAN-ohg) an artificial, man-made island on a lake
cruit (KROOT) a harp which varied in size from a portable hand harp to the great bardic harp six feet in height, having up to thirty strings or more and played with the fingers or fingernails
cuach (KU-ock) a cup
cuilmenn (KIL-min) a book of writing on parchment or skins
cumal KUM-ull) a female slave
curragh (KUR-ruh) a boat made of several layers of tanned skins such as oxhide wrapped over a wicker frame
dabach (DAW-vuh) a large vat or tub
diadem a crown
druid palisade the druid fence, the tonsure worn by druids
dulsk (DULLSK) a reddish-brown plant that grows on sea rocks and is eaten with butter
eight-night a week
fenned (FEH-ned) an outlaw
fennedi (FEH-neh-dee) outlaws
fert (FERT) a grave
fidchell (FIH-ul) a board game with opposing pieces
Fish a Christian, so-called for their representation of their faith by the sign of a fish
fosterbrother to strengthen social ties, children were often fostered out to other families with resultant bonds sometimes becoming stronger than family connections
grianan (GREE-nan) a balcony
gallstone an upright standing stone erected by a previous race of people in Ireland
gibne (GIV-neh) a band or thread to keep a charioteers hair in place
gray-green wind a wind from the southwest
green wind a wind from the west-southwest
guba (GOO-uh) an elegy
hands of red a murderer
hurley a field hockey-like stick with a much broader blade
immdai (IM-dee) couches
leech a doctor
leine (LAYN-eh) a tunic-like shirt that extended to mid-thigh, often worn with a belt
lime cloud Irish warriors coated their shields with lime and banged them just before battle raising a cloud of lime
lith a large standing stone erected in a certain place, sometimes one in a circle of stones
maigen (MI-gan) a plot of land around a person of rank which was considered a sanctuary; the higher the rank, the larger the maigen
maigen of a righ the maigen of a righ was sixty-four spearcasts roughly a mile
medar (MED-ar) a wooden drinking vessel
milan (MILL-awn) a small pitcher
minn (MINN) a close-fitting, metal, helmet-like, head covering
muc forais (MUCK-fur-ash) a house-fed boar-pig smoke-dried in the green wood of ash, beech or white thorn
ninth-wave prize beyond the ninth wave ordinary life did not apply; shipwrecked cargo was for the taking, plagues were harmless
pale wind a wind from the west
pond the watery expanse between Eriu and Britannia; today, it is known as the Irish Sea
Portion of the Hero a special allowance of the choicest piece of meat at a feast for the pre-eminent warrior
purple wind a wind from the east
righ (REE) a king
righfenned (REE-feh-ned) the leader of an outlaw band
righna (REE-nuh) a queen
righthe (REE-heh) kings
rochull (ROCK-ull) a gravecloth or shroud
ruam (ROO-uhm) a blushing agent applied to the face
sept a clan or tribe
slabra (SLAWV-ruh) a dowry of cattle and horse bridles
sliothar (SLIH-her) a baseball-sized leather ball propelled up and down a field of play using a hurley
speckled wind from between the north and the east
stirabout oatmeal
swear by the sun
the most serious oath sworn in ancient Ireland
tetsudo (tet-SOO-doh) a Roman military maneuver where the soldiers moved in very close formation with their shields locked as one above their heads for protection akin to a turtle shell
timpan (TIM-pawn) a harp of three to eight strings played with either a bow or fingernails
tinnscra (TIN-skruh) a dowry of gold, silver, copper or brass
tochra (TOHK-ruh) a dowry of sheep and swine
tonn (TUNN) a loud, threatening wave or coastal area known for such waves
torc (TORK) a decorated, thick neck bracelet with knobbed ends, often made of gold
trews (TREWS) pants that extend just below the knees
tuath (TOO-uh) a people, or, more often, the territory they controlled; a kingdom
tuatha (TOO-uh-huh) the plural of tuath
tugen the mantle of a poet often covered with feathers
veilhouse a privy
warp-spasm a battle rage
waterhound an otter
white, red-eared cattle these creatures are always associated with a mystical world
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