Beith (ᚁ) is the Irish name of the first letter ( Irish "letter": sing.''fid'', pl.''feda'') of the

Ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...

alphabet, meaning "

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

". In

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

, the letter name was Beithe, which is related to

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

''bedw(en)'', Breton ''bezv(enn)'', and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''betula''. Its

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...

root was *''gʷet-'' 'resin, gum'. Its phonetic value is .

Interpretation

The ''

Auraicept na n-Éces ''Auraicept na nÉces'' (; "The Scholars' Primer" ) is an Old Irish text on language and grammar. The core of the text may date to the early eighth century, but much material was added between that date and the production of the earliest surviv ...

'' contains the tale of the

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

origins of ''Beith'' ''Peith'' (ᚚ) is a later addition to the

Forfeda The (sing. ) are the "additional" letters of the Ogham alphabet, beyond the basic inventory of twenty signs. Their name derives from ("wood", a term also used for Ogham letters) and the prefix ("additional"). The most important of these are f ...

, a variant of ''Beith'' with a phonetic value of It is also called ''beithe bog'' "soft ''beithe''", being considered a "soft" variant of . It replaced ''

Ifín Ifín (also spelled ''iphin'') is one of the '' forfeda'', the "additional" letters of the Ogham alphabet. Its sound value according to the ''Auraicept na n-Éces'', '' De dúilib feda'' and ''In Lebor Ogaim'', are ''io'', ''ía'', and ''ia' ...

'' ᚘ, one of the "original" five Forfeda likely named initially ''pín'' (influenced by Latin ''pinus'') with an original value but whose phonetic value was altered to a vowel diphthong due to later medieval schematicism.

Bríatharogaim

In the medieval

kenning A kenning ( Icelandic: ) is a figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single-word noun. For instance, the Old English kenning () means , as does (). A kenning has two parts: a base-word (a ...

s, called '' Bríatharogaim'' (sing. ''Bríatharogam'') or ''Word Oghams'' the verses associated with ''Beith'' are: ''Féocos foltchaín:'' "Withered foot with fine hair" in the ''Bríatharogam Morann mic Moín'' ''Glaisem cnis:'' "Greyest of skin" in the ''Bríatharogam Mac ind Óc'' ''Maise malach:'' "Beauty of the eyebrow" in the ''Bríatharogam Con Culainn''.

Notes

While medieval and modern

neopagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, spans a range of new religious movements variously influenced by the beliefs of pre-modern peoples across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Despite some common simila ...

arboreal glosses (i.e. tree names) for the Ogham have been widely popularised (even for fade whose names do not translate as trees), the Old Irish ''

In Lebor Ogaim ''In Lebor Ogaim'' ("The Book of Ogams"), also known as the Ogam Tract, is an Old Irish treatise on the ogham alphabet. It is preserved in R.I.A. MS 23 P 12 308–314 (AD 1390), T.C.D. H.3.18, 26.1–35.28 (AD 1511) and National Library of ...

'' (the ''Ogam Tract'') also lists many other word values classified by type (e.g. birds, occupations, companies) for each fid. The ''

filí The fili (or ''filè'') (), plural filid, filidh (or filès), was a member of an elite class of poets in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland, and later Scotland in the Middle Ages, Scotland, up until the English Renaissance, Renaissance. The filid were b ...

'' (

''filid'', sing. ''fili'') or poets of this period learned around one hundred and fifty variants of Ogham during their training, including these word-list forms. Some of the notable

values of these for ''Beith'' include: Enogam/Bird-ogam: ''besan'' "pheasant?" (this translation may be incorrect as the text predates the approximately sixteenth century introduction of pheasants to Ireland) Dathogam/Colour-ogam: ''bán'' "white" Ogam tirda/Agricultural ogam: ''biail'' "axe" Danogam/Art-ogam: ''bethumnacht'' "livelihood" Ogam Cuidechtach/Company Ogam: ''Bachlaid'' "Priests"

Interpretation

Bríatharogaim

Notes

References

See also