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Geis
A ' or ' (pl. ') is an idiosyncratic taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition, similar to being under a vow or curse, yet the observance of which can also bring power and blessings. It is also used to mean specifically a spell prohibiting some action. ' are common in Irish and Scottish folklore and mythology, as well as in modern English-language fantasy fiction. The word originates in Old Irish, also known as Old Gaelic, and retains the same form in Modern Irish (nominative singular ' , nom. plural '' ''; genitive sg. ' , gen. pl. ' ). In modern Scottish Gaelic, the spelling has evolved in a slightly different direction (nom. sg. ' , nom. pl. ', gen. sg. ' or '). It has also been borrowed into English in both forms (sg. ''geas'' or ''geis'' or , pl. ''geasa'')). In Irish mythology A ' can be compared with a curse or, paradoxically, a gift. If someone under a ' violates the associated taboo, the infractor will suffer dishonor or even death. Conversely, the observin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Togail Bruidne Dá Derga
''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel'') is an Irish tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish recensions, it is part of the Lebor na hUidre, Book of Dun Cow. It recounts the birth, life, and death of Conaire Mór son of Eterscél Mór, a legendary High King of Ireland, who is killed at Da Derga's hostel by his enemies when he breaks his ''geis, geasa''. It is considered one of the finest Irish sagas of the early period, comparable to the better-known ''Táin Bó Cúailnge''. The theme of gathering doom, as the king is forced through circumstances to break one after another of his taboos, is non-Christian in essence, and no Christian interpretations are laid upon the marvels that it relates. In its repetitions and verbal formulas the poem retains the qualities of oral transmission. The tone of the work has been compared with Greek tragedy.Byrne, pp. 59–64. Summary After Conaire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is a unique feature of something. The term is often used to express peculiarity. Etymology The term "idiosyncrasy" originates from Greek ', "a peculiar temperament, habit of body" (from ', "one's own", ', "with" and ', "blend of the four humors" (temperament) or literally "particular mingling". Idiosyncrasy is sometimes used as a synonym for eccentricity, as these terms "are not always clearly distinguished when they denote an act, a practice, or a characteristic that impresses the observer as strange or singular."''Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Synonyms'' (1984), p. 277. Eccentricity, however, "emphasizes the idea of divergence from the usual or customary; idiosyncrasy implies a following of one's particular temperament or bent especially in trait, trick, or habit; the former often suggests mental aberration, the latter, strong individuality and independence of action". Linguistics The term can also be applied to symbols or words. ''Idiosyncratic symbols'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gáe Bulg
The ''Gáe Bulg'' () (also ''Gáe Bulga'', ''Gáe Bolg'', ''Gáe Bolga''), meaning "spear of mortal pain/death", "gapped/notched spear", or "belly spear", was the name of the spear of Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It was given to him by his martial arts teacher, the warrior woman Scáthach, and its technique was taught only to him. It was made from the bone of a sea monster, the Curruid, that had died while fighting another sea monster, the Coinchenn. Although some sources make it out to be simply a particularly deadly spear, others—notably the Book of Leinster—state that it could only be used under very specialized, ritual conditions: In other versions of the legend, the spear had seven heads, each with seven barbs. In the ''Táin Bó Cuailnge'', Cúchulainn received the spear after training with the great warrior mistress Scáthach in Alba. She taught him and his foster-brother, Ferdiad, everything the same, except she taught the Gáe Bulg feat only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
At World's End
At World's End may refer to: * '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'', a 2007 American epic fantasy swashbuckler film * ''At World's End'' (2009 film), a Danish action comedy film {{disambiguation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blodeuwedd
Blodeuwedd (; Welsh "Flower-Faced", a composite name from ''blodau'' "flowers" + ''gwedd'' "face"), is married to Lleu Llaw Gyffes in Welsh mythology. She was made from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet and oak by the magicians Math and Gwydion, and is a central figure in ''Math fab Mathonwy'', the last of the ''Four Branches of the Mabinogi''. Role in Welsh tradition The hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes has been placed under a '' tynged'' ("doom") by his mother, Arianrhod, that he may never have a human wife. To counteract this curse, the magicians Math and Gwydion: Some time later, while Lleu is away on business, Blodeuwedd has an affair with Gronw Pebr, the lord of Penllyn, and the two lovers conspire to murder Lleu. Blodeuwedd tricks Lleu into revealing how he may be killed, since he cannot be killed during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made. He reveals to her that he can only be kill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lleu Llaw Gyffes
Lleu Llaw Gyffes (), sometimes incorrectly spelled as Llew Llaw Gyffes, is a hero of Welsh mythology. He appears most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the tale of Math fab Mathonwy, which tells the tale of his birth, his marriage, his death, his resurrection and his accession to the throne of Gwynedd. He is a warrior and magician, invariably associated with his uncle Gwydion. He is widely understood to be the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Lugh and the Gaulish Lugus. It has been suggested that Lleu, like Pryderi, is related to the divine son figure of Mabon ap Modron. Name The name ''Lleu'' is derived from Proto-Celtic *''Lugus'', the exact meaning (and etymology) of which is still a matter of scholarly debate. Role in Welsh tradition The story of Lleu and the '' tynghedau'' of Arianrhod and then of Lleu and Blodeuwedd form respectively the second and third part of the Mabinogi of Math fab Mathonwy. Birth Gilfaethwy, nephew to the Venedotian king, Mat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celtic Mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a polytheistic religion, having many gods and goddesses. The mythologies of continental Celtic peoples, such as the Gauls and Celtiberians, did not survive their conquest by the Roman Empire, the loss of their Celtic languages and their subsequent conversion to Christianity. Only remnants are found in Greco-Roman sources and archaeology. Most surviving Celtic mythology belongs to the Insular Celtic peoples (the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland; the Celtic Britons of western Britain and Brittany). They preserved some of their myths in oral lore, which were eventually written down by Christian scribes in the Middle Ages. Irish mythology has the largest written body of myths, followed by Welsh mythology. The supernatural race called the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tynged
A ''tynged'' ("destiny, fate", ''plural tynghedau'') is the Welsh equivalent of the Irish '' geas'', similar to being under a vow, curse or spell. The most famous example is that placed by Arianrhod on her son Lleu Llaw Gyffes in the fourth of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, the Mabinogi of Math fab Mathonwy, in which his mother doomed him to never have a human wife. In addition, Lleu was destined to die neither "during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made." When his magically created wife, Blodeuwedd Blodeuwedd (; Welsh "Flower-Faced", a composite name from ''blodau'' "flowers" + ''gwedd'' "face"), is married to Lleu Llaw Gyffes in Welsh mythology. She was made from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet and oak by the magicians Math and Gwydio ..., wanted to learn how to kill him in order to be with her lover, she convinced him to show her how he could theoretically be killed at du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brythonic Languages
The Brittonic languages (also Brythonic or British Celtic; ; ; and ) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages; the other is Goidelic. It comprises the extant languages Breton, Cornish, and Welsh. The name ''Brythonic'' was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word , meaning Ancient Britons as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael. The Brittonic languages derive from the Common Brittonic language, spoken throughout Great Britain during the Iron Age and Roman period. In the 5th and 6th centuries emigrating Britons also took Brittonic speech to the continent, most significantly in Brittany and Britonia. During the next few centuries, in much of Britain the language was replaced by Old English and Scottish Gaelic, with the remaining Common Brittonic language splitting into regional dialects, eventually evolving into Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Cumbric, and probably Pictish. Welsh and Breton continue to be spoken as native languages, while ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goidelic
The Goidelic ( ) or Gaelic languages (; ; ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle of Man to Scotland. There are three modern Goidelic languages: Irish ('), Scottish Gaelic ('), and Manx ('). Manx died out as a first language in the 20th century but has since been revived to some degree. Nomenclature ''Gaelic'', by itself, is sometimes used to refer to Scottish Gaelic, especially in Scotland, and therefore is ambiguous. Irish and Manx are sometimes referred to as Irish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic (as they are Goidelic or Gaelic languages), but the use of the word ''Gaelic'' is unnecessary because the terms Irish and Manx, when used to denote languages, always refer to those languages. This is in contrast to Scottish Gaelic, for which "Gaelic" distinguishes the language from the Germanic language known as Scots. In Englis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Droit Du Seigneur
('right of the lord'), also known as ('right of the first night'), sometimes referred to as ''prima nocta'', was a supposed legal right in medieval Europe, allowing feudal lords to have sexual relations with any female subject, particularly on her wedding night. There are many references to the alleged custom throughout the centuries. Terminology The French expression translates as "right of the lord", but modern French usage prefers (, from , 'leg') or, more commonly, (, from , 'thigh'). The term is often used synonymously with , Latin for "right of the first night". Ancient times The Greek historian Herodotus mentions a similar custom among the Adyrmachidae in ancient Libya: "They are also the only tribe with whom the custom obtains of bringing all women about to become brides before the king, that he may choose such as are agreeable to him." When the plebeians of the Etruscan city of Volsinii rebelled against the aristocrats in 280 BC, "They took their wives for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rudolf Thurneysen
Eduard Rudolf Thurneysen (14 March 1857 – 9 August 1940) was a Swiss linguist and Celticist. Biography Born in Basel, Thurneysen studied classical philology in Basel, Leipzig, Berlin and Paris. His teachers included Ernst Windisch and Heinrich Zimmer. He received his promotion (approximating to a doctorate) in 1879 and his habilitation, in Latin and the Celtic languages, followed at the University of Jena in 1882. From 1885 to 1887 he taught Latin at Jena, then taking up the Chair of Comparative Philology at the University of Freiburg where he replaced Karl Brugmann, a renowned expert in Indo-European studies. In 1896, he posited Thurneysen's law, a proposed sound law concerning the alternation of voiced and voiceless fricatives in certain affixes in Gothic; it was later published in 1898. In 1909 Thurneysen published his , translated into English as ''A Grammar of Old Irish'' by D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, and still in print as of 2006. A version in Welsh wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
