Cover art is by an unknown artist, public domain

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Book of Leinster

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Notes

Author: Anonymous

This text presents three sets of Briatharogam — kenning-lists that give a poetic or descriptive name to each letter of the Ogham alphabet, followed by the tree or plant associated with it. Each entry follows the pattern: letter → poetic kenning → gloss/identification. Three authorial traditions are given: those of Morann mac Máin, Mac ind Óic (the Young Son, i.e. Óengus), and Cú Chulainn.

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Translation

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1. The Word-Oghams of Morann mac Máin

• B — Finest of hair — i.e. a white, fair leg, and beautiful at its tip (birch)
• L — Lustre of the eye — i.e. elm or pine
• F — Shield of warrior-bands — i.e. on faces, i.e. a shield (alder)
• S — Pallor of the lifeless — i.e. the colour of the dead (willow)
• N — Establishing of peace — i.e. ash of Garmna; it is not seized except in peace (ash)
• H — Pack of hounds — i.e. it is there the hunting hound gives its cry (hawthorn)
• D — Highest of bushes (oak)
• T — Third of wheels — i.e. of a chariot (holly)
• C — Sustainer of men — i.e. everyone eating its nut (hazel)
• Q — Shelter of a lunatic — i.e. a doe or wild one (apple)
• M — Highest of beauty — i.e. the vine, because it grows upward (vine)
• G — Greenest of pastures — i.e. ivy (ivy)
• GG — Physician’s strength — i.e. broom, for the abundance of its healing (broom)
• ST — Watchman of the riverbank — i.e. blackthorn (blackthorn)
• R — Fierceness of blush — i.e. rowan or elder fire (rowan)
• A — Highest of shouts — i.e. fir or fern (fir)
• O — Horse’s friend — i.e. gorse or horse-whip (gorse)
• U — Most handsome at assembly — i.e. heather (heather)
• E — Saddening of men or wood — i.e. aspen; foul in scent or weak its rod (aspen)
• I — Oldest of woods — i.e. yew (yew)
• EA — Swimming one of men — i.e. aspen (aspen)
• OI — Most venerable of structures — i.e. spindle-tree (spindle-tree)
• UI — Fragrant of men — i.e. man-tree or elbow (pine)
• PIN — Sweetest of wood — i.e. gooseberry (gooseberry)
• X — Groan of a sick man — i.e. the weak thin-necked one; middle (uncertain)

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2. The Word-Oghams of Mac ind Óic

• B — Greenest of skin — i.e. fair shoots, or wounds, or cold (birch)
• L — Strength of cattle — i.e. elm or pine
• F — Guarding of milk — i.e. alder
• S — Strength of bees — i.e. willow-blossom (willow)
• N — Boast of women — i.e. weaving-beam (ash)
• H — Blanching of faces — i.e. hawthorn
• D — Craftsman’s work — i.e. oak
• T — Marrow of the shoulder — i.e. iron (holly)
• C — Friend of cracking — i.e. hazel
• Q — Strength of the weak person — i.e. ragwort (apple)
• M — Stain of dishonour — i.e. vine (vine)
• G — Measure of strength — i.e. field, ivy
• GG — Wounder of physicians — i.e. broom
• ST — Magnifying of secrets — i.e. sloe or blackthorn (blackthorn)
• R — Reddening of faces — i.e. rowan or elder
• A — Beginning of an answer — i.e. a (fir)
• O — Shelter of a craftsman (gorse)
• U — Propagation of children — i.e. earth (heather)
• E — Duty of a friend — i.e. a fish-trick of water, i.e. salmon (aspen)
• I — Lamentation of the old or nourishment of age — i.e. yew (yew)
• OI — Most venerable of structures — i.e. gold (spindle-tree)
• UI — Fragrant of men — i.e. man-tree or elbow (pine)
• PIN — Sweetest of wood — i.e. gooseberry (gooseberry)
• CC — Groan of a sick man — i.e. the cold one (uncertain)

Finit.

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3. The Word-Oghams of Cú Chulainn

• B — Beauty of brow — i.e. birch bark (birch)
• L — Strength of cattle — i.e. elm
• F — Shelter of the heart — i.e. shield (alder)
• S — Beginning of honey — i.e. willow
• N — Boast of beauty — i.e. weaving-beam (ash)
• H — Most dreaded at night — i.e. hawthorn
• D — Bowing in craftwork — i.e. brightness of craft (oak)
• T — Third of weapons — i.e. iron bar (holly)
• C — Sweetest of wood — i.e. nut (hazel)
• Q — Shelter of thickets — i.e. covering (apple)
• M — Path of the voice — i.e. through vine (vine)
• G — Satiation of multitudes — i.e. grain, corn (ivy)
• GG — Beginning of healing — i.e. broom
• ST — Seeking of clouds — i.e. the two gods upward (blackthorn)
• R — Heat of anger — i.e. reddening (rowan)
• A — Beginning of a shout — i.e. á (fir)
• O — Vigour of warrior-bands — i.e. heather (gorse)
• U — Shroud of the lifeless — i.e. earth (heather)
• E — Brother of birch — i.e. é (aspen)
• IO — Vigour or joy of the sick — i.e. age (unknown)
• EA — Fairest lament — i.e. salmon (aspen)

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