robin morgan

THE BURNING TIME: Glossary and Pronunciation Key


amchara

Gaelic word for the beloved soul-comrade celebrated in ancient Celtic culture; the parent of one’s best self; the trusted intimate of one’s secrets; the reflection of one’s truest spirit. Pronounced Am-KARA.

Amorgin (or Amairgin)

Poet and sage, mythically one of the tutors of Cuchulainn (see below), as well as author of The Song of Amorgin. Pronounced A-MAR-in.

aumoniere (or au moniere)

From the French word for alms (aumône) ; a leather bag or pouch for coins or gold, tied to the belt, worn by both women and men during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Pronounced Oh-mon-YEAR.

The Badb

One of the aspects of The Morrigan--a triple goddess in Crone form (see below), often appearing in the shape of a crow or raven, presaging death--usually a heroic death in battle. “Badb” means “boiling” and is thought by Robert Graves to be a reference to the Great Cauldron of Cerridwen (Welsh/Celtic Goddess) to which all things return and from which all things come. Pronounced BEEVE. See The Morrigan.

Banshee

Beansídhe in Gaelic, literally “the woman of the high hill”; a powerful faerie figure who was sometimes regarded as priestess of the dead; her wailing presaged a forthcoming death.

Beltane

One of the four great Cross Quarter Days of the Wiccan calendar. Sometimes spelled Beltine or Beltaine; the Celtic spring festival usually celebrated on May Eve and May first; the ancestor holiday of present May Day festivities, the Maypole, etc. St. Andrew is still associated with this feast in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, because the Christian saint is a later form of Andr (or Ander), a Celtic deity associated with Beltane. Pronounced Bowl-TAN-ah.

Brigid

“The Bright One.” Variously Bridget, Brigit, etc. One of the oldest of all Celtic names for The Great Mother Goddess, related to Britannia in England, Brigandu in Celtic France, Brigantia in Spain, and Bride in Scotland. Originally part of the trinity Dana (or Danu), Ana (or Anu), and Brigit, the triple Earth Goddess. Since Brigid was also goddess of the word and of inspiration, of health and medicine, and of fire, she became the patron of poets, healers, and blacksmiths. She is said to have invented whistling (for delight) and keening (for mourning). Her worship was so entrenched in Ireland that the Christian missionaries, unable to dislodge it, created a “Saint Brigid” (claiming she had been baptized by Saint Patrick)--who became the people’s favorite saint, and whose saint’s day is celebrated on February 1--the same day as the Wiccan feast of Brigid or Imbolc. See Imbolc.

The Cailleach

Literally “old wife” in Gaelic. An aspect of the Crone face of The Great Mother, sometimes known as The Hag or The Old One. An extremely powerful, Kali-like figure also reminiscent of Hecate, she brings vengeance and/or justice. In one of her guises, she is also Goddess of the Wood. Pronounced CAL-ock.

Covenstead

The meeting place of a Wiccan Coven, regarded as a sacred space.

cowl

A medieval hood with a collar-like shoulderpiece, or a hood attached to a cloak or cape.

Cromlech

An ancient, usually prehistoric monument comprised of tall megaliths--huge standing stones--arranged in a circle for ceremonies, rites, and possibly astronomical purposes, e.g. Stonehenge. Pronounced CROM-lek. See also dolmen.

Cross Quarter Days

The four holiday-feasts that intersect with the two Solstices (Summer and Winter) and two Equinoxes (Spring and Fall): Imbolc or Brigid (early February), Beltane (May 1 Eve), Lugnasad (August 1 Eve), and Samhain (November 1 Eve). See each as a separate entry. All eight holy days together comprise the Eight Spokes on the Wiccan Wheel of the Year.

Cuchulain

Variously spelled Cu Chulainn, Chuculain, Cuculann, etc. The greatest warrior in Celtic mythology, a demi-god sired by Lugh and given birth to by the Two Rivers; another version has him conceived by Dechtire after she swallowed a may-fly. A heroic champion, he is associated with force and violence; he vowed to turn back the sea itself and was defeated by the tide while battling against the waves. He is the subject of numerous poems by W.B. Yeats. Pronounced Ku-Kul-AN.

Curse of Macha

See Macha, below.

Deidre

Legendary tragic Celtic queen, celebrated in the poetry of Yeats and Synge. The most beautiful woman in the world, she was raised in seclusion because it had been prophesied that her great beauty would bring disaster. When her lover, Naoise, was tricked and slain by another warrior hero, Conchobar, she killed herself in sorrow.

Deireadh Fómhair

Equivalent to the month of October. See Months of the Year. Pronounced DEE-drah Fo-MOR-eh.

deosil

Sunwise direction, east to west. See widdershins. Pronounced DAY-o-sil.

dolmen

A massive capstone balanced on twin stone pillars, as in the shape of a squared letter C standing upright on its two edges. Such dolmens still exist, at Stonehenge and Avebury, among other ancient sites. Pronounced DOLL-man. See Cromlech.

droit du seigneur

From the French. The right of a feudal lord to take the virginity of any female vassal or serf woman on her wedding night, pre-empting the bridegroom. First children of female serfs had often been fathered by the lord of the manor.

Eanáir

Equivalent to the month of January. See also Months of the Year.

Feabhra

Equivalent to the month of February. See also Months of the Year.

Finn

Sometimes called Finn mac Cool, a legendary Celtic (human) hero who performed wondrous deeds protecting his tribe.

Flidais

The Stag-Mistress, an early Irish deity; all wild animals were called her cattle, and her chariot was drawn by magical deer. Her pet cow gave enough milk to cow feed three hundred people in one night. Pronounced FLID-aise.

Grainne

Also Ainne, Anait, and Annet. A Celtic goddess connected with fertility and water; as Anait, she is Goddess of the Sacred Springs. Pronounced GRAWN-yah.

The Green Man

Brother, son, and consort of the Goddess, The Green Man is a harvest deity (affectionately called John Barleycorn in Britain). He weds the land (the Goddess) in a sacred marriage, and willingly sacrifices himself (his “essence”) to enrich the crops. Literature on and references to The Green Man, related to The Green Knight in Arthurian legend, are many; see the Bibliography.

hennin

A three-to-four-foot-high, cone-shaped headpiece for women, formed of stiffly starched linen covered by silk or other fine material, to which a long, transparent veil was attached in the back (and sometimes in the front), falling to the floor.

Ieul

Also Yule. The Yule log burned in winter was cut in midsummer (July) so it could age until ready for burning. See Júil. Also see Months of the Year.

Imbolc

One of the Cross Quarter Days (see above). More commonly called Brigid, the Feast of the Returning Light (see Brigid) by Wiccans, Imbolc is the Druid name for the great Celtic midwinter festival celebrated on February 2; it is still observed as St. Bride’s Day, also called Candlemas. Light, fire, and candles are the focus of the celebration. Pronounced Im-BOLE.

Júil

Variously Iúil. Equivalent to the month of July. See Months of the Year. Pronounced YULE.

kirn

Corn--but used as the generic name for all grain, since corn as we now think of it was not known until the discovery of the New World. Kirn was the generic word for wheat, barley, rye, oats, etc. Pronounced KERN.

Lammas

See Lughnasad.

Lugh

Also Lug; Celtic deity; master and patron of the arts, scholars, and magicians. Originally a sun god and/or god of fire. Probably a survivor of an earlier male triple god figure who was brother, son, and consort of the Goddess. Likely related to Llew Llaw Gyffes of British legend, and to Loki of Germanic myth. Pronounced LUG.

Lugnasad

One of the Cross Quarter Days (see above). Also Lugnosad, Lughnassad, etc. The Celtic harvest festival, usually celebrated on the eve of August 1, in honor of the God Lugh (or Lug). Also called Lammas (from the Anglo-Saxon Hlafmas, or “loaf-mass,” e.g. the first bread made from newly reaped grain). Pronounced LOON-a-sa.

Lúnasa

Equivalent to the month of August. See Months of the Year.

Mab

Sometimes Medb, Mabb, Maeve. The name means “utter intoxication.” Originally Queen of Tara--Ireland’s mythical heartland--and later Queen of the Faeries and mythological queen of Connaught. She became bored with her husband, King Conchobar, so discarded him and created as many as nine Irish kings in succession, each one her lover--since she would not allow a man to become king unless she fancied him. She was also a fierce battle queen, who insisted on suspending wars while she was menstruating. As Maeve, she is the central figure of the greatest remaining Irish epic, The Cattle Raud of Cooley (Tain Bo Cuillaigne). Pronounced MEV.

The Macha

“Queen of Phantoms.” The hooded crow or raven shape of the Crone in battle aspect; one of the three faces of The Morrigan, although some scholars contest this. As an independent figure, Macha was a mythical northern queen who became pregnant by a mortal man; she was so fleet of foot that he boasted she could outrun any horse--which she then did, but after winning gave birth to twins who died; Macha then caused all Ulster men to suffer labor pains lasting four nights and five days--thus giving rise to “the curse of Macha.” Pronounced Mo-KAA. See The Badb; see also The Morrigan.

Magog

The Celtic goddess of swift horses and/or speed.

Mí na Nollag

Equivalent to the month of December. See Months of the Year.

Mongfhinn

A Celtic sorceress-goddess, believed to have special powers; she was especially revered by the common people. Pronounced MONG-fin.

Months of the Year

The Wiccan calendar is lunar. In Irish (Gaelic) the months of the year are: Eanáir, Feabhra, Márta, Aibrean, Bealtaine, Meitheamh, Júil, Lúnasa, Mían Fómhair, Deireadh Fómhair, Samhain, Mi na Nollag.

The Morrigan

Also Morigu. Meaning “Great Queen.” Her most familiar aspect is as Goddess of Fate or of Death, and her messenger is the crow or raven. Appearing often as Three Crones (analogous to the Nordic Three Norns), she is a triple goddess, her three faces being Ana, Badb, and Macha (or Nemain)--together known as The Morrigan. She is also thought to be related to the figure of Morgan Le Fay (Morgain, Fata Morgana) in Arthurian legend. In several Celtic languages, “Mor” meant “sex.” Pronounced MOR-eh-gawn.

needfires

Wiccan bonfires built and lit for the express purpose of signaling (analogous to Native American smoke signals) and especially to call for aid. English Wiccans set needfires during the approach of the Spanish Armada and some claim that the huge billows of smoke--together with an extraordinary, unseasonal storm--helped confound the Spanish fleet. Needfires should be struck with no flint or steel, but by creating friction from oak wood, oak being a sacred tree.

Nemain

Likely another name for Macha (see above), but with an element of frenzied energy. Definitely part of the revolving trinity of goddesses of battle, fate, and death in Celtic lore and Wiccan observance. Pronounced NE-mon.

Ogham

Verbal ciphers as well as written runes that the ancient Celtic scholars and bards (see ollave) studied lifelong; an ollave had to master 150 Oghams , which permitted him or her to converse with another ollave in, in effect, a poet-scholar’s code.

ollave

Celtic poets who trained for twelve years to pass the test of Seven Degrees of Wisdom before being permitted to attain the rank of bard (see also Ogham). The ollave were powerful sorcerers; they could compose an aer, a cursing poem to avenge injustices done to them or their people. Pronounced OAL-av.

Samhain

The Celtic new year’s observance, held on the eve and day of November 1; the month of November is An t-Samhuinn in Gaelic. Samhain survives today as the Christian All Hallows’ Eve and the secular Hallow’een (October 31). This holiday also celebrates the spirits of the dead, ancestors in particular, since Samhain opens a crack between the worlds of the living and the dead through which both can journey. It is a time to change one’s life, or at least one’s undesirable habits. The most solemn of all Wiccan feasts, Samhain represents a descent into bleakness, chaos, and the void or unknown--from which all things come. The descent is required to give birth to new energies and the new year. Pronounced SOW-an. See also Months of the Year.

seannachai

The loose confederation of story-tellers in a region; at times during the Middle Ages this was actually closer to a guild. To be an acknowledged story-teller was to have certain specific skills in the art. Pronounced SHAWN-uh-kai.

Seneschal

Equivalent to the mayor of a town or district. Pronounced Sen-ehs-KAL.

Sidhe

Pronounced SHEE. A spirit, sometimes a ghost or a spectre. Usually female. Sometimes used interchangeably with Faerie. The plural is The Sidhe. See Banshee.

suckeny

A cloak or surcoat of luxury fabric, often lined with fur, sleeveless, with deep arm openings through which the tunic underneath could be seen.

tippet

A loose, dangling, pointed sleeve worn over a tightly fitted undersleeve.

torc

A necklace of metal plate or wire, usually flat and wide, worn like a collar lying on the clavicle. The great Celtic torcs (or torques) were works of high art in hammered gold or silver with inlaid jewels.

Tuantha De Danann

The People of (the Goddess) Dana. The “First People,” or the Irish God-People, the Founders. Epic tales abound about when (shortly after the Great Flood), where, and how, they came to Ireland. Pronounced TOO-ah Day DAN-an.

widdershins

The counter-sunwise direction; also counterclockwise. See deosil. Pronounced WID-der-shins.