Word Lists
A number of word lists, where each letter has an accompanying word, are included in the tract. Macalister regarded these as being used for talking in code, while McManus saw them as simply being a useful way of making lists for classification purposes. The following are some examples:
Enogam/Bird-ogam : besan ‘pheasant’, lachu ‘duck’, faelinn ‘gull’, seg ‘hawk’, naescu ‘snipe’, hadaig ‘night raven’?, droen ‘wren’, truith ‘starling’, querc ‘hen’, mintan, ‘titmouse’, géis ‘swan’, ngéigh ‘goose’, stmólach ‘thrush’, rócnat ‘small rook’, aidhircleog ‘lapwing’, odoroscrach ‘scrat’?, uiseog ‘lark’, ela ‘swan’, illait ‘eaglet’”.
Dathogam/Colour-ogam: bán 'white', liath 'grey', flann 'red', sodath 'fine-coloured', necht 'clear', huath 'terrible', dub 'black', temen 'dark grey', cron 'brown', quiar 'mouse-coloured', mbracht 'variegated', gorm 'blue', nglas 'green', sorcha 'bright', ruadh 'red', alad 'piebald', odhar 'dun', usgdha 'resinous', erc 'red', irfind 'very white'.
Ogam tirda/Agricultural ogam: biail 'axe', loman 'rope', fidba hedge-bill', srathar 'pack-saddle', nasc 'ring', huartan ? dabach 'cask', tal 'adze', carr 'waggon', cual 'faggot', machad ?, gat 'with', ngend 'wedge', sust 'flail', rusc 'basket', arathar 'plough', ord 'hammer', usca 'heather-brush', epit 'billhook', indeoin 'anvil'.
Ogam Uisceach/Water Ogam: "Rivulet for group B, to wit one rivulet for B, five for N; Weir for group H, one weir, two, three, four, five weirs (for B,L,F,S,N); River for group M, one river, two, three, four, five rivers (H,D,T,C,Q); Well for group A, one well, two, three, four, five well (for A,O,U,E,I). This list seems to involve counting or tallying and so may have been used in some way as a record of property.
Conogam/Dog Ogham: “Watch-dog for group B, one watch-dog, two, three, four, five watch-dogs ( for B,L,F,S,N) ;Greyhound for group H, one greyhound, two, three, four, five greyhounds (for H,D,T,C,Q); Herd’s dog for group M, one herd’s dog, two, three etc.; Lapdog for group A, one lapdog, two, etc.” This list also has a numerical element.
Bo-ogam/Cow Ogham: “Milch cow for group B, one milch cow, two, three, etc; Stripper for group H, one stripper, two, etc.; Three year old heifer for group M; Yearling heifer for group A.” This list also seems to involve the tally system and so have been used as a record of cattle ownership.
Danogam/Art-ogam: bethumnacht ‘livelihood’, luamnacht ‘pilotage’, filideacht ‘poetry’, sairsi ‘handicraft’, notaireacht ‘notary work’, H-airchetul ‘trisyllabic poetry’, druidheacht ‘wizardry’, tornoracht ‘turning’, cruitireacht ‘harping’, quislenacht ‘fluting’, milaideacht ‘soldiering’, gaibneacht ‘smithwork’, ngibae ‘modelling’, sreghuindeacht ‘deer-stalking’, ronnaireacht ‘dispensing’, airigeacht ‘sovereignty’, ogmoracht ‘harvesting’, umaideacht ‘brasswork’, enaireacht ‘fowling’, iascaireacht no ibroracht ‘fishing or yew-wood work’.
Read more about this topic: In Lebor Ogaim
Famous quotes containing the words word and/or lists:
“Our civilization is characterized by the word “progress.” Progress is its form rather than making progress being one of its features. Typically it constructs. It is occupied with building an ever more complicated structure. And even clarity is sought only as a means to this end, not as an end in itself. For me on the contrary clarity, perspicuity are valuable in themselves.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)
“Behold then Septimus Dodge returning to Dodge-town victorious. Not crowned with laurel, it is true, but wreathed in lists of things he has seen and sucked dry. Seen and sucked dry, you know: Venus de Milo, the Rhine or the Coloseum: swallowed like so many clams, and left the shells.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)