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
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