Nion Of Cretans

Nion (ᚅ) is the Irish name of the fifth letter ( Irish "letter": sing.''fid'', pl.''feda'') of the Ogham alphabet, with phonetic value The Old Irish letter name, Nin, may derive from Old Irish homonyms ''nin/ninach'' meaning "fork/forked" and "loft/lofty". ''Nin'' is notable for being the old name that refers both to this specific letter, and to any of the Ogham letters in general. "Nin" is also an Irish word used for a grandma.

Interpretation

The glossators of the Ogam Tract and the Auraicept na n-Éces seem to refer to at least two Irish words ''nin'', meaning "part of a weaver's loom", and "a wave". The corresponding adjective ''ninach'' is glossed as ''gablach'' and used as a synonym of cross, and the word seems to be roughly synonymous with ''gabul'' "fork, forked branch", and is thus a plausible base for a name for "Ogham letters", which (at least the consonants), look like forks or combs.

The second ''nin'' seems to be cognate with Welsh ''nen'' "roof, heaven", with a meaning of "loftiness", with an adjective ''ninach'' "lofty". The kennings are explained by the glossators that weavers' beams were erected as signs of peace.

The "arboreal" tradition claims the word as ash-tree, concluding that looms were made of ash-wood. In some instances, the association with ash-wood, which is best known as the raw material for spears, the kenning was amended to "destruction of peace", as in the Auraicept:

Nin too is named from a tree, viz., ash, ut dicitur: A "check on peace" is ''nin'', viz., ash, for of it are made the spear-shafts by which the peace is broken: or, A "check on peace" is ash-tree. ''Nin'', that is the fork of a weaver's beam which is made of ash, which is in time of peace raised.

McManus suggests that the word for "forked branch" was also applied to the olive branch, the shaking of which in Irish tradition requested an interruption of a battle. The kennings related to beauty, on the other hand, are perhaps dependent on the second meaning of "lofty".

Bríatharogaim

In the medieval kennings, called '' Bríatharogaim'' (sing. ''Bríatharogam'') or ''Word Oghams'' the verses associated with ''Nin'' are:

''costud síde'': "establishing of peace" in the ''Bríatharogam Morann mic Moín''

''bág ban'': "boast of women" in the ''Bríatharogam Mac ind Óc''

''bág maise'': "boast of beauty" in the ''Bríatharogam Con Culainn''.

See also

*Naudiz
* Nun (letter)

Notes

While medieval and modern neopagan arboreal glosses (i.e. tree names) for the Ogham have been widely popularised (even for feda whose names do not translate as trees), the Old Irish '' In Lebor Ogaim'' (the ''Ogam Tract'') also lists many other word values classified by type (e.g. birds, occupations, companies) for each fid. The ''filí'' (Old Irish ''filid'', sing. ''fili'') or poets of this period learned around one hundred and fifty variants of Ogham during their training, including these word-list forms.

Some of the notable Old Irish values of these for ''Nion'' include:

Enogam/Bird-ogam: ''naescu'' "snipe"

Dathogam/Colour-ogam: ''necht'' "clear"

Ogam tirda/Agricultural ogam: ''nasc'' "ring"

Danogam/Art-ogam: ''notaireacht'' "notary work"

Ogam Cuidechtach/Company Ogam: ''Noeim'' "Saints"

References

{{Reflist

Ogham letters