In addition to the celtic ogham stones, examples of manuscripts that are written ogham script sources still remain. Posts about book of ballymote written by graecomuse. These manuscripts mainly concern themselves with recording how the ogham was used as an alphabet system. Ive been studying and practicing druidry for a little over a decade now and this is the most well rounded book i have found on the ogham. The move has been called scientifically unsound, as it fails to consider the real causes of the herds decline, as well as whether or not the small number of remaining animals are capable of recovering in the wild. The library itself is a bright and vibrant building and the staff there are excellent and really helpful and accommodating, their. Catalogue of irish manuscripts in the royal irish academy dublin, 1943, fasc.
Since it was presented to the academy in 1785 many scholars have worked to decipher, disseminate and debate its content and form. A group of twenty sacred trees that give names to the letters of the ogham alphabet. The knowledge of the ogham was passed down orally until it was recorded in dome medieval manuscripts the book of leinster in the 12 th century, the book of ballymote in 91 see picture below and the book of lecan in 1416. It was used by the druids and abandoned after the first few centuries of the christian era. The scholars primer, being the texts of the ogham tract from the book of ballymote and the yellow book of lecan, and the text of the trefhocul from the book of leinster 1917. This online exhibition takes a look at some of the scholarly works undertaken on the book of ballymote. I have been working with the trees and the strange alphabet based on them, and reputed to be one of the only things to have come to us from the druids, since the mid 1980s. The bc government has announced its intention to kill over 180 wolves in a lastditch effort to protect endangered caribou herds.
The year wheel of the celticdruidic god ogma the sunfaced. The book of ballymote illustration ancient history. The celtic alphabet known as ogham was invented, according to the medieval irish book of ballymote, by ogma sunface. The book of babymote also includes nintytwo recorded secret modes of writing ogham written in 9091 ce. The library itself is a bright and vibrant building and the staff there are excellent and really helpful and accommodating, their is an excellent selection books and internet see more. It also includes a fascinating set of ogham symbols known as the sacred branch thought to have been used in magic. How to read ogham apophis club practical guides book 1. Tadhg o neachtain was a leading member of a scribal circle in early eighteenthcentury dublin, who had access to the book of ballymote.
The main key, however, was found in a treatise on oghamic writing contained in the fourteenthcentury book of ballymote. The book of ballymote indicates that there were a number of secret ways in which ogham could be used to communicate nonverbally. The ogam tract also gives a variety of some 100 variant or secret modes of writing ogham 92 in the book of ballymote, for example the shield ogham ogam airenach, nr. Dec 20, 2011 the book of ballymote 90, the auraicept na neces explaining the ogham script. Mar 27, 2014 all the props to michael kelly for such an in depth study on so many different aspects of the ogham. Like many of its kind, has made history by its wanderings. The forfeda of the ogham scales in the book of ballymote scale nrs. Auraicept na neces the scholars primer being the texts of the ogham tract.
The act of reading and writing was very elite in the early middle. The system would seem to be founded on the latin alphabet. The ogham tract is independent of the auraicept, and is our main source for the briatharogaim. Ogham archaic irish script posted on march 26, 2012 updated on april 15, 2012. Lebor gabala book of the invasions, lebor na gceart book of rights, dindshenchas and a key to the ogham alphabet.
It documents 150 different versions of the ogham alphabet which must be learned during the first three years of a bards training. One of the stranger ancient scripts one might come across, ogham is. The book of ballymote ogham alphabet, irish language, celtic. Mar 26, 2012 posts about book of ballymote written by graecomuse. It also contains treatises on metre and the profession of a poet, and on the ogham writing and language. Based on an interpretation by robert graves of the cyphers used in the book of ballymote. May 11, 2012 the eleventh century lebor gabala erenn tells that ogham was invented soon after the fall of the tower of babel, as does the fifteenth century auraicept na neces text.
It comprises three sets of five consonants and one set of five vowels, a total of twenty letters. The book of ballymote is an iconic and hugely important 14th century irish manuscript. For over a hundred years it was a treasured possession of the mcdonaghs of corran. Dec 31, 2018 the roman alphabet became more prevalent after 600 ad, and ogham gradually faded away. Celtic ogham stones and ogham script the irish place.
Book of ballymote leabhar bhaile an mhota royal irish academy. Sources for the ogham tree alphabet include the ogham tract and 14th century book of ballymote transcribed by george calder as auraicept na neces named after the opening lines meaning primer of the poets or beginning of the lessons. The book of rights, and auraicept na necesthe ogham. One of the stranger ancient scripts one might come across, ogham is also known as the celtic tree alphabet. I was laid up after serious surgery and started reading a lot and found the ballymote library an exc. Much of the information available on ogham has come from this manuscript. These are irelands version of a stone monument phenomena that can be observed across the whole of the earths ancient cultures. The book of ballymote, like many of its kind, has made history by its wanderings. In the ancient book of ballymote, an important reference for scholars of ogham, we are told that ogma, much skilled in dialects and poetry, as proof of his intellect, invented ogham for. The 21 plants of ogma sunface each one stands for a sacred rune, and each for a lesson the ogham plants have remained the cornerstone of druid magic since the cad goddeu of ages past. A calendar of thirteen months named for certain sacred trees.
The ogham alphabet was divided into four groups aicme, each containing five letters. Celtic ogham stones are dotted across ireland, they provide more of an insight in to our past as they bear the marks of ancient communication ogham script. The third theory states that the ogham script from invented in west wales in the fourth century bc to intertwine the latin alphabet with the irish language in response to the intermarriage between the romans and the romanized britons. The equinox project reproduces this article by barry fell from the epigraphical society occasional papers vol. Barry fell esop volume 22 page 87 next page return to epigraphy return to ogam scales. Many of these alphabets are also found written and drawn in the lebor oghaim, the book of oghams, in the late 14th or early 15thcentury book of ballymote, which is available to view on the website irish script on screen, run by the dublin institute for advanced studies.
The scholars primer, the values of the forfeda and the book of ogham. About the beginning of the 16th century, it fell into the possession of the odonnells with whom it remained until the flight of the earls in 1603. Aug, 2018 the ogham tract is independent of the auraicept, and is our main source for the briatharogaim. The book of ballymote also contains older manuscripts which contain ogham script, such as the 11 th century lebor gabala erenn the book of the taking of ireland and the 7 th century. However, it never disappeared completely, since there were several medieval manuscripts that described how to use it, including the auraicept na neces the scholars primer, the book of ballymote, and leber ogam the book of ogham. Leabhar na gceart book of rights, dinnsheanchas and a key to the ogham. Ogham is an ancient alphabet that appeared in ireland at least 1,600 years ago.
Part of the work is devoted to sagas of finn and brian boru, while the book of rights, which odonovan translated and edited in 1847, is taken entirely from the book of ballymote. The following image of a ogham wheel is a segment from the 14thcentury book of ballymote, a manuscript that contains a collection of irish sagas, law texts, and genealogies, as well as a guide to the ogham alphabet. Much of the information available on ogham has come from this manuscript currently housed in the royal irish academy in dublin and this information is. Each ogham is listed by its ancient gaelic name, then its modern irish name and then its welsh counterpart. Oct 31, 20 however, the 14 th century book of ballymote leabhar bhaile an mhota contains genealogies, mythologies, and histories of ireland written in ogham script. Some stones have bilingual inscriptions, which have helped in their translation. The book of ballymote leabhar bhaile an mhota ria ms 23 p 12 written on vellum, probably around 91, the book of ballymote was produced by the scribes manus oduignan, solomon odroma, and robert mcsheedy, for tonnaltagh mcdonagh, whose clan kept the manuscript until the early 16th century, when it came into the hands of the odonnell clan. The word ogham refers only to the form of the letters, while the letters themselves are known collectively as the beithluisnin, these are continue reading the ogham alphabet explained. Ogham is an early medieval alphabet used primarily to represent the old irish language.
Fragments of the lebor ogaim are kept at trinity college dublin, the royal irish academy, the national library of ireland and the british library. The ogham alphabet from the book of ballymote duchas. Ogam scales from the book of ballymote ogam scales of the book of ballymote by dr. The book of ogham is found in at least three further manuscripts, but as images of. It was used to inscribe primitive irish onto stone monuments, the oldest known form of the gaelic languages. Jahrhundert mittelalter literatur 90 county sligo irland im mittelalter keltische mythographie oghameintrage in manuskripten. Leabhar na huidhre and the books of ui mhaine, ballymote, lecan and fermoy in bernadette cunningham and siobhan fitzpatrick eds, treasures of the royal irish academy library dublin, 2009, 1731. The secret code of our ancestors aliisaacstoryteller. The royal irish academy in dublin houses the 14th century book of ballymote. According to the highland society of scotlands dictionary of the gaelic language 1828 ce, ogham is the occult manner of writing used by the ancient irish.
Finger ogham equates the five letters of each pillar with the thumb and four fingers, such that the first letter of each pillar b, h, m, a are found from the tip to the base joint of the thumb, and so on. Even the younger futhark are introduced as a kind of viking ogham nrs. The book contains a complete system of oghamic divination, the lore of each of the 20 ogham characters, a celtic psychology and celtic cosmology as well as a complete suggested curriculum for training in celtic spirituality based on the ogham system. Ogam scales from the book of ballymote equinox project. It also contains treatises on metre and the profession of a poet, on the ogham writing and language.
Other articles where book of ballymote is discussed. Ogham resources the ancient gaelic alphabet lora o. The book of ballymote 91 the book of lecan 1416 these manuscripts refer to older sources. The ogam tract also gives a variety of some 100 scales of variant or secret modes of writing ogham 92 in the book of ballymote, for example the shield ogham ogam airenach, nr. In the book of ballymote, the invention of ogham was achieved when ogma sunface raised four pillars of equal length, and it was upon these pillars that the characters of the letters were etched. Ogham is an early medieval alphabet used primarily to. A 15th century treatise on ogham, the book of ballymote, confirms that ogham was a secret, ritualistic language. Book of ballymote historical manuscript britannica. Mar 03, 2011 all the props to michael kelly for such an in depth study on so many different aspects of the ogham. The book of ballymote is an iconic and hugely important 14th century irish. From 1620 until 1767 it was in the library of trinity college, dublin. Leabhar bhaile an mhota book of ballymote the book of ballymote shows many forms of the script, including the beth, luis, nion ogham in the form of a wheel, known as fionns window.