previous | Table of Contents

## AFTERWORD

### On Names

Ealdwood is a place in faery and has like all such places an indefinite geography. The nomenclature is Celtic and Welsh, with a touch of the Old English, so this particular corner of faery in language and in spirit sits at some juncture of lands where there has been much coming and going of various peoples, likeliest some corner just above Wales, a lovely and ancient place. In this world the speakers of the English are farthest east; the Welsh to the south; and the speakers of the Celtic tongues have their homes farthest seaward—perhaps they had come from the sea.

As for the elves, they have generally Celtic names, or the Celtic is very like elvish: or what it once was.

Certain of the names like Arafel and Evald which appear early and often, show a different orthography, being somewhat older in the story, and here retained in mercy to the reader, and in further sympathy to the reader who may never have dealt with any of these tongues, the following table may provide some aid, and some delight as well, since the names of Eald are, if one knows how to look at them, our own.

There are many sounds to be passed over very lightly: the reader skilled in languages may come closest to the ancient way of saying them just by the hint of them passing over the tongue. But this was very long ago and accents change even over one hill and the other, let alone in and out of faery. For most readers who only wish to read without tripping on the words, this table will give little hint of these almost silent sounds, paring them away until only the simplest version is left. C will denote the words that are Celtic; W the Welsh; OE the English.

In general, in the Celtic words, be it noted, mh and bh are the sound we call v; ch is breathed, if possible, as in familiar loch, a word for lake (but k will do); -gach has often by our day gone to the sound of a hard -gy; and the profusion of vowels has generally a single simple sound at the heart.

In the Welsh most notably -dd- is -th-.

In the English, easiest to render ae- as simple e-, and to treat hr- as r-.

Where a name has a more familiar form, it will be given in capitals.

And if for any reader this small list provokes further curiosity, Celtic, Welsh, and old English reference works are not that difficult to find. A good place to begin is, after all, with names, the -nesses and -hams and -denes and -eys that come off modern tongues as if they had no meaning in themselves. Names do have power, after all, that of conjuring images of places we have not seen.

aelf (elf) OE an elf

Aelfraeda (elf red a) OE from aelf [elf] and raeda [counsel]

aesc (esh) OE ash

Aescbourne (esh burn) OE ash brook: ASHBURN

Aescford (esh ford) OE ash ford: ASHFORD

Aesclinn (esh linn) OE ash pool: ASHLIN

Airgiod (ar gi ud) C silver

An Beag (an beg) C small

Aodhan (a o dan) C rascal

ap (ap) W son of

Arafel (ar a fel) C from AOIBHEIL (a o ev al) joyous

Ban (ban) C fair, pale

Banain (ban en) C fair; BANNEN

Bebhinn (bev in) C BEVIN

Beorc (burk) OE birch: BURKE

Beorhthramm (burt ram) OE: bright raven; BERTRAM

Boglach (bog lach) C marsh

bourne (burn) OE stream

brad (brad) OE broad

Bradhaeth (brad heath) OE broad heath

Branwyn (bran win) W from BRONWEN (bron win) white breast

Cadawg (ca-doc) W warrior; CADDOCK

Cadhla (ca ly) C fighter; CALEY

caer (ker) W stronghold

Caer Damh (ker dav) C stag keep

Caer Luel (ker lel) OE castle keep: CARLISLE

Caer Wiell (ker well) OE spring keep

Caerbourne (ker burn) castle brook

Caoimhin (ku EV in) C kindly: KEVIN

Carraig (KAR rak) C standing stone

Caerbhallain (KER va len) C victor: CARROL (an)

Ciaran (KEE ran) C twilight: KIERAN

Cinhil (kin il)

Cinnfhail (kin vel) C head

Coinneach (ko en nach) C moss: KENNETH

Conmhaighe (kon vay) C hound: CONWAY

Cuilean (kul an) C cub: QUILLAN

Dalach (da loch) C advisers DALEY

damh (dav) C stag

Daoine Sidhe (thee na Shee) C the People of Peace; the folk of Faery. Often powers felt to be dangerous and perhaps ill-wishing are named by names felt to be quite contrary to their natures, to avoid calling them up accidentally or offending them by mentioning their true names; again, the feeling is that the true name is not for using. And of course the Daoine Sidhe are not likely to give the true name of all their kind for common use. Other names are the FAIR FOLK, for much the same reason. SIDHE applies to many kinds of creature: the Gruagach by some extension is one of the Sidhe and so are some things very much worse to look on. But the Daoine Sidhe are the highest of their kind.

Diarmaid (der mit) C free: DERMOT

Diomasach (dem sey) C proud: DEMPSEY

Donn (don) C brown

Donnchadh (don cad) C brown tartan: DUNCAN

Dryw (drew) W sight: DREW

Dubh (du) C black

Dubhlachen (du la han) C dark; DOOLAHAN

Dun na h-Eoin (dun na hey win) C tower of birds

each (ek) C horse

Eachthighern (ek ti arn) C lord of horses

ead (ed) OE noble

eald (eld) OE old

Evald (ev ald) OE fr. AECWEALD, oak wood

Fearghal (fir gal) C valorous man: FARREL

Feochadan (fo ka dan) C thistle

Fionn (fee an) C fair: FINN

Fionnbharr (fin var) C fairhair

Fionnghuala (fin el a) C white shoulder: FINELLA

Fitheach (fay ak) C raven

Flann (flan) C red

Glas (glass) C gray

Gruagach (gru gy) fr. C: hairy. The word has scattered meanings. As one of the Sidhe, this is one of the working sort who performs homely tasks.

Haesel (hay sel) OE hazel: HAZEL

haeth (heath) OE heath: HEATH

Holen (ho len) OE holly: HOLLIN

Hrothhramm (roth ram) OE famous raven

Laochailan (la ok lan) C hero: LACHLANN

linn (lin) OE pool: LYNN

lios (li-ess) C Sidhe fort

Liosliath (liess-lia) C gray Sidhe fortress: LESLEY

Lioslinn (liess-lin) C Sidhe fort lake

Lonn (lon) C strong; LONN

Meara (mer a) C wild laughter

Meredydd (me re dith) W sea: MEREDITH

Muirne (murn a) C hospitality; MYRNA

Niall (ne al) C hero: NEAL

Ogan (o gan) C youth

righ (ree) C king

ruadh (ro ak) C red; red deer

Ruaidhrigh (ru a ree) C red king or deer king; RORY

Sgeulaiche (skel ly) C storyteller; SKELLY; SCULLY

Siobrach (sov rak) C primrose

Siolta (shel ta) C waterfowl

Skaga (skag a) C stand of trees; SHAW

Taithleach (tul ly) C experienced; TULLY

Tiamhaidh (tiv ak) C drear

tighearn (ti am) C lord

wiell (well) OE spring

wulf (wolf) OE wolf

previous | Table of Contents