CELTIC MISCELLANIES

Tom Crotty

• The Irish word "breith" means both birth and judgment. Can anyone out there tell us why? And does "breithla" mean both birthday and judgment day?

• Firbolg: The People of the Bag who settled in Ireland after fleeing from Greece, where they were enslaved and forced to carry earth in bags. They made ships out of the bags and sailed to Spain, then to Ireland. They ruled Ireland until the coming of the Tuatha de Danaan. (from The Aquarian Guide to British and Irish Mythology by John and Caitlin Matthews)

• The Roman historian Livy's description of the Gauls (continental Celts) reacting to a slight from the Romans: "The Gauls for their part wasted no time... they flamed into the uncontrollable anger that is characteristic of their race, and set forth, with terrible speed, on the path to Rome." (from The Early History of Rome, Penguin Classics edition)

• The Irish word "baint" means connection/relevance and harvesting/gathering. Can anyone tell us why this word has these apparently disparate meanings?

• One of our correspondents has asked if anyone can provide her with information about Gaelic-speaking courts of law in the Appalachian regions (particularly North Carolina) in the 19th century. If you know anything about these courts, please contact us at cra@leyline.org.

• Speaking of courts, a judge in Staten Island, New York, recently dismissed a nuisance complaint against several defendants who were dancing around a bonfire last winter solstice, saying, "My ancestors, the Celtic Druids in pre-Christian Ireland, viewed the winter solstice as a sacred religious event... Commemoration of this occasion for religious, historical or educational purposes is to be commended, not sanctioned." (from The New York Times)