Anfa: "Storm"; byname for Athyn Cahanagh, Ard-rian of Keltia
annat: place of formal public worship or contemplation; indoors, as opposed to nemetons (q.v.); usually attached to institutions such as convents or monasteries, but frequently found in private homes as well
annerch: formal embrace given by monarch to liegeman or liegewoman
anruth: bard who travels and plays for hire, unattached to any household
an uachdar: lit., "uppermost"; in salutations (e.g., Pendreica n uachdar!) usually translated as "Long live________!"
aonach: formal gathering, assembly or fair
ap: "son of"
Ard-rian, Ard-righ: "High Queen." "High King"; title of the Keltic sovereign
Ard-tiarnas: "High Dominion"; generic term for supreme rulership over Keltia
arva-draoi: "Druid's Fence"; magical spell of hindering
Arvor: chief planet of the Brytaned system
athra: "father"; a formal style
athra-cheile: "father-in-law"; lit., "mate-father" (mathra-c heile, "mother-in-law")
athro: "teacher." "master"
Awen: (usually, Holy or Sacred Awen) lit., the Muse ors acred poetic gift of inspiration; as used by bards, the personified creative spirit
bach: (also -bach, added as suffix to male names) denotes affection; used to all ages and stations and can be translated as "lad" (fern., fach or -fach, "lass")
balister: laser crossbowb an-charach: lit., "the loved woman"; term for a woman formally and legally associated with a man (far-charach, man so associated with a woman; ceile-charach, "loved mate," term for either partner or the partnership itself)
Ban-draoi: lit., "woman-druid"; Keltic order of priestess-sorceresses in the service of the Ban-dia, the Mother Goddess
bansha: female spirit, often red-cloaked, that sings and wails before a death in many ruling Erinnach families; often seen as a wild rider in the air or over water
bards: Keltic order of poets, chaunters and loremasters
beannacht: "blessing"; used as salutation of greeting and farewell
Beltain: festival of the beginning of summer, celebrated on 1 May
birlinn: elegant, galley-type ship, usually both oared and masted
bodach: term of opprobrium or commiseration, depending on circumstances; roughly, "bastard"
bonnive: young pig, piglet
borraun: wood-framed, tambourine-shaped goatskin drum, played by hand or with a small flat wooden drumstick
braud: "brother"
brehons: Keltic lawgivers and judges
Broinn-na-draoichta: "Magic's Womb," chief hallow of the Ban-draoi order; a sacred cavern located beneath their college at Scartanore
brugh: fortified manor house, usually belonging to one of the gentry or nobility; in cities, a town-palace of great elegance and size
bruidean: inn or way station, maintained by local authorities, where any traveller of whatever rank or resources is entitled by law to claim free hospitality
Buarach: "stall-rope"; binding-spell used by sorcerers to restrain an unfit person from the use of magic
caer: fortress, stronghold
Caerdroia: capital city of Keltia, on the throneworld of Tara
cait-sith: faerie panthers, gold-furred and the size of a foal, kept as pets by the Sidhe
caltraps: three-spiked iron balls, tossed into the path of horses in battle to bring them down with their riders
Camcheachta: constellation of the Plough
cantred: political division of planets in the Kymric system, roughly equivalent to county or shire; province
cantrip: very small, simple spell or minor magic
Caomai: constellation of the Armed King (Orion)
caredd, pi. careddau: "heart.", "dear one"; used to family and friends
cariad: "heart.", "beloved"; used to a lover
cariadol: "heart.", "little love"; used to a child
castaun: chestnut; also, the red-brown color of a chestnut
ceadchosach: "hundred-foot"; centipede
ceili: (pron. kay-lee) a dancing-party or ball; any sort of revelry
clarsa: Keltic musical instrument similar to harpsichord
cleggan: vicious biting insect that buzzes annoyingly</
cliamhan: relation by marriage; generic term that applies to any indirect kinship (wife's niece's husband's father, sister's husband's mother, and the like)
cliath:journeyman bard
clinker-built: of boats or ships, construction technique in which planks are laid to overlap downwards and stemwards
clochan: dome- or yurt-like structure used by the Fianna int he field
cu-sith: faerie hounds, green-furred and golden-eyed
ccwm: (pron. coorri) hollow; a natural amphitheatre found in hilly lands
dan: "doom"; fated karma
Danai: the Folk of the Goddess Dana (also Danaans); the original Kelts
deosil: righthandwise or sunwise (on a ship, the starboard side)
dermasealer: skinfuser; medical tool used to repair flesh lacerations by means of laser sutures
dichtal: bardic finger-language, often used as secret code
Dobhar and lar-Dobhar: the lands of Water and Beyond-Water; magical planes attained to by sorcerers in trance
dolmen: sacred pillar-stone
Domina: in the Ban-draoi order, title of a high priestess
Druids: magical order of Keltic sorcerer-priests in the service of the Ollathair, the Lord-father
dubhachas: "gloom"; melancholy characterized by causeless depression and inexpressible longing for unnameable things
duchas: lordship or holding; usually carries a title with it
duergar: in Kernish folklore, an evil elemental or place-spirit
dun: a stronghold of the Sidhe (also liss or rath)
earthfasting: a simple magic, often the first a child will learn, whereby the practitioner causes the victim to be rooted to the ground, unable even to lift a foot until released
faha: courtyard or enclosed space in a castle complex or encampment
Fainne: "The Ring"; the six system viceroys and vicereines of Keltia; instituted by St. Brendan and abolished by Edeyrn, the council was re-established by Arthur
falair: winged horse whose species is native to the Erinna system
far-a-tigh: man householder (ban-a-tigh, woman householder)
far-eolas: "man of knowledge"; title bestowed on an especially learned teacher (ban-eolas, woman teacher)
farl: quarter of loaf of bread or bannock
far-labhartha: tonguetalker's model of person or beast, which is made to appear to speak (tonguetalker: ventriloquist)
ferch: "daughter of"
Fianna: Keltic order of military supremacy; officer class
fidchell: chess-style board game (kern: equivalent piece to a pawn)
fidil: four-stringed musical instrument played with a bow
findruinna: superhard, silvery metal used in swords, armor and the like
Fionnasa: feast of the god Fionn, celebrated on 29 September
fior-eolas: truthsense, ability to discern truth from falsehood; can be learned or inborn
fireflaw: lightning-bolt
fith-fath: spell of shapeshifting or glamourie; magical illusionf lain: laser arrow fired from balister
Fomori: ancient enemies of the Keltic peoplef ostern: relation by fosterage; foster-brother or foster-sister
gallain: "foreigners"
gall (fern., gallwyn); generic term for all humanoid non-Kelts and often used for non-humanoids as well
galloglass: Keltic foot-soldier
garron: breed of small, sturdy horses, 13-14 hands high,usually gray or dun in color
gauran: plow-beast similar to ox or bullock
glaistig: on the planet Scota, a legendary demon or hag-creature
glaive: (from Erinnach, c
laideamh) lightsword; laser weapon used throughout Keltia
glib: hair above forehead; bangs or forelock fringe
goleor: "in great numbers, an overabundance"; Englic word galore is derived from it
graal: shallow, two-handled cup or dish, usually made of precious metal and decorated with jewels and carving
grianan: "sun-place"; solar, private chamber
grieshoch: embers; low-smoldering fire
gruagach: long-haired female spirit associated with woods or hills
guna: generic name for various styles of long robe or gown
gwlan: fine, strong wool-linen weave, used for everyday apparel
Gwynfyd: the Circle of Perfection; eternal afterlife to be attained to only after many cycles of rebirth
hai atton: "heigh to us"; the horn-cry that rallies an army
hanes: (pron. hah-ness) "secret." "tale." "reporting" (Hanes Taliesin, the bardic code devised by Taliesin ap Gwyddno while yet a student of his craft)
hedge-school: informal, unstructured places of learning, run by journeyman bards, which came into being under the Theocracy so that children might be secretly taught true knowledge
Hu Mawr: Hu the Mighty; father of the gods in the Kymric pantheon
immram: "voyage", pi. immrama; the great migrations from Earth to Keltia; also, initiatory trance of Druid and Ban-draoi training sequences
inceptor: third and highest degree of Druid aspirants
inghearrad: intaglio carving; anything incised or engraved
Inion Rian na Reanna: constellation of the Daughter of the Queen of the Stars
jurisconsult: brehon engaged in law-court cases
keeraun: country-boy; any unsophisticated lad
keeve: beaker or barrel
Kelu: "The Crown"; the One High God above all gods, held by Kelts to be both Father God and Mother Goddess, or neither, or beyond such distinctions altogether; cannot be known in earthly life, though frequently prayed to as Artzan Janco, "Shepherd of Heaven," and Yr Mawreth, "The Highest"
kenning: telepathic technique originally developed (and now used almost exclusively) by Ban-draoi and Druids
kern: Keltic starfleet crew-member; uncommissioned warrior
laeth-fraoch: "hero-light"; the exceptionally visible aura that surrounds an individual of advanced development
lai: unit of distance measurement, equal to approximately one-half mile
lasathair: "half-father"; stepfather
leinna: long, full-sleeved shirt worn under a tunic
lennaun: lover without benefit of formal arrangement
lily-oak: common lilac
Llacharn: "Flamebright"; the sword that Arthur took from the stone on the island of Collimare
llan: retreat-place; cell or enclosure for religious anchorite
Llenaur: lit., "golden cloak"; The Lady of Heaven's Mantle, Keltic name for the Milky Way
lochan: small lake or mountain tarn
Lughnasa: feast of the god Lugh, celebrated on 1 August; by custom, marks first sexual encounter for most young Kelts (the celebratory rite known as Teltown)
maenor: hereditary dwelling-place, usually a family seat, in the countryside or city
maeth (also -maeth): "foster-father"
maigen: "sanctuary"; border, fixed by law and its extent acccording to rank, that surrounds a noble's lands, within which that lord is responsible for the peace and safety of all folk and their goods
Malen: Kymric goddess of war (usually Malen Ruadh, Red Malen)
mamaith: child's word for "mother"; equivalent to Englic "mama" or "mommy"
Marbh-draoi: "Death-druid"; universal byname for Edeyrn ap Rhun
Master: (Scotan and Erinnach); title of heir to clann name (as Master of Douglas); Mistress for woman heir
mathra: "mother"; a formal style
mathra-chairde: "heart-mother"; style of deepest affection, generally used to foster-mother, nurse or teacher
Mathr'achtaran: "Reverend Mother"; former mode of address used to the head priestess of the Ban-draoi order
m'chara: "my friend"; used in the vocative
mether: four-cornered drinking-vessel, usually made of wood or pottery
methryn: "foster-mother"
Mihangel: Kymric god of battle, known as the Prince of Warriors; legend says that he will command the forces of Light at the battle of Cymynedd, which will decide the fate of the universe between good and evil
mionn: braided hairstyle worn by Fians in battle, so that no enemy can seize them by the hair
mormaor: civic official, usually the chief elected governor of a town or settlement
nathair: generic term for any of various poisonous snakes of the adder type
neladoracht: cloud divination; sorcerers' technique for seeing visions
nemeton: ceremonial stone circle or henge
Nevermas: a time that never comes
nicksticks: divination by pattern of thrown twigs or carved wooden sticks
ollave: master-bard; by extension, anyone with supreme command of any art or science
Olwen White-track: in Keltic legend, a queen's daughter of such power and holiness that white snowflowers sprang up before and behind her as she walked past
pai: small handmeal; turnover consisting of a pastry crust filled with meat or vegetables or both
Pen-bardd: "Chiefest of Bards"; ancient title given to two bards only in all Keltic history—Plenyth ap Alun: founder of the bardic order, and Taliesin ap Gwyddno, its greatest exemplar
petty place: by tradition, the first professional position won by a newly fledged bard, warrior or craftsman
Pheryllt: class of master-Druids who serve as instructors in the order's schools and colleges
piast: large amphibious water-beast found in deepwater lakes on the planets Erinna and Scota; the species was known to Terrans as the Loch Ness Monster
pig-i'-the-wood: children's game in which those in a "safe" place are lured out by those who are "it"
pirn: spindle, thread-winder
pishogue: small magic, cantrip
quaich: low, wide, double-handled drinking-vessel
rann: chanted verse stanza used in magic; spell of any sort
Ravens: Edeyrn's enforcers, used as terror-police
rechtair: steward in royal, noble or wealthy households
righ-domhna: members of any of the Keltic royal families, as reckoned from a common ancestor, any of whom may (theoretically, at least) be elected to the Sovereignty
riogh-bardan: "royal bard"; bard in personal employ of the monarch or the monarch's heir
riomhall: magical circle used for ritual or protective purposes
Rocabarra: in Keltic legend, a great gray rock in the seas of Scota; cursed by a Druid to sink beneath the waves, it has risen twice, and its third rising will signal the end of the world
Ro-sai: "Great Teacher"; chief of the Pheryllt (q.v.)
saining: rite of Keltic baptism, administered anywhere from seven days to a year and a day after a child's birth
saltar: style of literary composition
Samhain: (pron. Sah-win) festival of the beginning of winter and start of the Keltic New Year, celebrated on 31 October (Great Samhain) and continuing until 11 November (Little Samhain)
saulth: ghost or apparition
scaldings: volcanic vents or fumaroles; pools of bubbling sulphurous mud in seismically active areas
scriptal: style of literary compositions ea-bear: sudden tidal surge or wave; groundswell
Seachtanna: the Seven Tests of Druidic initiation
seastone: the gem aquamarine
sgian: small black-handled knife universally worn in Keltia, usually in boot-top (table-sgian: knife used at meals, duller and longer-bladed)
shakla: chocolate-tasting beverage brewed with water from the berries of the brown ash; drunk throughout Keltia as a caff
eine-based stimulant
shieling: mountain cavern where herds are stabled against the weather
sith-silk: very fine, very costly silk fabric
Six Nations: the six star systems of Keltia (excluding the Throneworld system of Tara); in order of their founding, Erinna, Kymry, Scota, Kernow, Vannin, Brytaned (Arvor)
sizar: first degree of Druid aspirants
snaim-draoi: "Druid's Knot"; technique of magical binding
Solas Sidhe: "The Faery Fire"; natural phenomenon similar to the will-o'-the-wisp but occurring over rocky ground, usually seen in the spring and the fall
sophister: second degree of Druid aspirants
Speiring: "The Asking"; rite of Druidic initiation
spireling: severe windstorm, hurricane (huracan)
stravaiging: idle wandering about, rampaging
strawcross: harvest knot traditionally woven by reapers to celebrate the completion of gathering in the crops; pulled to pieces in a ceremony the following spring
streppoch: term of opprobrium; roughly, "bitch"
Sunstanding: the summer or winter solstice
taish: magical projection of a person's own face or form
talpa: blind, blunt-snouted digger animal native to the planet Kernow
Tanist, Tanista: designated heir of line to the Keltic throne
Taoiseach: the Prime Minister of Keltia
tasyk: child's word for "father"; equivalent to Englic "daddy"
telyn: Kymric lap-harpt hrawn: stubborn, unreasonably perverse
Three Cuts: tiny ceremonial nicks made on one's wrist during rites of saining, fostering and marriage, to obtain a drop or two of blood for ritual purposes
Three Shouts: in Keltic legend, given by the Highest God Kelu before the universe was created, at the utterance of which the universe's three circles—Annwn, Abred (or Hollfyd), and Gwynfyd—came into being
tinna-galach: "bright-fire"; the will-o'-the-wisp, occurring over marshy ground; especially noted for its appearances in the great marshlands of Gwenn-Estrad, on the planet Arvor
tirr: cloaking effect, part magical, part mechanical in nature, used to conceal ships, buildings and the like; does not work on living things
tore: massive neck ornament worn by Kelts of rank; heavy, open-ended circle usually of gold or silver
traha: "arrogance"; wanton pride, hubris
Turusachan: the royal palace at Caerdroia; by extension, the entire central government; also, the plateau area above the city of Caerdroia where the governmental buildings are located