mac son, son of
mac’fracun son of a whore
macánta honesty
machtar desperation; root word of macánta
madra dog
magarl testicles (alt. spelling magairl)
ma’nach mine
Marfach, the the Slow Death. Deadliest foe of the Fae race.
marh dead
martola beef
marú kill
Mastragna Master of Wisdom. Ancient Fae title for the Loremasters.
milat feel, sense
minn oath
mo mhinn my oath
misnach courage
nach general negative; not, never
né not, is not
n-oí night
‘nois now
ollúnta solemn
onfatath infected
orm at me
pian pain
pracháin crows
prasach’te hot mess. Means almost exactly the same thing to a Fae as it does to a human.
rachtanai addicted (specifically, to sexual teasing)
réaltaí star (pl. réaltaí)
Ridiabhal lit. “king of the devils”, Satan. A borrowed word, as Fae have neither gods nor devils.
rílacha (it) rules
rinc dance
rin’gcatha gríobhan “labyrinthine dance”. A euphemism for Fae sexuality
rinc-daonna “human dance”, a game of teasing and sexually overloading humans
Rinc’faring the Great Dance, an annual gathering of hundreds of Fae light-dancers
rinc’lú little dance
rochar harm (n.)
rúnda secret
sallacht extremely stubborn
saor free
sasann we stand
savac-dui black-headed hawk, Conall’s House-guardian
scair’anam SoulShare (pl. scair-anaim)
m’anam-sciar my SoulShare
scair’aine’e the act of SoulSharing
scair’ainm’en SoulShared (adj.)
scian knife
scian’a’schian blade to blade; a duel
scian-damsai knife-dances. An extremely lethal type of formalized combat.
sciana-Clo’che knives of living Stone
scílim I think, I believe
scol-agna lit. “school of wisdom”, school for children with high magickal potential
selbh possession
sibh you (pl.)
slántai health, tranquillity
slántai a’váil “Peace go with you”. A mournful farewell.
snadhm knot
s’náthe strand, necklace
s’ocan peace, be at peace
sol’fiáin (v.) complete, make complete
spára spare
spára’se spare him
spiraod spirit
suait turbulent
súil eyes
sule-d’ainmi lit. “animal-eyes”, dark brown eyes
sumiúl fascinating, beguiling. Lasair’s pillow-name for Bryce
sus up
s’vra lom I love (lit. “I have love on me”)
taobhan diversion, plaything. Term for a non-Royal Fae who occupies the bed of a Royal before the Royal is pair-bonded
ta’sair I’m free (exclam.)
tátha bound; verbal component of an Air mage’s binding channeling
thair-mhac nephew (lit. “brother’s son”; see fiur-mhac)
thar come (imp.)
Thar lom. Come with me.
thogarm’sta answer (imp.)
toghairm summoned, called
Tirr Brai Folk of Life, or Folk of Power. Living beings with magickal essence.
t’mé I’m
tón ass (not the long-eared animal)
tón-grabrog ass-crumb (of the clinging variety)
torq boar
tráll slave
tragód’mhan Fae dramatic form, relating in often lurid detail the consequences of lust unfortuitously expressed.
tre three
Tre… dó… h’on… Three…. two… one…
tréan-cú strong hound. Lasair’s nickname for Setanta, his blind runt Fade-hound puppy
tróhi fight (imp.)
trora the vee of muscle over the hips of a Fae or human male. A noted aphrodisiac.
trych an unspecified eyeless creature
tseo this, this is (see phrases)
turran’agne mind-shock, the effect on a Fae of magickal overload
uisca water
uiscebai strong liquor found in the Realm, similar to whiskey
veissin knockout drug found in the Realm, causes headaches
viant desired one. A Fae endearment.
Useful phrases:
…tseo mo mhinn ollúnta. This is my solemn oath.
G’féalaidh sibh i do cónai fada le céle, gan a marú a céle. “May you live long together, and not kill one another.” A Fae blessing, sometimes bestowed upon those Fae foolhardy enough to undertake some form of exclusive relationship. Definite “uh huh, good luck with that” overtones.
bragan a lae “toy of the day.” The plaything of a highly distractible Fae.
Fai dara tú pian beag. Ach tú a sabail dom ó pian I bhad nís mo. You cause a slight pain. But you are the healing of more.
Cein fa buil tu ag’eachan’ orm ar-seo? Why do you look at me this way?
Dóchais laurha, dóchais briste. Hope spoken is hope broken.
Bod lofa dubh. Lit. “Black rotted dick.” Not a polite phrase.
Scílim g’fua lom tú. I think I hate you.
S’vra lom tú. I love you.
Sus do thón. Up your ass.
D’súil do na pracháin, d’croí do na gaoirn, d’anam do n-oí gan derea. “Your eyes for the crows, your heart for the wolves, your soul for the eternal night.” There is only one stronger vow of enmity in the Fae language, and trust me, you don’t want to hear that one.
Lámagh tú an batagar; ‘se seo torq a’gur fola d’fach. “You shot the arrow; this wounded boar is yours.” The equivalent as’Faein of “You broke it; you buy it.” Often used in its shortened form, “Lámagh tú an batagar.” (or “Lámagh sádh an batagar” for “they shot.” It’s probably only a matter of time before some Fae in the human world, taking his cue from “NMP” for “not my problem”, comes up with “LTB”.
Tá dócas le scian inas fonn, nach milat g’matann an garta dí g’meidh tú folath. Fae proverb: Hope is a knife so keen, you don’t feel the cut until you bleed.
G’ra ma agadh. Thank you.
Tam g’fuil aon-arc desúcan an lanhuil damast I d’asal. G’mall. “May a unicorn repair your hemorrhoids. Slowly.” One can only imagine….
Magairl a’Ridiabhal. Satan’s balls.
Se an’agean flua, a’deir n’abhann. The ocean is wet, says the river. The pot calling the kettle black.
galtanas deich meloi “promise of ten thousand.” A promise given by a Fae, to give ten thousand of something to another, usually something that can only be given over time. Considered an extravagant, even irrational showing of devotion.
Támid faoi ceangal ag a’slabra ceant. We are bound by the same chains.
Né seo a’manach. This isn’t for me.
mo phan s’darr lear sa masa my favorite pain in the ass
Dúrt me lath mars’n I told you so
Bual g’mai, aris. Well met, again.
An’Faei a ngaill, ta’Fhaei an tráll. The Fae who needs(, that Fae) is a slave.
lasr, s’oc as fola Flame, frost and blood. A Fae oath, a little milder than the ones involving hearts and eyes and wolves and suchlike.
Do dalat-serbhisach. “Your saddle-servant.” The equivalent of “at your service.” Usually sarcastic.
Fan lel’om. Bh’uil tú ag’eistac lom? Stay with me. Do you hear me?
An-bfuil tuillt aige a’hartáil? Nó an-bfuil sé a’fracuin? Is he worth saving? Or does he only have use-worth?
Sé ar’chann de dúnn. He is one of us.
Ca’ atá tú a’rá? What
are you saying?
Ní fed’r lom an’uscin lat. I can’t understand you.
Tá cúna saor in asc is’daoir. Free aid is the dearest.
A’buil gnas le lom ar-gúl. Fuck me backwards.
A’buil gnas le leat a’s a’madra dúsigh tu suas leis. Fuck you and the dog you woke up with.
Blas mo thón. Taste my ass.
Sasann muid le chéle. We stand together. Unofficial motto of the Demesne of Purgatory.
Tá’siad marh. They’re dead.
draoi ríoga royal wizard (actually Irish, rather than Faen, Rian’s title for his court mage)
Bei mé tú a’ecáil g’deo. I will see you forever.
Tá thú toghairm. Thou art summoned. (very formal)
Cac’iasc i’uisca suait. Fish-shit in turbulent water. An expression of frustration.
Tá tú cho’geal an ghran a crocta’s’náthe de réaltaí. As brilliant as the sun on a strand (necklace) of stars. Heavily sarcastic.
Bain trall ascomath chu’garradh a’chrann. As well try to un-cut a tree.
Cnasaigh croí le m’anam-scair. Heal (the one who is) the heart of my SoulShare.
Cadagh dom a tacht ar’shúl ó anseo le... Allow me to come away with...
Ta’bhar mé fhéin le... Take me with....
in loco scintillans braccis Latin. “In place of [the one with] twinkling trousers.”
Magairl snáthith ar’srang! Testicles threaded on a wire!
mac’fracun fola’the Bloody-assed son of a whore. And yes, Conall did kiss his mother with that mouth.
Gafa id’r cú-cémne a’s tine. Caught between (the) Fade-hound and (the) fire. An unenviable position.
About the Author
Rory Ni Coileain majored in creative writing, back when Respectable Colleges didn’t offer such a major. She had to design it herself, at a university which boasted one professor willing to teach creative writing: a British surrealist who went nuts over students writing dancing bananas in the snow, but did not take well to high fantasy. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa at the age of 19, she sent off her first short story to an anthology that was being assembled by an author she idolized, and received one of those rejection letters that puts therapists’ kids through college.
For the next 30 years or so she found other things to do, such as going to law school, ballet dancing (at more or less the same time), volunteering as a lawyer with Gay Men’s Health Crisis, and nightclub singing, until her stories started whispering to her. Currently, she’s a lawyer and a legal editor; the proud mother of a budding filmmaker; and is busily wedding her love of myth and legend to her passion for m/m romance. She is a four-time Rainbow Award finalist.
Books in this Series by Rory Ni Coileain:
Hard as Stone: Book One of the SoulShares Series
Gale Force: Book Two of the SoulShares Series
Deep Plunge: Book Three of the SoulShares Series
Firestorm: Book Four of the SoulShares Series
Blowing Smoke: Book Five of the SoulShares Series
Mantled in Mist: Book Six of the SoulShares Series
Undertow: Book Seven of the SoulShares Series
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