Holder of Lightning tc-1
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A small mountain outside Ballintubber, on whose flanks sheep are often grazed
A city on Lough Lar, the seat of Tuath Gabair A lake on the northwest border of Tuath Gabair
A lake on River Duan, scene of one of the final battles between the Bun Daoine
A lake on the coastline of Tuath Connachta
"Center Lake," a large lake nearly in the center of the peninsula, very: Ballintubber
A townland in Inish Thuaidh
The crossing of the River Nealmhar, the Gloomy River, in Inish Thuaid
A townland in Inish Thuaidh, home of Aron O Dochartaigh and Banrion MacBradaigh
A mountain in Tuath Infochla near Falcarragh, where Rowan Beirne lo Shabhala
A mountain in a southern county of the peninsula, also the title of a son
The battle at the end of the previous incarnation of the mage-lights wl of Infochla were defeated by the Inishlanders
"The Green Land," the peninsula on which the events of the novel take The "Far Forest"
The "Far Continent," the distant mainland, of which Ta-lamh an Ghlas of yet another larger penin-sula, Ceile Mhor
The only inn on Inishfeirm
A city on the west coast, the seat of Tuath Connachta
The Tuath in the northeast corner of the peninsula The Tuath to the immediate west of Tuath Gabair
The Tuath in the south of the peninsula
The Tuath in which Jenna was born
The Tuath in the northwestern corner of the peninsula
The Tuath in the southwestern corner of the peninsula
A location in Tuath Connachta, famous for its ironworks
The "Eldest," a title of respect for the local repository of history
A plant from which an addictive narcotic can be obtained
Terms:
Ald
Anduilleaf
Banrion
Bantiarna
Before, the Black haunts
Blue seals
Bradan an Chumhacht
Brathair Bunus Muintir
By the
Mother-Creator
Caointeoireacht na cogadh
Ceil giallnai
Cinniuint
Cloca
Cloch Mor Cloch na thrintri
Clochmion
Clock-candle
Cloudmages
The feminine form of RB: "Queen"
The feminine form of tiarna: "Lady"
The time of myths, when magic ruled
The spirits of the dead who come and take the soul of the living when i die
Intelligent seals, black, but with a sheen of electric blue in their fur
"Salmon of Power," the blue seals' analogue to the clochs na thrintri, eating one of the Bradan an Chumhacht that a blue seal can tap the mage-lights
The title for those who have dedicated themselves to the Order of Inis
The "Original People," the tribes who first came to Ta-lamh an Ghlas, remnants still can be found in the hidden places
A familiar mild curse, as we would say "By God…"
The war-keening; the ululating and terrifying war cry of the Inishland charge their foes; the cry in con-junction with their ferocious aspect ha sent foes retreating in panic
The lower grade vassals of the RB Mael Armagh's ship
A long cloak worn by the RBocha over their clothing, usu-ally in the col Tuath
The major clochs na thrintri, the ones with large abilities
Literally, "stone of lightning," the stones that gather the power of the mage-lights
The minor clochs na thrintri with small powers
Device used to keep time: a candle of standard diameter with colored 1 intervals; one "stripe" equals roughly one hour
Sorcerers of old who took power from the heavens to create their spell
The various Tuatha have colors that show allegiance:
Tuath Gabair = green and brown Tuath Connachta = blue and gold Tuath Infochla = green and gold Inish Thuaidh = blue and white Tuath Airgialla = red and white Tuath Locha Lein = blue and black Tuath Eoganacht = green and white
Colors
The Council of Lords, the actual governing body of Inish Thuaidh The "Conference of the Comhairle," the meeting of all chieftains in Inis Autumn feast in Ballintubber
Comhairle of Tiarna
Comhdail
Comhairle
Corn Festival Creneach
Currach
Da
Daoine
Dire wolves Draiodoir
Eneclann
Eraic
Feast of Planting
Fia stoirm
Ficheall
Fili
Filleadh
Fingal
Freelanded
Garda
Giotar
Great-da
Great-mam
Is ferr fer a chiniud
Literally, "Clay Beings," a race of sentient beings who inhabit the moun Thall Coill
A small, dug-out boat used by the fisherfolk of Inish Thuaidh Father
Literally, "The People," the society to which Jenna belongs
Large, intelligent wolves that speak a language
Those consecrated to serve the Mother-Creator, in essence, the priesth is not restricted by gender; the plural is Draiodoiri
Honor-price, the amount a person can owe by his/her status
Payment of blood-money from a slayer
One of the great quarterly festivals, taking place in late March
Storm Deer, a giant deer, previously thought extinct
A board game similar to chess
Poet
The "Coming Back," the prophesied return of magic To slay your own kin; one of the worst crimes
A term meaning that the land is owned by the person living there; to b to be one step down from being RBocha, or nobility
The police of the large cities, or the personal protectors of a tiarna, also "guard;" the plural is gardai
Stringed instrument, guitar Grandfather
Grandmother
"A man is better than his birth"
An analgesic used for headaches and minor pain, non-addictive, but no near as strong as anduilleaf
An extinct or mythical carnivore of the land The cloch na thrintri that Jenna holds A tunic worn under the cloca "Good morning!"
Knifefang Lamh Shabhala Leine
Maidin maith
Mam
Milaran
Miondia
Morceint
Oenach
Pledge-son/ daugh ter
Quern
RB
RBocha
Saimhoir
Scrudu
Seanoir
Siur
Stirabout
Taisteal
Tanaise RBg The Badger
Tiarna Tuath Turves Uaigneas Uisce Taibhse
Wind sprites
Saimhoir Terms:
Mother
A breakfast griddle cake from Inish Thuaidh, sprinkled with molasses.
The Lesser Gods A fairly large denomination coin
An assembly held on regular occasions to transact the private and publ the Tuath
A Bunus Muintir term, a younger person adopted by an Elder as his or
A stone mill using for grinding grain and corn King
The nobility
The name the blue seals call themselves
The test which allows a Holder to fully open all of Lamh Shabhala's cap fatal
The Eldest, the oak trees of Doire Coill and the other Old Growth fores
"Sister"
A meat stew
The "Traveling," an itinerant group of peddlers of anything, from orph to hard goods
The Heir-Apparent
A constellation used for navigation, as the snout of the badger always p north
The title "Lord"
Kingdom
Turf cuttings, peat
The Banrion Thuaidh's ship: "Loneliness"
Literally "Water Ghost," a race
of intelligent creatures living in fresh-w sometimes antagonistic to humans
Nearly transparent, small and sentient herd creatures, once thought to be entirely mythical, nocturnal
Bradan an The "Salmon of the Mage-Lights," the analogue of a cloch na thrintri
Chumhacht
Bull Adult male seal, bulls are less common, and are "shared" by several ad
Adult female seal
Cow
Haul out Land-cousin
May the currents bring you fish Milk-mother
The term for leaving the water for the shore Those humans with Saimhoir blood in their ancestry
A common polite greeting
The cow who suckles a youngling, not necessarily the same cow who gave birth to the infant. In Saimhoir soci-ety, the young suckled by another cow. There is generally a stronger attachment to th than the birth-mother (unless, of course, they happen to be the same).
A seal who has shared the milk of the same mother
Milk-sister/bro
ther
Nesting Land
Saimhoir
Seal-biter
Sister-kin
Inish Thuaidh, only on this island the Saimhoir breed, on the northwest shores
The name the blue seals call themselves
The shark, which feeds on seals
A term of endearment
The cloch na thrintri A human
Sky-stones
Stone-walker
Sweetfish
Any of the small fish that make up the bulk of the Saimhoir’s diet
WaterMother
Winter Home
The chief god of the Saimhoir. It is possible, though not proved, that th is simply another manifes-tation of the human’s Mother-Creator
The peninsula of Talamh an Ghlas, where the currents
are warmer and the fish more plentiful during the coldest months
The Daoine Calendar:
The Daoine calendar, like that of the Bunus Muintir, is primarily lunar-based. Their "day" is considered to start at sunset and conclude at sunrise.
Each month consists of 28 days; there is no further separation into weeks. Rather, the days are counted as being the "thirteenth day of Wideleaf" or the "twenty-first day of Capnut."
The months are named after various trees of the region, and are (in translation) Longroot, Silverbark,
Wideleaf, Straightwood, Fallinglimb, Deereye, Brightflower, Redfruit, Conefir, Capnut, Stranglevine, Softwood, and Sweetsap.
The solar year being slightly more than 365 days, to keep the months from recessing slowly through the seasons over the years, an annual two-fold adjustment is made. The first decision is whether there will be addi-tional days added to Sweetsap; the second proclaims which phase of the moon will correspond to the first day of the month that year (the first day of the months during any given year may be considered to start at the new moon, quarter moon waxing, half moon waxing, three-quarter moon waxing, full moon, three-quarter moon waning, half-moon waning, or quarter moon waning). The proclamation is announced at the Festival of Gheimri (see below) each year — any extra days are added immediately after Gheimri and before the first day of Longroot. All this keeps the solar-based festivals and the lunar calendar roughly in line.
This adjustment is traditionally made by the Dralodoiri of the Mother-Creator at the Sunstones Ring at Dun Laoghaire, but the Inish Thuaidh Dralodoiri generally use the Sunstones Ring near Dun Kiil to make their own adjustments, which do not always agree with that of Dun Laoghaire. Thus, the reckoning of days in Talamh an Ghlas and Inish Thuaidh is often slightly different.
The year is considered to start on the first day of Longroot, immediately after the Festival of Gheimri and any additional days that have been added to Sweetsap.
There are four Great Festivals at the solstices and
Marks that true winter has been reached and that the slow ascent t warmth of spring has begun. Generally a celebration touched with a soml cause the rest of winter must still be endured.
equinoxes.
Lafuacht:
(in the first week of Straightwood)
Fomhar
(in the second week of Brightflower)
Meitha
(in the third
week of Capnut)
Marks the time to prepare for the spring planting to come and the birthing of animals. This festival was an appeal to the Mother-Creator and the Mi lesser gods) to make the crops grow and the live-stock fertile. A time c prayer.
Marks the height of the growing season. In good years this was the and happy festival, celebrating the plenty all around.
Gheimhri Marks the onset of autumn. This is a date fraught with uncertainty
(in the fourth as the crops are harvested and the colder weather begins. Though t
week of often spreadsover more than one day, it is also laden with solemn r
Sweetsap) ceremonies to placate the gods who awaken with the autumn chill.
The following is a sample year with corresponding Gregorian dates.
However, bear in mind that this is only an approximation and will differ slightly each year.
1st day of Longroot = September 23 (New Year’s Day)
1st day of = October 21
Silverbark
= November 18
= December 16
= 7th day of Straightwood (December 22)
= January 13
= February 10 = March 10
= 11th day of Brightflower (March 20)
= April 7
= May 5 = June 2
= 19th day of Capnut (June 20) = June 30
1st day of Wideleaf
1st day of Straightwood
Festival of Lafuacht
1st day of Fallinglimb
1st day of Deereye
1st day of Brightflower
Festival of Fomhar:
1st day of Redfruit
1st day of Conefir
1st day of Capnut
Festival of Meitha:
1st day of Stranglevine
1st day of = July 28 Softwood
1st day of = August 25 Sweetsap
Festival of = 28th day of Sweetsap
Gheimhri: (September 21)
History:
Time of Though details and sometimes names vary, similar tales Myth are shared by both the Bunus Muintir and Daoine people, which indicate a common mythological base and possibly a shared tribal ancestry. The following tale is just one of many, and is the primary Daoine Creation Myth. The Mother-Creator had intercourse with the Sky-Father, and gave birth to a son. But their son was sickly and died, and she laid him down in the firmament, and his skeleton became the bones of the land. In time, the Mother-Creator overcame her grief and lay again with the Sky-Father, and gave birth to Seed-Daughter. Seed-Daughter flourished and in time became as beautiful as her mother, and she attracted the attention of a son of the Sky-Father, Cloud. From that triple union came the plants living in the soil that covered her brother, the Earth. Seed-Daughter was also coveted by Darkness, and Darkness stole her away and took her in violence. When Seed-Daughter escaped from Darkness and came back to Cloud and Rain, sorrowing, she was heavy in her womb, and from her time of confinement would come all the Miondia, the Lesser Gods. The Miondia spread out over the lands, and from their couplings emerged the animals in all their varieties. After the rape by Darkness, Seed-Daughter could conceive no more. She wept often, sometimes fiercely, which we see even now in the rain that falls.
Year The first of the Bunus Muintir tribes reach Talamh an -2500 Ghlas, after traversing from Thall Mor-roinn, the (appro mainland, into Ceile Mhor, the larger peninsula to which x.) Talamh an Ghlas is attached. These Bronze Age people created their society in Talamhan Ghlas, which lasted until the arrival of the Daoine tribes in Year 0.
Year The disappearance of the mage-lights for the Bunus
— 75 Muintir people. The mage-lights would not reappear
(appro again until after the arrival of the Daoine and
the collapse
x.) of Bunus Muintir society.
Year Death of Bunus Muintir chieftain and cloudmage Riata.
— 70
(appro
x.)
Year o The first of the Daoine tribes enter Talamh an Ghlas,
crossing over the "Finger," the spine of mountainous land connecting Talamh an Ghlas to the peninsula of Ceile Mhor, and also arriving by ship at Inish Thuaidh, on the western coast at Bacathair and in the south at Taghmon. They would encounter and eventually displace (and in-terbreed with) the Bunus Muintir people.
Year The Battle of Lough Dubh, where RB Crenel Dahgnon de-105 feated the last Bunus Muintir chieftain Ruaidhri.
Year The first recorded mage-lights appear over Inish 232 Thu-aidh. The Inishlanders would eventually learn to harness the power of the mage-lights through the cloch na thrintri, the "lightning stones" of Bunus Muintir legend. This is the beginning of what will be popularly called the "Before" by the people of Jenna Aoire’s time. Year Mael Armagh, RB of Tuath Infochla, sets out to conquer 711 Inish Thuaidh, and is defeated and killed in the Battle of Sliabh Michinniuint by Severii O’Coulghan, the In-ishlander chieftain.
Year Last reported sighting of mage-lights over Inish Thuaidh. 726 End of the "Before." Over four centuries will pass before the mage-lights return.
Year A reputed cloch na thrintri is stolen from Inishfeirm by 1075 an acolyte named Niall (last name unknown) and is given as a pledge of love to Kerys Aoire.
Year Niall Aoire, son of Kerys Aoire, arrives in Ballintubber 1111 and meets Maeve Oldspring, whom he will marry.
Year Jenna Aoire born in Ballintubber.
1113
Year On the 18th day of Longroot, mage-lights reappear over 1129 the village of Ballintubber in Tuath Gabair. This heralds the beginning of Filleadh — the "Coming Back."
The Holders of Lamh Shabala
(Dates given face indicate in Daoine years and in chronological order. Entries in bold- the cloch was active during the time of Holding.)
The Bunus; Muintir Holders (from Year -160) -144 Lasairiona (F)
to
— 160
— 129 Oengus (M)
to
— 144
— 113 Davali (M) to -129
— 113 RBata (M) The last Bunus Muintir holder of an to-70 active cloch. The magelights failed in the last
years of his Holding, and Lamh Shabhala would rest again for three centuries.
— 70 to None. During these years, the cloch remained in RBata's
— 63 tomb.
— 63 to Breck the Tomb-robber (F) For two days, until she was
— 63 caught and executed.
— 62 to None. Again, the cloch rests in RBata's tomb.