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ogham?

  • 19-11-2009 3:25am
    #1
    TEMPLAR KNIGHT
    Closed Accounts Posts: 961 ✭✭✭


    hi everyone i thought this would be a good place to post my question, im looking to translate a few english words into the ancient irish alphabet ogham can anyone point me to a good reliable website (or a book) that will help me with this? as ive looked at a few different websites and the alphabet seems to be changing as i go from page to page, thanks in advance!


Comments

  • #2
    Doozie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,468 ✭✭✭Doozie


    Hi,

    Catherine Swift wrote a publication called Ogham Stones and the Earliest Irish Christians (Maynooth, 1997) which should be some use.


  • #3
    Millucc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭Millucc


    Hate to break your bubble OP, but Ogam isn't a language that one can translate words or phrases into.

    It was used only for writing names in a formulaic way, based on strokes that represented equivalent characters from the Latin alphabet. ie. the son of 'A' the son of 'B'.

    I'm sure you'll find some dodgy website out there that will oblige you, though. Just don't bank on it being in any way realistic or authentic.


  • #4
    Johnmb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,150 ✭✭✭Johnmb


    From the context of the OP I think he meant he wanted to transliterate rather than translate (the language they were mostly written in is basically Old Irish).
    To the OP, the reason the searches you have made have shown variations in the alphabet is because there are many, and all are correct. The "Scholastic Ogham" version of the alphabet can be viewed here:
    http://www.iol.ie/~archaeology/introduction.htm
    There are, as I said, many other versions, but that is the most common version used today when people use the alphabet to write names etc from what I have seen.


  • #5
    Millucc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭Millucc


    Well, by using the phrase "to translate a few english words"...I'd say the OP actually meant "to translate a few english words". Unless he got lost in translation through the many varied but correct forms of 'Scholastic' English? :P

    OP, most authentic Ogam inscriptions are actually in Primitive Irish, or as much as the experts can hazard a guess at what Primitive Irish was, with little else to go on. All later 'scholastic' inscriptions from around the seventh century onwards are fusions with Old Welsh/Old-middle Irish/Old Norse etc...essentially rehashed and re-designed forms, expressed on different media and based on manuscripts. Each successive 'scholarly period' bending and shaping the 'idea' of Ogam to suit its needs and wants.

    Most of the websites you will find, will faciltate your desire to 'translate' whatever Engish words you want (Each of them, differently, no doubt), as long as you realise that what you are getting, is not 'Ancient Irish'. No more then you could represent any English word (accurately) in Eygptian Hieroglyphics. Having said that, with a nick/handle like yours, I doubt that would be a problem for you.


  • #6
    TEMPLAR KNIGHT
    Closed Accounts Posts: 961 ✭✭✭TEMPLAR KNIGHT


    Millucc wrote: »

    Having said that, with a nick/handle like yours, I doubt that would be a problem for you.


    whats this supposed to mean? haha


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  • #7
    padraic83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12 ✭padraic83


    hi i am running a project in the community and we are looking to put up an ogham stone

    does anyone know where one could source an artist to do this and what matierials they will need

    regards

    padraic


  • #8
    Johnmb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,150 ✭✭✭Johnmb


    padraic83 wrote: »
    hi i am running a project in the community and we are looking to put up an ogham stone

    does anyone know where one could source an artist to do this and what matierials they will need

    regards

    padraic
    Probably best to do it yourself, save a fortune. The stone, a hammer, and a chisel are all that you need. If you look at most existing Ogham stones you'll see that they aren't usually very neat, so doing it yourself will likely leave you with a much more authentic looking stone than getting a professional to do it.


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