by Searles O'Dubhain
The triadic form — three pithy sayings grouped under a single heading — is one of the oldest and most characteristic literary structures of early Irish and Welsh literature. The Welsh Triads preserved genealogy, mythology, and proverb through the same form. Searles O'Dubhain, the founder of the Summerlands and one of the most prolific Celtic Reconstructionist voices on alt.religion.druid from 2003 to 2014, here composes an original set of triads derived from the Briatharogam — the Word Ogham kennings found in medieval Irish manuscripts. Each Ogham letter carries a traditional kenning (such as "Beith: initiation into living") and Searles expands each into three sayings, creating a kind of Druidic catechism. The list is posted as a work in progress, and the closing exchange about "Traps of the Elder" speaks to the perennial tensions of the online Druid community with characteristic dry wit.
The Ogham Triads
I've been working up a list of triadic sayings based on the Ogham kennings known as Briatharogam. I'm posting them here so that we can polish the edges and clarify their expression:
The Three Birches of Will: mastery of foundations; initiation into living; manifesting one's dreams.
The Three Fires of Rowan: revelation of the unknown; quickening of blood; intuition of activity.
The Three Alders of Protection: a gathering of warriors; courage of the heart; the preserving shrine of memory.
The Three Veils of Willow: what we see; being awakened from a dream; what we think we know.
The Three Spears of Ash: being stopped at a threshold; accepting a challenge; assaulting a fortress.
Three Wolves of Hawthorn: accepting one's nature; meeting one's match; joining an adventure.
Three Oaks of Majesty: one's ancestors; one's achievements; one's potential.
Three Wheels of Holly: continuing beyond exhaustion; accepting energy from one's center; becoming one's essence.
Three Wonders of Hazel: discovering one's wisdom; surviving one's death; creating one's future.
Three Apples of Death: falling in love; becoming aroused; yielding to passion.
Vines that are Binding: what we seek; a pleasant voice; an overwhelming anger.
Gardens of Ivy: Study; Instruction; Ambition.
Shelters of the Reed: the calm of purpose; the peace of acceptance; the healing of rest.
Visions of Blackthorn: battle; turmoil; mistrust.
Traps of the Elder: embarrassment; anger; argument.
I'm considering changing some things to better express the original Celtic concepts for some of the words. I also need to add the vowels and diphthongs to the list. I can't decide whether to place the Forfedha as a separate group or to use their symbolic influences to color their adjacent Ogham associations.
Looking for inputs and insights.
("Traps of the Elder: embarrassment; anger; argument" does seem to express a comment about behaviors on these newsgroups and in real life, doesn't it?)
Colophon
Written by Searles O'Dubhain ([email protected]) and posted to alt.religion.druid in June 2006. This is a work-in-progress composition — the consonants of the Ogham Beith-Luis-Nion are covered; the vowels, diphthongs, and Forfedha remain. The Briatharogam (Word Oghams) on which Searles draws are preserved in medieval Irish manuscripts, primarily the Book of Ballymote and Auraicept na n-Éces; Searles synthesizes these into a triadic form suitable for meditation and teaching. The piece preserves a moment of collaborative scholarly creation in the Druid community.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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