Authors: Ann Hunter
Moonlight (17 page)
Unfortunately it won’t work in kindle touch
BIRTH ORDER (AND brief character sketch)
Áodhán (19 at beginning of book), crown prince of the Summer Isle. Arrogant. Called
Choróin
, “Crowned”.
Aodh (18 at beginning of book), the bard/poetic soul of the family. Nicknamed
Caoin Croí
, “Gentle Heart”.
Aohearn (16 at beginning of book), mischief maker of the family. Nicknamed “
Rógaire
”, Rascal.
Aodan (16 at beginning of book), twin to Aohearn. Nicknamed
Lorgaire
, “Follower”, because he followed Aohearn in birth. He’s also generally eager to follow along in Aohearn’s mischief.
Aogán (15 at beginning of book), wise and scholarly, old soul. Called
Eagnaí
, “Wise One”.
Aowyn (13 at beginning of book), our heroine. Moody like her fiery father, Aodhagáin, but embodies pure, selfless love for her family. The last words she speaks to Ciatlllait/Crwys are in Celtic and mean “May you fall without rising.”
“Go-darthen” “Dee-al” “too”
Aonwys (5 at beginning of book), the baby of the family. Nicknamed a
Stór
, “My precious”, for he is the last child Sulwen could produce.
TERMINOLOGY
Moonlight is based in an alternate Ireland and utilized several aspects of Irish lore
Tuatha Dé Danann
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_Dé_Danann
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/tuatha_de_danann.html
The Tuatha Dé Danann were the first race to arrive on the emerald isle.
Ban Sídhe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee
http://celticsociety.freeservers.com/sidhe.html
The Sídhe are considered to be an ancient race, separate from humans, with supernatural powers. It is believed they can change their shape at will. When the first Gaels invaded Ireland, they found that the Tuatha Dé Danann had control of the land. The Gaels fought them and drove them underground, where it is said they remain to this day in the hollows of the sidhe mound
.
Mag Mell/Tír na nÓg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mag_Mell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tír_na_nÓg
Mag Mell/Tír na nÓg
are supernatural realms of everlasting joy, peace, and youth. They are often depicted as islands of paradisiacal glory where sickness and death do not exist.
Mother Moon
The ancient Celts believed in reincarnation. The moon played significant roles in their lives. Druids taught the concept of immortality of the soul — that even when a person dies physically, her soul continues to live. They believed that the soul was reincarnated as another entity in the living world. For Aowyn, the moon embodied all that her mother was.
The Celts’ reckoning of time lies in their regard for the feminine principle the moon impacts. They showed their respect for the moon by using euphemisms and referred to the moon as queen of the night. Their lunar calendar goes a long way in suggesting how deeply the moon affected their way of life.
Bealtaine
“Beel-tanya”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane
Bealtaine was an important, sacred holiday in Celtic life. It symbolized birth and renewal. The word itself literally means ‘bright’ or ‘bright fire’ and is termed after the Celtic god, Bel. Bealtaine was celebrated around May 1, or “Cétamain
”,
which was countered in the calendar by the winter Solstice of Samhain
.
Where Samhain represented death, Cétamain reminds us of life and its potential.
The Sacred Marriage
The Sacred Marriage was the symbolic union between god and goddess. It is the primal act of creation from which life stems.
It was expected of the High Ruler of the realm to perform this Great Rite and ensure fertility and abundance over the land throughout their rein.
Greenwood Marriages were similar. At Bealtaine young lovers would run off into the woods to perform their own Sacred Marriage where they would be legally bound to one another for a year and a day. It was understood that the unions represented the God and Goddess in the physical form of man and woman. It was a celebration of love and life. Any children born from these unions were considered lucky, blessed by the God and Goddess. They were raised by the community and not just their parents.