Morning's Journey (64 page)

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Authors: Kim Iverson Headlee

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Mythology & Folk Tales, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Epic, #Myths & Legends, #Greek & Roman, #Sword & Sorcery, #Arthurian, #Fairy Tales, #Metaphysical & Visionary, #Morning's Journey, #Scotland, #Fiction, #Romance, #Picts, #woman warrior, #Arthurian romances, #Fantasy Romance, #Guinevere, #warrior queen, #Celtic, #sequel, #Lancelot, #King Arthur, #Celts, #Novel, #Historical, #Arthurian Legends, #Dawnflight, #Roman Britain, #Knights and knighthood, #Fantasy, #Pictish, #female warrior

BOOK: Morning's Journey
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Gyanhumara (ghee-ahn-huh-MAR-ah) nic Hymar, a.k.a. Gwenhwyfar ferch Gogfran, a.k.a. Guenevara.
Chieftainess and Àrd-Banoigin of Clan Argyll of Caledon. Daughter of Hymar and Ogryvan; wife of Arthur; mother of Loholt. Nickname: Gyan (GHEE-ahn). Banner: two silver doves flying, on dark blue. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
gainne amhran
(“rarest song”). Legendary names: Queen Guinevere, Guenevere, Guenever.

Hippocrates of Cos.
Greek physician who lived in the 5th-4th centuries B.C., widely considered the father of Western medicine.

Horace.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus, a 1st-century, B.C. Roman poet.

Hymar (HEE-mar).
Late Chieftainess and Àrd-Banoigin of Clan Argyll, Caledon. Ogryvan’s wife; mother of Peredur and Gyanhumara. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
amhran
(“song”).

Iesseu (ee-ay-SAY-oo).
Caledonaiche variant of Jesus.

Iesu (YAY-soo).
Brytonic variant of Jesus.

Iomar mac Morra.
Àrd-Oighre of Clan Rioghail, Caledon. Son of Morra; Ogryvan’s cousin. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
iomair
(“to row”).

Iulius Caesar.
Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, best known to Caledonians as having ordered a failed invasion of Caledonia in the 1st century B.C., though he managed to subjugate the rest of Brydein into the Roman Empire (Britannia Province).

Katra.
Brytoni freedwoman. Wife of Dafydd the Elder; mother of Mari, Dafydd the Younger, and Samsen.

Liam.
Brytoni farmer. Clan: Cwrnwyll, Rheged, Brydein.

Lir.
Abbot of St. Padraic’s Monastery; Keeper of the Chalice.

Livy.
Titus Livius Patavinus, a turn-of-the-millennium Roman historian most famous for his books about the several-hundred-year history of the Roman pre-republic, republic, and empire, collectively titled
Ab urbe condita libri
(“Books since the city’s founding” or, less literally but more descriptively, “A History of Rome”).

Loholt mac Artyr.
Àrd-Oighre of Clan Argyll, Caledon. Firstborn son of Arthur and Gyanhumara. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
lo h-oillt
(“for terror”).

Loth.
Chieftain of Clan Lothian of Gododdin, Brydein. Arthur’s brother-in-law; Annamar’s husband; father of Gawain, Gareth, Medraut, and Cundre. Banner: amber bear on forest green. Legendary name: King Lot.

Lucan.
Monk and teacher at St. Padraic’s Monastery. Latin name: Lucianus.

Lucius.
Decurion in First Ala, Horse Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein. Clan: Moray, Dalriada, Brydein.

Lucius Arturus Castus.
Roman centurion stationed in northern Brydein in the mid-fifth century whose military record was impressive enough that Uther appropriated the man’s middle name for his son even though he was not a blood relation.

Lucius Aurelius Verus.
Brother of Emperor Marcus Aurelius who ruled as coemperor in the late 2nd century A.D.; a.k.a. Lucius Vero.

Lughann (LOO-ahn, Scotti, “Lugh’s Man”).
Scáthaichean slave at Caer Lugubalion, a warrior captured during the First Battle of Port Dhoo-Glass.

Marcus.
Centurion in the Brytoni army; Arthur’s aide-de-camp. Legendary name: King Mark.

Marcus Aurelius.
Roman emperor who ruled in the latter half of the second century A.D.—and one of the few of that club who wasn’t a raving megalomaniac.

Mardha (MAHR-ah).
Maidservant at Arbroch. Clan: Argyll, Caledon.

Mari.
Late daughter of Dafydd the Elder and Katra.

Mathan.
Horseman assigned to Fifth Ala, Horse Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein. Clan: Argyll, Caledon. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
mathan
(“a bear”).

Medraut map Loth.
Third son of Loth and Annamar; Arthur’s nephew. Clan: Lothian, Gododdin, Brydein. Legendary names: Sir Mordred, Modred.

Merlinus Aurelius Ambrosius Dubricius.
Bishop; general (legate) in the Brytoni army, garrison commander of Caer Lugubalion. Son of Ambrosius; Arthur’s cousin. Nickname: Merlin. Latin name is loosely based on Roman format and means “Merlin of the Aurelii, son of Ambrose, called Dubric.” Known in Welsh ecclesiastical history as St. Dubric (or St. Dyfrig, depending upon the source). Legendary name: Merlin.

Morghe (MOR-ghee) ferch Uther.
Daughter of Uther and Ygraine; Arthur’s younger sister; betrothed to Urien. Latin name: Morganna Aurelia Vetara. Legendary name: Queen Morgan Le Fay.

Morra.
Chieftainess and Àrd-Banoigin of Clan Rioghail, Caledon. Ogryvan’s second cousin; mother of Iomar. Name origin: derived from Scottish Gaelic
móire
(“bag” of
pioba-móire
(“bagpipe”)).

Niall.
Late Scáthaichean general, killed by Gyanhumara in the First Battle of Port Dhoo-Glass.

Niniane.
Prioress of Rushen Priory. Legendary names: Niniane, Nimue, Lady of the Lake.

Ogryvan (OH-gree-van) mac Glynnis.
Chieftain of Clan Argyll, Caledon. Hymar’s consort; Peredur’s stepfather; Gyanhumara’s father. Nickname: “the Ogre.” Legendary name: King Leodegrance.

Owen.
Brytoni farmer. Clan: Cwrnwyll, Rheged, Brydein.

Padraic, Saint.
Founder of the monastery on Saint Padraic’s Isle; patron saint of Ireland (a.k.a. St. Patrick, St. Paddy).

Paul, Apostle.
Paul (formerly Saul) of Tarsus, Christian missionary in the 1st century A.D.

Peredur mac Hymar.
Centurio Equo, Seventh Ala, Horse Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein. Hymar’s son; Ogryvan’s stepson; Gyanhumara’s half-brother. Clan: Argyll, Caledon. Nickname: Per. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
pòr dùr
(“stubborn seed”). Legendary name: Sir Percival.

Quintus.
Late monk at Saint Padraic’s Monastery. Name origin: Latin
quintus
(“fifth”), a common naming convention among Roman families indicating, in this case, the fifth male child born to the same parents.

Reuel.
Seannachaidh of Clan Argyll, Caledon; preserver of law and lore. Name origin: Second “R” of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Rhys (HREES).
Centurion, second-in-command at Port Dhoo-Glass garrison, Manx Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein. Clan: Argyll, Caledon.

Riothamus.
Late Franco-Brytoni warlord who governed Armorica and possibly a portion of southern Britain in the mid-fifth century. Some scholars identify him with Ambrosius or even Arthur, citing the fact that his name in Brythonic means “high king” (
rigotamos
). By that logic, every man named Richard (an inversion of Scottish Gaelic
àrd rìgh,
“high king”) also would be in contention for a crown.

Rudd (ROOTH).
Former Brytoni slave at Arbroch.

Samsen.
Late infant son of Dafydd the Elder.

Seumas (SHAYoo-mahs).
Caledonach warrior; Ogryvan’s most trusted bodyguard. Clan: Argyll, Caledon. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
Seumas
(“James”).

Sichuan.
Brytoni warrior, one of Morghe’s escort whom she’d brought to Arbroch from Caerlaverock. Clan: Cwrnwyll, Rheged, Brydein.

Stefan.
Brytoni monk and master of students and the library at St. Padriac’s Monastery. Latin name: Stephanus.

Suetonius.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, a late-1st- to early-2nd-century A.D. Roman historian best known for his collection of works titled
De Vita Caesarum
, “Of the lives of the Caesars,” biographies of the twelve consecutive Roman rulers beginning with Julius Caesar.

Talya.
Wife of Dwras; mother of Gwydion. Clan: Lothian, Gododdin, Brydein. Name origin: Brythonic
tal
(“bright”).

Tira.
Brytoni slave who chose to remain at Arbroch after being granted her freedom; Loholt’s wet nurse.

Torr.
Caledonach warrior. Clan: Argyll, Caledon. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
tòrr
(“conical hill”). Legendary names: Sir Tor, Sir Torre.

Ulfyn.
Centurion, First Century, Badger Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein; Gereint’s second-in-command. Legendary name: Sir Ulfin.

Urien map Dumarec.
Prefect of the Horse Cohort, Dragon Legion of Brydein. Son of Dumarec; betrothed to Morghe. Clan: Moray, Dalriada, Brydein. Legendary names: King Urien, Uriens.

Uther map Custennin.
Late Dux Britanniarum (succeeded Ambrosius). Ambrosius’s younger brother; Ygraine’s second husband; father of Arthur and Morghe. Latin name: Vetarus Aurelius Constantinus. Legendary name: King Uther Pendragon.

Vennolandua.
Ancient and possibly mythical Queen of Cornwall, wife of King Locrin—whom she killed in battle after he divorced her in favor of a mistress. Vennolandua proceeded to rule Cornwall as queen until her son came of age.

Vergul.
Priest of Clan Argyll, Caledon.

Vortigern.
Late Brytoni warlord who employed Saxon mercenaries against the Caledonians and Scots.

Willa (WEE-thlah).
Nun at Rushen Priory.

Wlencing.
Late West Saxon prince. Younger brother of Cissa; father of Ælferd. Historically, Cissa, Wlencing, and Cymen appear to have been sons of Ælle, though the latter two men rarely appear in Arthurian tradition.

Ygraine (ee-GRAY-neh).
Chieftainess of Clan Cwrnwyll of Rheged, Brydein. Widow of Gorlas; widow of Uther; mother of Annamar, Yglais, Arthur, and Morghe. Nickname: Ygrayna. Banner: ivory unicorn on crimson. Legendary name: Queen Igraine.

Ygrayna (ee-grayEE-nah).
Caledonaiche variant of Ygraine. Name origin: Scottish Gaelic
a’ghrian
(“the sun”).

Glossary

 

T
HIS APPENDIX INCLUDES place-names and foreign terms. Pronunciation guidelines are supplied for the less obvious terms, especially those of Brythonic or Scottish Gaelic origin. In the case of a term having multiple translations used in the text, the most commonly referenced term is listed first. Word and phrase origins and English translations are given wherever possible.

My choices of word selection, translation, spelling, suggested pronunciation, and the use of accent marks reflect an attempt to imply a “proto-language” to today’s version, especially with regard to the Scottish-Gaelic-based words, compounds, and phrases. Terms identified as having a Pictish source are based on studies of Scottish place-names, since there are no known documents that were written in ancient Pictish. Brythonic-sourced words are derived from ancient Welsh literature, such as the
Mabinogion
.

Astute fans of the series may notice differences in spellings or pronunciations of some of the terms from those given in
Dawnflight
. These differences represent updates in my research.

 

Abar-Bhàis (Caledonaiche, “Mouth of the River of Death”).
Site of the Angli attack on Arthur and Gyanhumara’s traveling camp while she was pregnant with Loholt. The name is selected to evoke the “River Bassas,” site of the sixth of twelve battles traditionally ascribed to Arthur in the 9th-century
Historia Brittonum
, which I moved up to 4th for the purposes of
Morning’s Journey
. Origin: proto-Celtic/Pictish
abar
(“river mouth”), Scottish Gaelic
a’bhàis
(“of death”).

Abar-Gleann (Caledonaiche, “Mouth of the River Valley”).
Site of Arthur’s first battle as Dux Britanniarum, where he defeated the Caledonians, located at the eastern end of the Antonine Wall on the south bank of the Firth of Forth near the present-day town of Bo’ness, Falkirk, Scotland. This equates to the first of Arthur’s twelve battles, the “mouth of the River Glein,” recorded in Chapter 56 of the
Historia Brittonum
(written in the early 9th century). Origin: proto-Celtic/Pictish
abar
(“river mouth”), Scottish Gaelic
gleann
(“valley”).

aconitum.
A poisonous plant. Origin: Greek
akonitos
(“without dust; without struggle”).

Add (ATH) Valley.
Lands surrounding the River Add near Dunadd.

Adversary, the.
Euphemism for Caledonach demon overlord, Annàm, and Satan; see also Ha’satan.

Ærish (AIR-ish; Eingel/Saxon, “Brazen Ones”).
Origin: inspired by Old Anglo-Saxon
æren
(“brazen”).

  1. Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of the western portion of the island Latin-speakers call Hibernia; i.e., the Scots (Irish).
  2. Name applied to the body of water between Æren (Hibernia) and Brædæn (Brydein); i.e., the Irish Sea.

ainm (ah-EEM; Caledonaiche, “name”).
Used as part of the sign-countersign codes in the Manx Cohort. This challenge is usually given to determine friend-or-foe status; the correct response is rank, name, and unit designation as listed on the duty roster. Origin: Scottish Gaelic.

ala (pl. alae; Latin, “wing(s)”).
Cavalry unit usually consisting of five turmae, commanded by a centurio equo.

Alban (“The Wild People”), Clan.
Caledonaiche:
Albainaich Chaledon
(poss.
h’Albainaich
; “of Clan Alban”). Member of the Caledonach Confederacy. The clan’s name tracks to the ancient name for Scotland and is deliberately evocative of an alternate legendary name for Arthur’s realm, “Albion.” Banner: rampant white lion on cerulean blue. Cloak pattern: sky blue crossed with crimson and green. Gemstone: aquamarine. Name origin: inspired by Scottish Gaelic
am bàn
(“untilled”) and
Albainn
(“Alba,” “Scotland”).

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