Priestess of the Fire Temple

About the Author

Ellen Evert Hopman is a master herbalist and lay homeopath who holds a master's degree in mental health counseling. She is also a certified writing instructor. She was vice president of the Henge of Keltria, an international Druid fellowship, for nine years. She is the founder of the Whiteoak Internet mailing list (an online Druid ethics study group) and is a co-founder and former co-chief of the Order of the Whiteoak (
Ord Na Darach Gile
).

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Priestess of the Fire Temple: A Druid's Tale
© 2012 by Ellen Evert Hopman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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First e-book edition © 2012

E-book ISBN: 9780738730271

Cover design by Ellen Lawson

Cover images: leaves, PhotoDisc; Woman, Image Source/PunchStock; Fire Flower, iStockphoto.com/-M-I-S-H-A-Map on pages xx–xxi by Jared Blando

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Glossary and
Pronunciation Guide

Glossary and
Pronunciation Guide

Map page 1

Map page 2

Poem
: Invocation of the Goddess Brighid

Prologue

PART ONE
:
A Spark of Flame

PART TWO
:
A Candle in the Wind

PART THREE
:
The Rising Sun

PART FOUR
:
Tending the Flame

PART FIVE
:
The Goddess's Fiery Eye

Epilogue

Historical Note

Notes

Bibliography
and Sources

Appendix
: The Evidence for Female Druids

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Joyce Sweeney for her constant help, Alexei Kondratiev for his language assistance, and Patricia Lee Lewis for being my chief reader.

Many thanks to the spirits and voices who guide me. May their promptings be of value to the Druids of today.

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Glossary and
Pronunciation Guide

Áine Clí (aw-nyuh KLEE):
“ray of brightness”; the goddess in the sun

airslocud noíbu (ers-LOG-uth NWEE-unh):
the sacred opening

Albu (Old Irish; AL-uh-buh):
Britain

ametis (Old Irish; AH-me-tish):
amethyst

ánruth (awn-rooth):
a fili who possesses half of the poetic art

ard-ban-Drui (ahrd-vahn-dree):
archdruidess

ard-ri (ahrd-ree):
high king

ard-
rígain (ahrd-ree-ghan):
high queen

Armorica (ar-MOH-ree-kah):
Brittany

Audacht Morainn:
Old Irish law text of advice to kings

báirín breac (BAW-reen brack):
yeasted bread speckled with raisins or currants, traditionally served at Samhain with small divinatory tokens inside

ban-Drui, pl. ban-Druid (BAHN-dree):
a female Druid

ban-fili (BAHN-FILL-uh):
a female poet

ban-liaig (BAHN LEE-igh):
a Druid healer specializing in herbal and magical healing and surgery

Beltaine (Bee-Ahl-TIN-Ah):
May Day, the first day of summer

bell branch:
a Druidic ritual tool made of a branch with nine bells strung upon it; depending on their rank, a Druid carried one of gold, silver, or bronze

béoir (BYEH-wir):
beer

bíle (BILL-uh):
a sacred tree or a pole symbolizing a tree

Brighid (BREE-ghij):
the Triple Goddess of healing and smithcraft, patroness of the Druids and bards, the summer face of nature

Cell Daro (KYELL DAH-ruh):
the Church of the Oak

Ceol Side (KYAUL shee-thuh):
the song of the goddess Áine that comforts the dying

Cailleach (KAL-yukh):
“old woman” and “ancient veiled one,” the winter face of nature; goddess of creation, storms, and winter snows; also the last sheaf of the harvest

Caledonia (kah-leh-DO-nee-ah):
Scotland

carnyx (car-nix):
a wind instrument of the Iron Age Celts, a bronze trumpet

Clíodna (KLEETH-nuh):
goddess of the sea, of the Otherworld, and of beauty, who sometimes shapeshifts into a bird

Cristaide, pl. Cristaidi (KREES-tih-thuh):
a Christian

cristall glain (Old Irish; modern reconstruction) (KRIS-tul GLAHN):
clear crystal

Cú Chulainn (coo-KHULL-in):
literally the Hound of Chulainn, also called the Hound of Ulster, the greatest warrior of Northern Ireland

Cuimhnichibh air na daoine bho'n d'thainig sib (Cwiv-knee-cheev air na dheenah vone dawnig shiv):
“Remember the people whom you come from” (Old Gaelic saying)

cuirm (KWIR-rum):
barley ale

Daoine Sidhe (DEE-nyh SHEE-thuh):
people of the Sidhe, people of the fairy mounds

dessel (DYESH-ul):
sunwise, in a righthand or clockwise spiral

Drui, pl. Druid
(dree or drwee):
a Druid

dun (doon):
a fort or fortress

Éire (AIR-uh):
the island of Ireland, including all five original provinces

Ériu (AIR-yuh):
Ireland (Éire in modern Irish)

escra (ASK-ruh):
a copper or silver drinking goblet

Emain Ablach (EH-win OW-lukh):
the apple isle

Emain Macha (EH-win MAH-kah):
the fort of Macha, now known as Navan Fort

fidchell (FEETH-hyell):
a chesslike game

fili, pl. filid (FILL-uh):
a sacred poet and diviner

filidecht (FILL-ee-thekht):
the craft of sacred poet and diviner

fiana
(fin-ah):
roving bands of warrior-poets

fion (fee-ohn):
wine

flaith (flay-v):
nobles

Fomorian (fo-more-ian):
an uncouth giant from under the sea (Irish mythology) or forces of chaos and blight

Gallia (Latin; GAHL-lea-ah):
Gaul

geis, pl. geasa (jesh):
a strict obligation or taboo placed on a person

grianan (GREE-uh-nawn):
the sunniest place in a building, usually reserved for the women

imbas (Old Irish; IM-mus):
poetic inspiration, prophetic vision

In Medon (en-meh-don):
the Central Kingdom

Innis nam Druidneach
(In-ish nun DRWITH-nyukh):
the Druid Isle

Inisfail (in-nish FAHL):
an old name for Ireland

Irardacht (ehr-ard-akt):
Kingdom of the Eagle, the Northern Kingdom

Ísu (ees-uh):
Jesus

lamdia (LAWV-thee-uh):
a portable idol

léine (LYEY-nyuh):
a type of long shirt worn under a tunic by both men and women

Letha (LYETH-uh):
Gaul

liaig (LEE-igh):
a Druid healer who specializes in herbal healing, surgery, and magic

Lugnasad (LOO-nuss-uth):
the pre-harvest festival of “first fruits” celebrated from the end of July to the second week of August, depending on when the grain is ripe

lúth legha (LOOTH lyegh-uh):
reed, aka the physician's strength

Muire, Mwirreh
(Moyrah or Mwih-reh):
Mary, mother of Ísu

Manannán Mac Lir (man-ah-nan mok-leer):
god of the sea; he who opens the gateways between the worlds

Meán Geimhridh (myawn gev-ree):
midwinter, winter solstice

mid (meeth):
mead

mog, pl. mogae (mohg, mohg-ay):
slaves

mo muirne (muh VOOR-nyuh):
my beloved

Morrigu (mor-ree-guh):
Great Queen, Triple Goddess of battle

Murthracht (muhr-hrakt):
the Western Kingdom, the people of the sea

Nechtan Scéne
(NYEKH-tawn SKEY-nyuh):
the mother of three warriors named Fannell, Foill, and Tuchell

neimheadh (NYEH-veth):
a hidden or secret sanctuary, a ritual calendar acted out in the landscape

nemed (neh-med):
a sacred enclosure

Nemed (neh-med):
sacred class, the highest caste of Celtic society

oenach (EY-nukh):
a gathering, a fair, an assembly

Ogum (OH-gum):
the pre-Christian Celtic alphabet and sign language

Oirthir (ohr-hehr):
the Eastern Kingdom, the people of the sunrise, the people of gold

ollamh (OL-luv):
learned professional man such as a lawyer, doctor, judge, etc.

orans (Latin; OH-rans):
praying with palms raised

Paganus, pl. Pagani (Latin; pah-GAH-nee):
Pagans, non-Christians, literally “country dwellers,” ones who worship the Old Gods

púca
(POO-kuh):
a supernatural horse (sometimes a man or a black dog)

rath (rahv):
a ring-fort

reeving:
cattle raiding

rígain (REE-ghun):
queen

Roma (ro-mah):
Rome

Romani (ro-MAH-nee):
Romans

Samhain (SAH-vin):
festival of the dead and the start of the dark half of the year, known today as Halloween or All Hallows

scathán (skahan):
a polished metal mirror

sét (shade):
a unit of currency, each coin worth approximately the value of half a cow

shanachie (shan-ah-hee):
a historian and storyteller

siabainn (she-bahn):
soap

sidhe
(SHEE-thuh):
a fairy mound

silentum facite (Latin; sil-LEN-tyoom FAH-kee-the):
keep quiet (literally “make silence”)

slan-lus (SLAWN-luss):
plantain

Tempul Daro (TYEM-pul DAH-ruh):
Temple of the Oak

torque (tork):
a neck ring symbolic of noble status

Torcrad (tor-krahd):
the kingdom of the South, the people of the boar

triskell (tris-kell):
a triple spiral design worn by Druids, symbolic of the three worlds of land, sea, and sky

tuath (too-uth):
country district or tribal area

uisge beatha (iske-baha):
sacred water, the Waters of Life, whiskey

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