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omniglot.com /writing/ogham.htm
Ogham is an alphabet that appears on monumental inscriptions dating from the 4th to the 6th century AD, and in
manuscripts dating from the 6th to the 9th century. It was used mainly to write Primitive and Old Irish, and also to
write Old Welsh, Pictish and Latin. It was inscribed on stone monuments throughout Ireland, particuarly Kerry, Cork
and Waterford, and in England, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales, particularly in Pembrokeshire in south Wales.
The name Ogham is pronounced [om] or [om] in Modern Irish, and it was spelt ogam and pronounced [am] in
Old Irish. Its origins are uncertain: it might be named after the Irish god Ogma, or after the Irish phrase og-aim
(point-seam), which refers to the seam made by the point of a sharp weapon. Ogham is also known as or ogham
craobh (tree ogham) beth luis fearn or beth luis nion, after the first few letters.
Ogham probably pre-dates the earliest inscriptions - some scholars believe it dates back to the 1st century AD - as
the language used shows pre-4th century elements. It is thought to have been modelled on or inspired by the
Roman, Greek or Runic scripts. It was designed to write Primitive Irish and was possibly intended as a secret form
of communication.
While all surviving Ogham inscriptions are on stone, it was probably more commonly inscribed on sticks, stakes and
trees. Inscriptions are mostly people's names and were probably used to mark ownership, territories and graves.
Some inscriptions in primitive Irish and Pictish have not been deciphered, there are also a number of bilingual
inscriptions in Ogham and Latin, and Ogham and Old Norse written with the Runic alphabet.
Notable features
Type of writing system: alphabet
Number of letters: 25, which are grouped into five aicm (sing. aicme = group, class). Each aicme is named
after its first letter. Originally Ogham consisted of 20 letters or four aicm; the fifth acime, or Forfeda, was
added for use in manuscripts.
Writing surfaces: rocks, wood, manuscripts
Direction of writing: inscribed around the edges of rocks running from bottom to top and left to right, or left to
right and horizontally in manuscripts.
Letters are linked together by a solid line.
Used to write: Primitive and Old Irish, Pictish, Old Welsh and Latin
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Downloads
Transliteration
Translation
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From: Inchagoill Island, County Galway, Ireland
Transliteration
Translation
Source: http://www.prehistoricwaterford.com/news/the-stones/
Transliteration
Tengws werijonk
Tut raddassodd trs dtrebk dslondetun do bit.
Tgoddit in wsskan do atareregiy esyan kenutan writ dwan.
Bddar kina labartun writ alaliyan qos qennan bldaniys.
Issit andan esset brt wiras d bis writ alaliyan diyas bldniyas: mati ad tyomas.
Bowet samali qos qennan bldaniys.
Issit mati sodesin, esset brt aliyas uiras.
Bddar andan ran sodes qos qennan bldaniys.
Tong wo m brattan, esset brt trissas uiras, ma nt lggtar kiyunessus do m, imbit gabiy wsskan oliyan d
swi.
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Btar cen labrad fri araile co cenn bladnae.
Is and asbert fer diib fri araile dia bladnae, Maith attaam, olse.
Amein co cenn bladnae.
Is maith n, ol in indara fer.
Btar and ar suidiu co cenn bladnae.
Toingim fom aibit, ol in tres fer, manilicthe cinas dom co n-imgb in fsach uile dib.
Source: http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/sengoidelc/donncha/tm/ilteangach/
Texts in Latin
Transliteration
Translation
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From: The Book of Ballymote (Leabhar Bhaile an Mhta), written in 1390 or 1391.
Links
Information about Ogham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham_inscriptions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholastic_ogham
http://www.evertype.com/standards/og/ogmharc.html
Ogham transliterator
http://nuacht1.com/ogham/
ALPHABETUM - a Unicode font specifically designed for ancient scripts, including classical & medieval Latin,
ancient Greek, Etruscan, Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, Messapic, Picene, Iberian, Celtiberian, Gothic, Runic, Old &
Middle English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Old Nordic, Ogham, Kharosthi, Glagolitic, Old Cyrillic, Phoenician, Avestan,
Ugaritic, Linear B, Anatolian scripts, Coptic, Cypriot, Brahmi, Old Persian cuneiform:
http://guindo.pntic.mec.es/~jmag0042/alphabet.html
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Celtic languages
Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
Alphabets
Adlam,
Armenian,
Avestan,
Avoiuli,
Bassa (Vah),
Beitha Kukju,
Borama / Gadabuursi,
Carian,
Carpathian Basin Rovas,
Chinuk pipa,
Coorgi-Cox,
Coptic,
Cyrillic,
Dalecarlian runes,
Elbasan,
Etruscan,
Faliscan,
Galik,
Georgian (Asomtavruli),
Georgian (Nuskhuri),
Georgian (Mkhedruli),
Glagolitic,
Gothic,
Greek,
Irish (Uncial),
Kaddare,
Khazarian Rovas,
Korean,
Latin,
Lepontic,
Lycian,
Lydian,
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Manchu,
Merotic,
Messapic,
Mongolian,
N'Ko,
Ogham,
Old Church Slavonic,
Oirat Clear Script,
Old Italic,
Old Permic,
Orkhon,
Oscan,
Phrygian,
Pollard script,
Runic,
Santali,
Szkely-Hungarian Rovs (Hungarian Runes),
Somali (Osmanya),
Sutton SignWriting,
Tai Lue,
Thaana,
Todhri,
Umbrian,
Uyghur
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