R, ruis, the dwarf elder in Ogham. The rochat, or ... - Rodney Mackay

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king Ragalach was assassinated on its grounds. In times past Connaught, Ireland, was alternately called Cruachan from the fame of this residence of the semi-mythic goddess-queen. Notice the implications of the word crogan , a drink of blood taken to inspire the bloodfury which the Norse called the berserker-rage. Rathcrogan has the further sense of “penfold of the banshee,” or “death-maiden.” “The manner of the house was this: There were seven companies in it from the fire to the wall. all round the house. Every (circular) compartment had a face of bronze. The whole was composed of beautifully carved yew wood. Three strips of bronze were laid in at the door of each compartment. The house from here out was built of pine. A covering of oak shingles was what it had externally. Sixteen windows were in it, each with a shutter of bronze, and bars of bronze were made to close each shutter. Ailill and Mebd’s compartment was at the centre of the house and it had a doorway front of silver and gold. There was a wide band of silver on the side of it that rose to the ridge of the house, and reached all around it from one side of the door to the other.” It is said that “the place was surrounded by five concentric ramps, three of which may still be seen.” Confers with the next. RÀTH CRUACHAN, the famous western royal-residence of the witch-queen Mebd and her consort Ailill in County Connaught. As we have seen, access to the west usually involved an imrama. While the water route was the most commonly used we have noted souterrains, which offered immediate “temporal displacement” from one world to the other. The most famous cave-entrance was Ràth Cruachan, the “Fortress of the Hip, or Hump,” which was once the personal property of Mebd. The name Cruachan was frequently given as an alternate name for Connacht province, and the old hill itself was described by Christian scribes as the “Gate of Hell.” The fact that the hill is also termed Ràthcróghan ties it more firmly to the old warrior queen, for the word cró is
Gaelic for a animal killing pen, blood, death, or a passageway (for example, the eye of a needle). Note also the fact that the Scottish word “cro” indicates “the weregild (i.e. banshee) of the various individuals in the Scoto-Celtic Kingdom, from the king on downwards.” The ending gann indicated something which is “hurtful.” “The arms of the guests were hung above the arms of all other persons in that house." This ràth was of dry masonry with a wall thirteen feet thick at the base, surrounded by five concentric ramps, three of which may still be seen. Mebd also possessed an eastern residence termed Ràth Mebd, situated in County Meath. Notice that "Many examples of souterrains (underground dwellings) occur in connection with forts...In some cases they are completely enclosed by the forts...(however) not every fort contains a souterrain and not all souterrains are enclosed in or connected with forts. "The site of this fortress remains as a huge ruin three miles north-west of Tulsk, County Rothcommon. It is a circular site about an acre in extent, surrounded by so many other structures, it has been described as “a town of fortresses.” Ràth Cruachan was still in use as the royal capital of the province in 645 A.D. when king Ragallach was assassinated there. The cavern of Cruach was not an easy entrance for there were guardians, some of which emerged into the world of men. One of these was Aillén, a malevolent Otherworld monster who used to come out of the cave at the unbinding season of Samhain. A pyromaniacal dreag , or dragon, he lulled the defenders of Tara to sleep with sea-music and then consumed them, often leaving their residences in fiery ruin. This went on until Fionn mac Cumhail opposed his music by pressing the blade of his magic spear to his forehead. He then drove off the beast and then beheaded it. Airtiech was another supernatural resident of Cruachan. He had three daughters who once assumed the shape of werewolves and raided the countryside in every direction.
Page 1 and 2: R, ruis, the dwarf elder in Ogham.
Page 3 and 4: RAITHEACH, REITHEACH, covenanting,
Page 5 and 6: eincarnation. It is no accident tha
Page 7: digging up the latter. Ràth origin
Page 11 and 12: what the future might hold for him
Page 13 and 14: was "two mean to feed an eyestone (
Page 15 and 16: the Dal Riada of Ulster and Alba, t
Page 17 and 18: knights.” In folklore the word is
Page 19 and 20: kill him while he remained vigorous
Page 21 and 22: Mortal-gods who went "to earth" wer
Page 23 and 24: RIGH-RATH, the Royal fortress or se
Page 25 and 26: to the sacrifice of horses in ancie
Page 27 and 28: arts and crafts. Related to ros, kn
Page 29: ON. runr, Eng. runes. The root is r

R, ruis, the dwarf elder in Ogham. The rochat, or ... - Rodney Mackay

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