Ségnat ingen Fháeláin is ainm dom. Tá mé bean Éireannach a bhfuil cónaí ar Penrhyn Llŷn.
Okay, that's about all the Irish Gaelic I can muster. Penrhyn Llŷn is in the kingdom of Gwynedd, and I currently live there with my lord, Morcant (pronounced mor-GANT) Hir. My grandfather Fáelán was a flaith of the Laigan king, who sent him across the Môr Iwerddon (Irish Sea) with his family to colonize this place after the Romans departed.
My mother was fostered by learned people in Ireland. She frequently hosted pilgrims who traveled through Penrhyn Llŷn on their way to Ynys Môn (Anglesley) and Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island). They enjoyed our hospitality during their travels; bringing my mother news of her tuath and thrilling me with tales of love, war and brave chieftains. As she could find no appropriate fosterage for me in our new home, I received my education from her. She was a fine healer and passed that knowledge on to me.
My lord's people are Gododdin (Votadini to the Romans) Picts who traveled here under the leadership of Cunedda Wledig. Morcant’s grandmother was his grandfather's Irish mistress which is ironic; given that he was sent to drive the Irish from Llŷn. This matter's little in Gwynedd. Here the law grants equal accession rights to both legitimate and illegitimate offspring.
It was my mother who arranged for me to wed my husband through her connections with his grandmother. She was dying and I believe this was her attempt to protect me from the coming unrest. I think perhaps she feared for my safety if I returned to Ireland with my father whose position was treacherous. We were married shortly before she died and my father returned to Ireland, to his death.
Story References:
http://www.libraryireland.com/Brehon-Laws/Flaiths.php http://www.digitalmedievalist.com/faqs/druid.html http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/CymruGwynedd.htm http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/caledonianspictsromans/votadini/index.asp http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/iron_01.shtml#nine http://ancientsites.com/aw/Post/349241 http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/britonsgaelsvikings/gododdin/index.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_Gododdin
Names and Documentation
Morcant (pronounced mor-GANT) Hir
Period: 5th-7th Century
Current Location: Gywenedd (Wales)
Heritage: Father - Gododdin Pict Mother - Irish
Registered with the SCA April 2012
Morcant's Grandfather's Name http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/BritainGoutodin.htm#Goutodin
The use of Morcant as a personal name from 500-1000 is documented here: http://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/morgan.shtml
Hir , used as a Welch byname, is mentioned in the article, “A Simple Guide to Constructing 13th Century Welsh Names” by Tangwystyl verch Morgant Glasvryn, however a list of kings of Gwynedd mentions Maelgwyn Gwynedd (Maglocunus) Hir (c517 – 549) and Rhun Hir (Rhun the Tall) (c.547-c.580), which indicates that this byname was used in the early 6th Century. http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/CymruGwynedd.htm
Ségnat ( pronounced SHAY-nat) ingen Fháeláin
Period: 5th-6th Century
Current Location: Gywenedd (Wales)
Heritage: Irish
Registered with the SCA April 2012
"Ségnat " is found on p. 164 of [Ó Corrain and Maguire, 1981]
It has been suggested to me by Domhnall na Moicheirghe of the kingdom of Lochac, that I go with the oldest known lenited form. I believe it might be more appropriate to use the punctum delens due to the time period of my persona. According to the article, “ The Spelling of Lenited Consonants in Gaelic”, the “h” would not have been used until after 1200 AD, but the author did state that by the 6th century F was being lenited by use of punctum delens over the letter. (Krossa) The SCA does not use the punctum delens, though, so I will use the oldest form available.
Donnchadh Corrain, Fidelma Maguire. Gaelic Personal Names. Dublin: Academy Press, 1981. Flamme, François la. "Gaelic (Irish, Manx, Scottish)."
Collected Precedents of the SCA (2003,December) http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents/CompiledNamePrecedents/Gaelic.html
Krossa, Sharon. "The Spelling of Lenited Consonants in Gaelic." Medieval Scotland (2003): http://medievalscotland.org/scotlang/lenition.shtml.