Links for 2008-07-30
soc.culture.irish on “Cuil” meaning knowledge ‘eagerness, fearsomeness, a gnat, a horsefly, a beetle, a bluebottle, and (with the addition of a fada) a rear end, a reserve or backup, a corner, and an arse. The one thing it isn’t, according to the four dictionaries I just checked, is knowledge.’
James Grimes said,
August 1, 2008 @ 8:03 am
I’m not sure they ever claimed it was a direct translation, more just synonymous with knowledge. The name is a translation of the Irish for hazel (Coll). In Irish mythology the hazelnut was the “nut of knowledge or wisdom” if you can believe such a nut was required. MacCuill means “son of hazel”. The whole Salmon of Knowledge story is a bit misleading in that folk think the knowledge comes from the Salmon, when in fact it came from the hazelnuts which had fallen in the river and were eaten by the Salmon. The number of spots on a Salmons scales were said to indicate how many hazelnuts the Salmon had eaten. The Salmon was just a mule or patsy if you will in this whole sordid affair. Very unimpressive search engine so far all the same but then again why should we expect that it should be better. Becasue they worked in a company that did a good one? Seems a pretty weak reason to me…
Justin said,
August 1, 2008 @ 11:06 am
James, are you telling me the Bradán Feasa was a glory-hogging fake after all? omgwtf, my childhood is in tatters now.