Letter | Name | Tree | Calendar | Meaning | |
|
Beith, Beit, Beth, Bethe | Birch | December-January | ||
|
Luis | Quicken, Rowan, Juniper, Mountain Ash | January-February | swarm | |
|
Nuin, Nion | Ash | February-March | ||
|
Fearn | Alder | March-April | shield | |
|
Suil, Sail, Saille | Willow | April-May | beam, eye, opening, sight | |
|
Uath, Uat | Whitethorn, Hawthorn | May-June | ||
|
Dair, Duir | Oak | June | rutting | |
|
Teine, Tinne, Teitne | Furze, Holly | July | fire | |
|
Coll, Call, Calltuinn | Hazel | August | ||
|
Muin | Vine | September | to piss, to teach | |
|
Gort, Gat, Gart | Ivy | October | garden, vineyard, enclosed field, standing corn | |
|
Peith, Peit, Pethboc (Beith-bhog, soft B) | Dwarf Elder | November | originally Ñ (Ngetal: Reed) | |
|
Ruis, Ruir | Elder, Alder | November-December | ||
|
Ailm | Elm, Silver Fir, Palm | Winter Solstice | ||
|
Oir, Onn | Broom, Furze (conas, conasg) | Spring Equinox | border, strife | |
|
Ur | Heath, Heather | Summer Solstice | new | |
|
Eádha, Eadad, Eubh | Aspen, White Poplar | Autumn Equinox |
death watch,
tingle in ear portending death |
|
|
Iodha, Ioda, Idho, Iubhar, Ibar | Yew, Ivy | Winter Solstice |
Notes.
There are 13 consonants and 5 vowels. Each consonant represents 28 days of the calendar, starting after the winter solstice. The Celtic feast days Oimelc (or Imbolc), Bealtaine, Lúnasa, and Samhain would occur, respectively, in the middle of Luis, the middle of Sail, the start of Muin, and the start of Peit.
The Celtic feast days (and normal life) followed a more practical solar calendar, 3 15-day periods (coicísí in Irish) after and 3 coicísí before each solstice and equinox, that is, 90-day seasons (ráithí in Irish) each beginning after the feast day (Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lúnasa, Samhain), with a solstice or equinox in the middle of each one. An extra day was likely given to the winter solstice, or two as required every 4 years.
The first variations listed above for name and tree are from Patrick Dinneen's An Irish-English Dictionary. The source for the calendar order is Robert Graves's The White Goddess. The normal order of the letters in the alphabet follows the Latin.
Correspondences to Hebrew should be noted: alef/ailm, beth/beit, he/eadha, yod/ioda, mem/muin, nun/nuin, ’ayin/onn, pe/peit, resh/ruis.