Nwyvre

swiftly runs the Sun in the sky

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: “Sky; energy.”

Pronunciation: (NOOiv-ruh)

Nicknames: Nw, Noo

Detail: Variation of Nwyfre. Nwyfre appears to be connected to the somewhat familiar Middle Welsh word nwyf meaning “energy” or “vigour”.

Nwyfre itself is demonstrated as a poetic word in various medieval Welsh manuscripts, where it means “sky” or “heaven” or “firmament”, and figuratively the “ether”.

As an element, nwyfre is the source of life and consciousness, and modern Druids often refer to it simply as the life force. Its image in nature is blue sky.

Druid Revival lore contains a set of three elements that first appears in Iolo Morganwg’s writings. Whether it’s an invention of Iolo’s or a surviving scrap of some older teaching is anyone’s guess, but the three elements have been part of Druid Revival teaching ever since his time. Their names are Nwyfre, Gwyar, and Calas.

In the Book of Taliesin:

Welsh: “atwyn heul yn ehwybyr yn nwyfre”

English: “swiftly runs the Sun in the sky”