Category Archives: Welsh

Calas

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: “Solidity.”

Pronunciation: (CAH-lass)

Nicknames: Cal, Cala, Cali

Calas comes from the same root as caled, Welsh for “hard,” and means “solidity.”

As an element, calas is the source of form, differentiation, manifestation, and stability. Its image in nature is stone.

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.

Gwyar

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: “Blood; flow, fluidity.”

Pronunciation: (GOO-yar)

Nicknames: Yari, Gw

Gwyar literally means “blood” in old Welsh, but its more general meaning is “flow” or “fluidity.”

As an element, gwyar is the source of change, motion, growth, and decay. Its image in nature is running water.

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.

Nwyvre

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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”

Nimue

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Welsh

Pronunciation: (NIM-oo-ay)

Nicknames: Nim, Moon

Detail: A moon goddess who was sometimes called Lady of the Lake. The Lady of the Lake is usually referred to by various spellings of the names Nimue or Vivienne.

Nimue is thought to be related to Mneme, the shortened form of Mnemosyne, one of the nine water-nymph Muses of Roman and Greek Mythology who gave weapons, not unlike Arthur‘s sword, to the heroic Perseus.

Gawain

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Beheading of the Green Knight, Cotton Nero

Gender: Masculine

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: “White hawk of battle.”

Pronunciation: (GOW-wihn)

Detail: Gawain is King Arthur‘s nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. He is one of a select few of the Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight. And he is quite a chivalrous knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Eluned

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Gender: Feminine

Origin: Welsh

Meaning: debated “She of Great Desire.” “Idol; image.”

Eluned derived from Welsh -el “greatly, much” + (i)uned “wish, desire.” Or from Welsh eilun “image, idol.”

Pronunciation: Eng (eh-LOON-ed); Welsh (el-EEN-ed)

Detail: Eluned was a handmaiden of the Lady of the Fountain in the Welsh Arthurian romance Owein. She had a magic ring which rendered the wearer invisible – one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. Eluned’s beauty and intelligence were legendary. This was also the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint.

Nicknames: Luna, Elle, Lena, Lune, Ned

Variations:

  • Alud (Welsh)
  • Eiluned (Welsh)
  • Elined (Welsh)
  • Eliwedd (Welsh)
  • Elyned (Welsh)
  • Lenae
  • Linetta
  • Luned (Welsh)
  • Lunet
  • Lunetta
  • Lunette (French)

Arthur

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painting by Frank Dicksee

Name Day: November 15

Gender: Masculine

Origin: debated

Meaning: (Celtic) “Bear; Stone” (Germanic) “Thor, eagle.”

Nicknames: Art, Artie, Thor

Detail: King Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century.

Lucius Artorius Castus was a Roman officer who lived in the late second century.

St. Arzhel was born in Wales in 482, founded a monastery in the Forest of Broceliande in Brittany. Famed as a magician, Arzhel was summoned to King Childebert’s court in Paris. After his death, Arzhel’s name was invoked to end droughts.

Variations:

  • Aart (Dutch)
  • Anthanasios (Greek)
  • Artair (Scottish)
  • Artek (Polish), Artis (Czech)
  • Arto (Finnish)
  • Artorius (Latin)
  • Artturi (Finnish)
  • Arturo (Italian and Spanish)
  • Arzhel (Celtic) [AHR-zel]
  • Arzhul (Celtic) [AHR-zool]
  • Arzhur (Celtic) [AHR-zoor]
  • Atze (German)
  • Thanasis (Greek)
  • Thanos (Greek)

Isolde

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Sophia Myles

 

Gender: Feminine

Meaning: (Welsh) “Beautiful; fair lady.” Or (Germanic) “Ice princess.”

Pronunciation: (ih-ZOLD)

Origin: The origin of Isolde is somewhat disputed. It might derive from the Welsh word “esyllt,” meaning “beautiful”; it might also derive from the Germanic words for “ice” and “to rule.”

Detail: In Arthurian legend, this is the name a tragic princess who was the lover of Tristan.

Variations:

  • Essylt (Old Irish)
  • Esyllt (Welsh)
  • Iseult (Old French)
  • Ishild (Ancient Germanic)
  • Isold (English)
  • Isolda (English)
  • Isolina (Italian)
  • Isolt (English)
  • Isolte (English)
  • Isotta (Italian)
  • Izolda (Polish)
  • Yseult (Old French)
  • Ysolt (Celtic)