The Keltic taste in names was of the grand order, generally in many syllables, and lofty in sense and sound, much in the style of the Red Indian. Thus we find Brithomar, the great Briton; Bathanat, son of the boar; Louarn, the fox; Carvilius, friend of power, among the Kymric nations of England and the Continent: and in less complimentary style, Mandubrath, man of black treason. This man of black treason was, in Britain, Avarddwy Bras, also called one of the three disgraceful men of Britain. It is said that Caswallon had murdered Avarddwy’s father, and afterwards set out on what the Triads call one of the three unwise armaments, which weakened the force of the country. The cause is romantically described by the Triads to have been, that his lady-love, Flur, had been carried away by a Prince of Gascony to be presented to Julius Cæsar; moreover, the Mabinogion says, he and his two friends went as far as Rome to recover her, disguised as shoemakers, whence they are called the three bold shoemakers of the Isle of Britain. The aid that he gave the Gauls does, in fact, seem to have attracted the notice of Cæsar, and the black treason was Avarddwy’s invitation to the Romans. He was the father of Aregwydd Voeddog, whose second name, derived from victory, was certainly the same as Boadicea, though her deed identifies her with Cartismandua. Caswallon, or Cassivellaunus, as the Romans called him, is sometimes explained as Cas-gwall-lawn, chief of great hatred, sometimes as lord of the Cassi. The Gaels have many grand men’s names, but, perhaps, have used the most poetry in those of their women. Feithfailge, honeysuckle ringlets; Lassairfhina or Lassarina, flame or blush of the wine; Lassair, or flame, the same in effect as the Italian Fiamma; Alma, all good, a real old Erse name, before the babes of September 1854, were called Alma, after the Crimean river, which probably bore a Keltic name; Bebhirn, or, as Macpherson writes it, Vevina, the sweet woman; Essa, the nurse; Gelges, white swan; Luanmaisi, moon fairness; Ligach, pearly.
Yet thirst had her namesake, Ita; Diédrè was fear; Dorvenn, sullen; Uailsi, pride; Unchi, contention.
All of these, and many besides, have entirely fallen into desuetude, and all the Keltic countries have a practice of adopting names from their neighbours, supposed to answer to their own, but often without the slightest affinity thereto.
Thus Anmcha, courageous, is supposed to be translated by Ambrose; Aneslis is rendered by Stanislaus; Fachtna, is Festus; Baothgalach, or rashly courageous, Boethius.
Corruptions must be permitted to our English tongues and throats, which break down at a guttural, so it is no wonder that Dorchaidha, or patronymic O'Dorchaidhe, should be sometimes turned into D'Arcy, sometimes D'Orsay, and sometimes into Darkey, which really translates the word; and sometimes Darcy; but it is rather hard when we have to read Archibald for Gillespie, and Edward for Diarmaid.[[96]]
[96]. Villemarqué; O'Donovan; Highland Society’s Gaelic Dictionary.
CHAPTER II.
ANCIENT KELTIC NAMES.
Section I.—Welsh Mythic Names.
Welsh myths we say advisedly, for whether these were really Druidical myths or not, they have become so much disguised by Welsh bards, down to Christian times, that there is no knowing what was the original framework. Our concern is with the names connected with these traditions.