The Faeries of Dulwich Woods

Glossary

A

·       Albion:   oldest known name of the island of Great Britain.

·       Angletwitch:   Pembrokeshire dialect for earthworm.

·       Arienh:   Oath (Brythonic Celtic).

·       Aval-Penn:   Apple-Head.  From aval (Cornish and Breton) and penn (Cornish, Breton).  See also pen (Welsh) and afal (Welsh).

·       Ars:   Bear.  From arzh (Breton) ors (Cornish) and arth (Welsh).

·       Avery:   Elf counsellor (Anglo Saxon).  French version of Alfred or Aelf raed 'elf' and 'to counsel'.

·                Azen:   Donkey (Breton).  See also asen (Cornish) and asyn (Welsh).

B

·       Ba:   Boy (Pembrokeshire dialect).

·       Badmash:   A dishonest or unprincipled man (From Urdu, from Persian bad/evil + Arabic ma'āš 'means of livelihood')

·       Balshag:   Ragged person (Pembrokeshire dialect).

·       Bangtan Boys:   an extremely popular, globally famous, seven-member South Korean boy band formed in South Korea in 2013.   They are the first to make the K-Pop genre fully mainstream and they are hugely popular with teenage girls.

·       Barnwyr:   Judge (Welsh).  See also barner (Breton), and barna - to judge (Cornish).

·       Bihan Ruz:   Little (Breton). Red (Breton).  See also bihan and rudh (Cornish) and becan (Celtic Irish).

·       Bleiz:   Wolf (Breton).  See also bleydh (Cornish) and blaidd (Welsh).

·       Bran:  Crow.  See brân (Welsh) and bran (Cornish and Breton).  It can also mean raven.  In Breton it refers to any bird of the genus Corvus.

·       Brian May:   Dr. Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician, singer, a brilliant songwriter and famed astrophysicist. He is one of the co-founders and the lead guitarist of the famed rock band Queen, penning many of their hits.  He attended Imperial College, abandoned his doctorate when Queen hit the big time and completed his 1971 PhD in 2007.

·       Brieg:   Esteem (Breton).  Used here to indicate snobbery as in 'high and mighty'.

·       Brownie:   Also know as pooka (Irish), bwca (Welsh), or brùnaidh or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic) .  A mischievous household spirit that sometimes comes out during the night to perform household chores or farmyard tasks while the owners sleep.  They vary in size, from as big as ordinary humans to small and wizened.  They are very loyal and will move house with their family.  However, they can be swift to take offence, and a bowl of milk or cream or some other small offering should be left by the hearth in the kitchen for them.  If one attempts to give a brownie clothing or to baptize him, he will leave forever.

C

·       Caffle:   Pembrokeshire dialect for mixed up, tangled or confused.

·       Calan Gaeaf:   The first day of winter in Wales, celebrated on the 1st of November.  (See also Calan Gwav - Cornish, and Kalan Goañv - Breton).  The Halloween Festival, which is October 31st today, was the last day of the Celtic year.  It was a day when the door between this world and the next opened.  Tribute was paid to the dead, but there was also fear of the spirits that were around.  To prevent these spirits from visiting their houses, people would light every fire in their homes.