Texts

Tréide cétna labratar iarna genemain ‘The three who first spoke after birth’

  • Middle Irish
  • Medieval Irish literature, Medieval Irish literature about poets
First words
"Cia tréide cétna labratar iarna genemain fó chétoir ⁊ cid ro-labraiset" (LL and YBL), meaning "Who were the three who first spoke immediately after birth and what did they say?"
Manuscripts
ff. 126a–126b
Ends with a lacuna in the manuscript. The last portion is now missing from the text.
Language
  • Middle Irish
Textual relationships
Related: De scriptoribus Hibernicis (Mac Fir Bhisigh)De scriptoribus Hibernicis (Mac Fir Bhisigh)View incoming dataLeabhar mór na ngenealach (Dubhaltach Mac Fhir Bhisigh)Leabhar mór na ngenealach (Dubhaltach Mac Fhir Bhisigh)View incoming data

Classification

Medieval Irish literatureMedieval Irish literature
...

Medieval Irish literature about poetsMedieval Irish literature about poets
...

Subjects

Morann
Morann, Morand
mythical judge (brithem) who is said to have given instructions of wisdom to the young king of Tara, Feradach Find Fechtnach son of Crimthann Nia Náir, after the revolt of the aithech-thúatha; besides Audacht Morainn, a number of further texts relating to wisdom and law are attributed to him.

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Aí mac Olloman
Aí mac Olloman
Aí (‘poetic inspiration, learning’) mac Olloman, a minor character of the Túatha Dé Danann, whose father Ollam (‘chief poet’) is sometimes identified as a son of Delbáeth.

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Noíndiu Noíbrethach
Noíndiu (var. Noínniu, Noídiu) Noíbrethach
‘Infant (?) of nine judgments’, obscure figure given as one of three persons (the others being Morann and Aí mac Olloman) who spoke directly after birth. Noíndiu is said to have uttered nine maxims about the responsibilites of mothers.

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Sources

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[dipl. ed.] Best, Richard Irvine, and M. A. OʼBrien, The Book of Leinster, formerly Lebar na Núachongbála, vol. 2, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1956. xi + pp. 261-470 + 2 pl.
CELT – pp. 400-470: <link>
469–470 Diplomatic edition of the LL text.
[ed.] [tr.] Thurneysen, Rudolf [ed. and tr.], “Die drei Kinder, die gleich nach ihrer Geburt sprachen”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 20 (1936): 192–204.
CELT – edition (pp. 193–197): <link>
Edited and translated (into German) from the YBL recension.
[ed.] [tr.] Dobbs, Margaret E., “The story of Noidhiu Nae-mBreathach”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 19 (1933): 48–52.
Story of Noíndiu edited and translated from YBL, col. 810
[ed.] [tr.] Thurneysen, Rudolf [ed. and tr.], “Zur keltischen Literatur und Grammatik: 1. Morand und sein sín”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 12 (1918): 271–278.
CELT – edition (pp. 272-274): <link> CELT – German translation (pp. 274-277): <link> Internet Archive: <link>
Edited and translated (into German).

Secondary sources (select)

Carney, James P., “The deeper level of Irish literature”, The Capuchin Annual 36 (1969): 160–171.
Some discussion, with translation.
Radner, Joan N., “‘Men will die’: poets, harpers and women in early Irish literature”, in: Ann T. E. Matonis, and Daniel F. Melia (eds), Celtic language, Celtic culture: a festschrift for Eric P. Hamp, Van Nuys, California: Ford & Bailie, 1990. 172–186.
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen, Patrick Brown
Page created
February 2011, last updated: January 2024