 |
 |
|  |
 |
|
|
| |
|
 obhniu is thought of by most to be the Irish god of smith-craft. He is noted for his spears, weapons that never miss their mark and are always lethal. But like most things Irish, it's a wee bit more complicated and like a good riddle, of which the Irish were particularly fond, the complexities aren't obvious at first glance.
His name, also found in the forms: Goibne; Goihnann; Gaibhnenn; Gobnenn; Gobniu, is from the Old Irish word for smith: gabha1 or gobha . Down through the ages, he has been called upon for protection, which makes sense, for healing and long life, and to ensure a good yield of butter...Now, just what does a smith have to do with butter?..Well you know, he had this marvelous cow, the Glas Ghaibhleann, and she could...well, we'll get to her later. Our revered smith is often partnered with two associates, Credne and Luchta. Credne is a craftsman and works in bronze while Luchta is woodworker and wheelwright. Things begin to get interesting when you crack open a dictionary and look at where names come from. We've already established that Gobhniu is from gobha for smith. Let's look at the others. Credne is considered an artisan; his name can be traced to the word ceárad; craftsman. Related words are: ceárdcha: forge and smithy, ceárd: art, science, function, trade, habit, calling, also a feat of agility or arms, poetry, a worker, a poet, an artist. Ceárd also means a corner, a point, a direction. Ceárdadnar means craft, ingenuity, technique and technology. Ceárdamàil means curious, cunning, well-wrought, artistic. Ceárdamlacht means the state of being wrought artistically. When we get to Luchta things go off into left field altogether. The word luchta has nothing to do with any type of woodworking, not directly anyway. According to both our Gaelic dictionaries it means people, folk, a crew, a tribe, a class of persons. Another word with identical spelling means a portion, a load, content. The word is generally used with a defining clause such as luchta céirde - trades-people. What does this mean? While I'm not about to fall into the trap of interpreting the philosophical thought of people who lived some three thousand years ago, it does give us an interesting peek into the mind of the early Irish. There seems to be a three-tiered mode of expression going on.
Again, what does this mean exactly? I don't really know, I wasn't there and it's difficult to establish just when this "philosophy" if that's what it is, developed. At first glance it could refer to a technological and societal time line - first came the refining of raw ore, followed by technological innovation in developing metal-craft, leading to the formation of a "class" of people involved in metallurgy i.e.: mining, smelting, shipping raw materials, crafting, and selling/trading finished goods. Or in a more general way, luchta could refer to the establishment of specializes trades. Which, as we're about to see, is a fairly accurate description of the way things unfolded. Notes: 1. Unless otherwise indicated, all Irish terms are from Dinneen's Gaelic/English dictionary, see bibliography for details. |
refining of raw material, as defined by Gobhniu