From: mongoose@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Conrad Leviston)
Subject: Re: Green pentagonal pentacles? (was Re: wearing pagan/pentacle jewelry)
Organization: Monash University General Access Unix
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 03:13:15 GMT

Jeffrey Robert Morton (mortoj@marcus.its.rpi.edu) wrote:

: Originally used for inscriptions on pillar stones or wands, it will be easier
: for me to explain it as if it were tilted 90 degrees.

	It has been suggested that oghams were originally hand signals. I
tend to agree with this for reasons I will later detail.

: The letters, when written on paper, are written as straight or angled lines
: going over a central line (much as we stay between two lines, they stayed on
: one line) 
: First the vowels.  These are written as lines that extend each way, though they
: were originally written as dots.  i.e.
:        a     o      u       e         i
:        I     II     III     IIII      IIIII
:  -----------------------------------------------
:        I     II     III     IIII      IIIII

: There is then a set of five consonants (starting with b), with the same type 
: of progression;
:        b

:  -------------
:        I

: Then another set of consonants (starting with H)
:        h
:        I
:  --------------


: There is then a set of five consonants with a progression of diagonal lines;
:        m   g    ng    st     R  
:         /   //   ///   ////   /////
:  ------------------------------------------
:      /   //   ///   ////   /////

: Finally, there is a set of very odd letters, some of which I cannot produce
: with ascii. (but I'll try)
: (I have to double the size of some of these letters for them to be made properly
:        p       oi       ui         io          ae
:      \    /   /\                 \\    //     
:       \  /   /  \                 \\  //
: ----------------------------------------------------------
:       /  \   \  /       /         //  \\      -|-|-|-|-
:      /    \   \/       (_)       //    \\     -|-|-|-|-
:                                               -|-|-|-|-
:                                               -|-|-|-|-

	The 'ae' symbol here is a group of four by four. Three by three
would be easier to write down, but more difficult to display using
fingers. The hand gesture theory also explains why the oghams are put into
groups of five (although I'll admit that this evidence is by no means
entirely convincing).
	For a more detailed (and probably coherent) argument for the hand
signals theory, see R.S. MacAllister, 'Secret languages of ancient
Ireland'.

: Well, some of these are not the best representations, but they'll do.  You may
: notice some discrepancy between the letters as written here and as you know 
: them (if you know ogam).  Books are not always accurate, and I have only looked
: at several. 

	I though these were quite decent representations. |-)

: Jeff

: -- 
: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
:      "For every darkness there is a light, for every dusk, a dawn."
:                                                      --uncertain
: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
Conrad Leviston	 | Got to find a brightness in the soul,
mongoose@yoyo.	 | Not look outside to find out where we are,
cc.monash.edu.au | Otherwise you won't be satisfied, 
Save the gherkin | 'Til you've made possession of the stars. (K.Wallinger)