Irish Translation Forum

Hi all. Is there an Irish Gaelic word for a male witch or male magician? Something masculine - I don't want it to be like calling a man a "witch" in English (since "witch" has such a female connotation). English doesn't seem to have the correct word I'm looking for. Is there any Irish Gaelic word for a man who is magical or practices magic that has a strictly masculine connotation?

Thanks,
Kelley

mimerim wrote:Hi all. Is there an Irish Gaelic word for a male witch or male magician? Something masculine - I don't want it to be like calling a man a "witch" in English (since "witch" has such a female connotation). English doesn't seem to have the correct word I'm looking for. Is there any Irish Gaelic word for a man who is magical or practices magic that has a strictly masculine connotation?

Thanks,
Kelley

What BB gave you is correct, but I just want to add that English DOES have a word for the male equivalent of a witch: warlock.

Redwolf

Thank you both. And yes, Redwolf, but warlock has always seemed kind of silly to me, I'm not sure why.
And after posting I thought of the exact word I need. "Shaman"

Does Asarlaí have the same meaning to Irish speakers as shaman does to English speakers?

In a word ..No

Shaman
1. (Non-Christian Religions / Other Non-Christian Religions) a priest of shamanism
2. (Non-Christian Religions / Other Non-Christian Religions) a medicine man of a similar religion, esp among certain tribes of North American Indians
[from Russian shaman, from Tungusian s̆aman, from Pali samana Buddhist monk, ultimately from Sanskrit śrama religious exercise]

mimerim wrote:Thank you both. And yes, Redwolf, but warlock has always seemed kind of silly to me, I'm not sure why.
And after posting I thought of the exact word I need. "Shaman"

Does Asarlaí have the same meaning to Irish speakers as shaman does to English speakers?

Asarlaí translates most directly as "sorcerer/conjuror." I've also seen it used as "wizard."

There's also Draíodóir -- Magician -- and Draoi -- Druid. Though if you're thinking of a shaman, neither of these would work. Shamanism wasn't practiced in Ireland.

Redwolf

Dictionary.com says

sha·man
 
 /ˈʃɑmən, ˈʃeɪ-, ˈʃæmən/ Show Spelled[shah-muhn, shey-, sham-uhn] Show IPA
–noun
(esp. among certain tribal peoples) a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc.


This is pretty close to the definition I want. Not specific to Shamanism, of course. Does either Asarlaí or Draíodóir have a slightly spiritual meaning? Not so much as something like the word "priest" would of course. But I need a meaning for someone who can do more than just magic tricks.

I can't use Draoi because it's too indicative of Druidism. Need something a little less specific.

So, what would you call a spiritual person who has a grasp of the supernatural, who can do spells, read minds, fortell the future, talk to animals, has a sixth sense (just *knows* things), manipulate the environment.. and not in a batty old lady way, in a very well respected way. Like a shaman. But not specific to Shamanism.

So sorry I'm beating this to death. It has to be right.

mimerim wrote:Dictionary.com says

sha·man
 
 /ˈʃɑmən, ˈʃeɪ-, ˈʃæmən/ Show Spelled[shah-muhn, shey-, sham-uhn] Show IPA
–noun
(esp. among certain tribal peoples) a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc.


This is pretty close to the definition I want. Not specific to Shamanism, of course. Does either Asarlaí or Draíodóir have a slightly spiritual meaning? Not so much as something like the word "priest" would of course. But I need a meaning for someone who can do more than just magic tricks.

I can't use Draoi because it's too indicative of Druidism. Need something a little less specific.

So, what would you call a spiritual person who has a grasp of the supernatural, who can do spells, read minds, fortell the future, talk to animals, has a sixth sense (just *knows* things), manipulate the environment.. and not in a batty old lady way, in a very well respected way. Like a shaman. But not specific to Shamanism.

So sorry I'm beating this to death. It has to be right.

No...neither has a spiritual aspect. They simply mean "magician" or "wizard."

Language is, to a great extent, informed by culture and history. In Ireland, the role you're describing would have belonged to the druids historically (and, in the mythical realm, of course, the sióga).

Certainly there have been people throughout Ireland's post-druidic history who have been thought to have second sight and the like (though it seems to me, at least in the tales I've read, that they're mostly women), but I'm not sure if there's a special name for them. Someone else may know.

Redwolf

Redwolf, what is a sióga?

mimerim wrote:Redwolf, what is a sióga?

"Sióga" is plural of "sióg"..."fairy."

Redwolf