Irish Translation Forum

Hello All,

Well, my triathlon is Sunday, and I still don't have an Irish name for my bike. So far, the front runners are An Gaoth Aniar and Capall Eitilte.

I'm wondering if I can borrrow the name of a famous and perhaps magical horse from Celtic legend. Does anyone know if either Cuchulain or Fin MacCumhail had a horse, whose name we know?

While looking for this, I noticed that Fin's name is said to come from "fin cumhal" meaning "white cap." If this is true, then would a white horse be Capall Bán or Capall Fionn?

(and while we’re at it, how come Fin's name wouldn’t be “cumhall fin”?)

Also... I find both capall and each for "horse." Is there a distinction between when the two words are used?

Many thanks (céad mile thanks).

Capall Bán = white horse

Fionn the name means The Fair or Fair-Haired, and the surname is MacCumhail, telling you what family he belonged to, it has nothing to do with a cap.

I would suggest naming your bike after Oisín's "white horse" that carried him safely to and from Tír na nÓg. I don't think there was a particular horse attributed to Cú Chulainn, nor do I remember any horse being mentioned by name in Irish legend.

Sounds good. Did Oisín call his "white horse" Capall Bán?

Has anyone got a good link to the Annals where this story comes up in Irish??

deilf wrote:Sounds good. Did Oisín call his "white horse" Capall Bán?

Not to my knowledge. I don't think they named horses. The only animal pet name I know is Fionn Mac Cumhaill's dog, which was called Bran.


"Each" is an older word for horse. It was superseded by "capall" which comes from Norman French "cheval".

I looked on http://www.shee-eire.com (thanks again Ailill ) and I didn't find any horse names; neither do I remember reading about any named horses of Irish mythology in the course of my research. In the parts of the legends that I'm familiar with, the heroes tended to use chariots rather than single horses.

I don't know if these will be of any use, but just in case, let me throw out a couple more tidbits . . .

There is an Irish folk tale about a black horse that had magical powers and could take the rider anywhere in the world, but the story never mentions a name for the horse (which actually turned out to be an enchanted boy).

There was also the Celtic Goddess of the Upper Realm, or the Goddess of Horses, depending on your source - Epona, which means "horse-goddess" according to http://www.paganpoet.com/articles/celtreligion.htm (search the page for the word "horse"). And here's a nifty picture that's somehow related: http://www.giftsplush.com/jodberirhorl.html

David

P.S. something interesting I noticed on http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/iri-myth.html: in mythology, Ailill was the name of the husband of queen Méabh? Is this a coincidence?

The horse of Nimah Cinn Óir that whisked her and Oisín off to Tír na nÓg was supposed to have been "Embarr" or "Iombarr."

I think they must have named their horses: it would have been kind of awkward if they were all called "Each" or "Capall."

oisin718 wrote:I think they must have named their horses: it would have been kind of awkward if they were all called "Each" or "Capall."

That makes sense - maybe nobody thought the horses were important enough to record their names.

poor horses . . . nobody thinks about the horses . . .

wdsci wrote:

oisin718 wrote:I think they must have named their horses: it would have been kind of awkward if they were all called "Each" or "Capall."

That makes sense - maybe nobody thought the horses were important enough to record their names.

poor horses . . . nobody thinks about the horses . . .

Yep, the sure signs of a patriarchal society!! If we lasses were in control, you'd have a every horse in history recorded with a name like cam or siúcra with the names of the heros long forgotten!!

I thought cam meant bent/crooked/dishonest? Not quite what I'd think about horses!

I bet if you lasses were in control, the heroes would have been women, too - excuse me, heroines . . .

David