I recently posted the whole thing about my name on the Gaelic forum, but that was a different place! So I'll say it here too.
Danann has become my nickname for several reasons. The first is my name is Dannah, a derivation of Danu/Dana/anu if you look in the celtic books, other wise it is a conquered hill town that Joshua and the Israelites took over in Joshua 15:49. Both my sister and I were named after biblical towns/goddesses. My sister is Diane Bethany, and I am Dannah Kristine. Since I didn't want to be Deek on this board, I went with the celtic derivative of my name... but I didn't want to be too presumptuous and call myself a goddess... so I went with Danann which is short for Tuatha De Danann or people of the Goddess...
Irish legend says that the Tuatha de Danann (the people of the Goddess Danu/Dana/Anu) are the fairy folk; the fairies, pixies and brownies who inhabit the mounds, or Sidhe(Shee), of the Irish countryside. But upon closer examination, one discovers that the Tuatha de Dannan were actually a people who inhabited Ireland in times long past.
They say when the Tuatha de Danann first arrived in Ireland they landed in Connaught. Legend says that they landed on a mountain in ships of the sky that blotted out the sun for three days. Thus, from the mists they appeared. Some say that the story is simply a fabrication, while others conclude that the Tuatha upon landing, burned their ships, determined to stay in the land. My thoughts... the Tuatha de Dannan were just sick of the voyage and decided to settle down.
But the Tuatha were not welcomed by the current residents of Ireland, the Fir Bolg. After a time of negotiation, the two sides joined battle. The Fir Bolg were defeated, but they had given such a good fight that the Tuatha let them keep Connaught and took the rest of Ireland.
The Tuatha were a highly civilized people, and tradition holds that the Fir Bolg held their conquerors in high esteem. The people of the Goddess Danu possessed remarkable domestic skills; so much so, that those they conquered deemed the Tuatha magicians and gods.
The King of the Tuatha, Nuada, had lost an arm in the battle against the Fir Bolg. Tradition has it that because he was now blemished, he could no longer be King. In his place the champion of the Tuatha de Danann, Breas (part Formorian or Sea raider-can we say viking?), now became King.
Breas ruled for seven years, but in this time, he thoroughly disenchanted his people by bending to Formorian demands. The people were not well fed, the crops were poor, and the final straw came when Breas insulted a poet-and the Tuatha regared Poets and Bards as highly as they would warriors and gods. He was quickly ousted from command, and in his place returned Nuada, who now had a new arm made of silver.
Breas fled to the Hebrides, where he complained to his father, a Fomorian. A great army was again raised, so large that their ships filled the sea from Ireland to the Hebrides. Upon landing the Formorian host and Tuatha met in battle at northern Moytura, in Sligo. The Tuatha won the day and the power of the Formorians was broken forever in Ireland. Nuada died fighting the Formorians, and a hero of the battle, Lugh, became the new King of Ireland.
After Lugh, Dagda was king, and after Dagda followed his three grandsons. During the rule of the three grandsons, the Milesians came and in another great battle conquered the Tuatha de Danann. Supposedly Odin - or the man with a magic eye was the one that conquered them. The Legends say that from then on, the Tuatha were permitted to stay in Ireland, but underground only. From then on they became the fairy folk of legends.
The Tuatha's skills in the arts and domestic life were even respected by their conquerors the Milesians. It is said that the Tuatha had four great treasures or talismans that showed their skills in arts, crafts and magic. The first treasure was the Stone of Fal, which would scream whenever a true king of Ireland would place his foot on it. The next talisman was the Magic Sword of Nuada, a weapon that only inflicted mortal blows when drawn. The third treasure was the Sling-shot of the Sun God Lugh, that never missed its target. The final treasure is the Cauldron of Dagda from which an inexhaustible supply of food came forth.
ummm... oops. Sorry, bad habit... thus endeth the history lesson!
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So, I have an new site that is pretty neat, Check out Dannah's Home Page
Also, for original storys or thoughts from me, check out my blog: Dannah's Blog
I'm afraid mine is pretty boring. My name is Todd Sargent and I was born in 1962, hence tsargent62. I've been using it for a long time on various sites since it seems to be pretty unique. I used here because, at the time, I was only interested in the music and I needed a user name, so I used my standard. Had I planned on joining the forum I would have thought of something more interesting. If wouldn't lose my post count I would've changed it a long time ago.
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Cheers! Todd
Normal is a relative term. For some reason it is not a term my relatives use to describe me.
Group: Founder
Posts: 304
Joined: 02-Aug-2004 Zodiac: Oak
Realm: Orlando, FL
I picked Deckers as my user name because it's a noble name with a loooong mythical history that. . . oh, who am I kidding. It's my last name.
A "decker" is a mender of thatched roofs. It's Dutch, although it has its roots in Belgium. I suppose since Ireland still has some thatched roofs in use, it's appropriate.
So what's a Dutchman doing on a Celtic website? Well, not only do we share a common history (a Dutchman and a Scotsman invented copper wire when they found a penny), but we think that my mother's dad family is originally Scottish.
Erik Deckers
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[color=blue][b]Erik Deckers Visit my weekly humor blog Laughing Stalk[COLOR=blue]
I am a Christian and my name comes from the reference of my favorite Bible verse.
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then (meaning when Christ comes to earth again) face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I also am known.
BTW, Iago, four kids is nothing. One of my best friends is the third in a family of thirteen. It's not really a lot of people, just a big number.
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Leslie
~That would be an awfully big adventure.
~Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
Group: Celtic Nation
Posts: 911
Joined: 18-Nov-2003 Zodiac: Oak
Mine is the SCA name I chose to reflect my celtic ancestry. It is ancient Irish, recorded on Ogham stones from around the 4th century. The Middle Irish equivalent (and likely reflective of the original pronunciation) is likely Maelan maq Dunaed.
MacEoghainn is the Scot-Gaelic name of my Clan, MacEwen (my last name, Ewing, is some clerks attempt at spelling Eoghainn, as pronounced by one of my ancestors in his thick Scottish brogue).
It is also is a good represntation of who I am, Mac=son of, Eoghainn=Ewing, or son of Ewing(in this case a son of Edmund Robert Ewing), and I am my Father's son and proud to say so!
MacE
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MacE AKA Steve Ewing
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25
"Non sibi sed patriae!"
Reviresco (I grow strong again) Clan MacEwen motto
Audaciter (Audacity) My Ewing Family Motto (descendants of Baron William Ewing of Glasgow, born about 1630)
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln
"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." from "Epitoma Rei Militaris," by Vegetius
One night I had a very powerful and vivid dream where I was in a cathedral with 11 other men(all in armor) and we were all being given duties and talents. I received mine , walked outside and read the parchment given to me. It said (at least part of it): "I am Urian" It was part of an oath I was to recite. I took the name from that point on along with 2 others I got from dreams. One (shokar) I had been using for 5 or so years before and the second(lightbringer) I was given in a dream shortly after Urian. Urian Shokar Lightbringer was my name.
Your name sounds very Gorian to me! As mine some would say! Tal, Warrior!
I have been an avid cyclist for almost 15 years. (WOW, time flies) I have owned several bycycles, including road bikes, mountain bikes, and my favorite, a single-speed Surley mountain bike. In addition, I have never married, (which is why I can own a half-dozen bicycles), providing some additional inspiration.
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If you were accused of being a Christian, would your enemies have enough evidence to convict you? -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him keep pace with the music he hears, however measured or far away. -Henry David Thoreau
Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended upon man. - Cardinal Francis J. Spellman
My fiance calls me "dear" quite a lot, so I chose the Scottish name, Fearchara, because that is its meaning...so I don't have a long story to go with mine, but it means a lot to me. I have certainly enjoyed reading about all the other names; this is a great topic.
MacEoghainn is the Scot-Gaelic name of my Clan, MacEwen (my last name, Ewing, is some clerks attempt at spelling Eoghainn, as pronounced by one of my ancestors in his thick Scottish brogue).
It is also is a good represntation of who I am, Mac=son of, Eoghainn=Ewing, or son of Ewing(in this case a son of Edmund Robert Ewing), and I am my Father's son and proud to say so!
MacE
I hate to pick nits, but as my Scottish grandmother used to say, the Irish speak with a brogue. The Scottish speak with a burr.
Most of you will have probabily listen to "The Irish Rover" That's not only a song or a ship, but also a way of living... The Rover, the wanderer, the tinker, the roamer, they're not travelers, they're something more :-).
I enjoy quite a lot travelling in the rambling way. Hicht-hiking, camping, sleeping where you can, meeting people on they way, playing on the streets...
I'm Spanish, so the name comes on its own... And anyway, there are too many Irish Rover
From the Latin "Sham al layama" meaning "never trust anyone who would eat catfish and grits for breakfast".
Actually I've been online in one way or another for about 20 years now, and it's a username I've used often. It usually gives no clues as to gender, nationality, race, or age. Meaning I can stay a bit more anonymous that the average person. It was taken from the song "Shama Lama Ding Dong" as sung by Otis Day & The Knights in the movie 'Animal House'.
Shama Lama, ding dong. You put the ooh mou mou oh oh oh oh back into my smile, child
And NO, I have absolutely no idea what the lyrics mean.
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Clan Mac Cullaich: - Brewed in Scotland - Bottled in Ulster - Uncorked in America