Here are ten random facts about Ogham which you may not know.
- Another name for Ogham alphabet is Celtic tree alphabet as each letter is assigned a tree or plant name. The Original Ogham alphabet has 20 letters and 20 trees associated with it.
- Over 400 examples of Ogham stones and fragments of various shapes and sizes have survived, each with its own unique biography and story. You can find them all over the Ireland, mostly in Kerry, Cork and Waterford. Also in England, Scotland, the Isle of Man and Wales.
- There are 3 different periods of Ogham: Monumental Ogham (carved in stones and woods), Manuscript Ogham and Scholastic Ogham. They are dated from 4th century to present day.
- Ogham was mainly used to write Primitive and Old Irish, and also to write Old Welsh, Latin and Pictish.
- Ogham generally reads upwards, from the bottom up if it’s written vertically (on stones and woods). If written horizontally, reads from left to the right (manuscripts). Some inscriptions contain an arrow at the beginning to show a direction in which the inscription should read.
- Original Ogham alphabet has 20 letters. In 9th century, 5 more letters were added to denote two vowels side by side – EA, OI, UI, IA, AE. Adapting to meet the modern 26 letter alphabet, some letters are substituted. K is replaced with C, J with I, V with F, W with U, Y with I, P with Q. Later, new symbol was added for P.
- The letter P did not exist at all. Until the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland, the letter P had never been spoken or written. The native people who greeted Patrick lacked the linguistic skills to create the letter P, so they used Q instead. Much later, new symbol was added for P, even people still use Q as a substitute for P.
- Ogham’s primary purpose was writing and recording names. Ogham stones were used as an evidence of ownership and tracks of land – a way to define family territories.
- Some believe that Druids invented Ogham, and used it as a secret language and to carve their magic.
- There is a theory that Ogham may have been named for the Irish God Oghma – God of Communication. Oghma (Ogma) has a gift of poetic prowess and the ability to write. By the theory Ogham alphabet wasn’t just named, but invented by Oghma as well.
