{"id":710,"date":"2023-02-26T20:23:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T02:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/?p=710"},"modified":"2023-03-05T09:22:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-05T15:22:36","slug":"the-gathan-dubha-and-the-twelve-winds-of-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/the-gathan-dubha-and-the-twelve-winds-of-color\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gathan-Dubha &#038; the Twelve Winds of Color"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"710\" class=\"elementor elementor-710\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c3c4093 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c3c4093\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d7c0643\" data-id=\"d7c0643\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-904fb4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"904fb4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 08-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ridersonthestormeugenebudden.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-713\" alt=\"Riders on the Storm, by Eugene Budden.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ridersonthestormeugenebudden.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ridersonthestormeugenebudden-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ridersonthestormeugenebudden-768x551.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">\"Riders on the Storm,\" by Eugene Budden.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b6266c2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b6266c2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a2b5fba\" data-id=\"a2b5fba\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1cd2ce4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1cd2ce4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.18.0 - 08-12-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Who has seen the wind?<br \/>Neither I nor you:<br \/>But when the leaves hang trembling,<br \/>The wind is passing through.<br \/><br \/>Who has seen the wind?<br \/>Neither you nor I:<br \/>But when the trees bow down their heads,<br \/>The wind is passing by.<br \/><br \/><\/p>\n<p>~ Nursery Rhyme written by Christina Rossetti, circa 1872.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c6c83b7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c6c83b7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c0736ce\" data-id=\"c0736ce\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9165724 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9165724\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAs I write this, we\u2019re preparing for storms in my hometown this evening. Weather.com has warned us that: \u201cThere is a likely risk of severe weather today. Wind, tornadoes and hail are possible. Look out for damaging winds. Stay aware and be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>The skies are already darkening; the wind is indeed beginning to rise; and I know that if the storms come, so, too, will the <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em>, the Storm Riders \u2014 \u201cthe dark undulations seen in falling rain, when gusts of wind compress and scatter the rain like the waves of the sea&#8230;.<em>Cho luath ris na gathan-dubha<\/em>, as swift as the storm-riders; <em>cho l\u00econmhor ris na gathan-dubha<\/em>, as numerous as the black darts.\u201d[1]<\/p>\n\n<p>I have worked with the <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em> for many long years now, and once in a ritual, I described them thusly:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote>Suddenly, there comes such a horrific sound that it is almost deafening. It is the rasp and rush of a horde of howling and snarling winds surging tumultuously across the night sky. These are the grim, foreboding <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em> \u2014 the wild Storm Riders, the great, primeval beings who have been the Lords of the Twelve Winds of Color since the very beginning of Time.<\/p>\n\n<p>Without warning, before you realize what they intend, they swoop down \u2014 unbelievably powerful, dark, amorphous entities, endlessly shifting in both face and form, mouths bellowing and spewing air \u2014 hurtling over the land to seize hold of you and carry you away, bearing you aloft upon the unfettered, untamed winds they so boldly ride.<\/p>\n\n<p>You gasp for breath, feeling it snatched away by the altitude and the icy winds. Your hair whips wildly, and your heart pounds. You\u2019re utterly terrified that you\u2019re going to fall. But the Storm Rider who holds you so tightly has enfolded you securely in his long, streaming cloak; and after a moment, instead of fear, you feel power and exhilaration begin to course like a jolting electric current through your body.<\/p>\n\n<p>In the distance, brilliant lightning shatters the night sky; thunder rumbles and roils as up the Spirit Road to the midnight lands of the North, you ride. From here blows the Black Wind, blustering and moaning, accompanied by the hateful, harsh Grey Wind and the Speckled Wind, full of hard rain and sleet. These are cold, biting winds that flay the very body and soul&#8230;.<\/blockquote>\n\nThere are other winds, too, of which the <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em> are masters \u2014 but none so harsh and unforgiving as the winds of the Dark or Winter Half of the Year, particularly the northern winds.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8934a68 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8934a68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"520\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coffwindscalendar.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-732\" alt=\"The Twelve Winds of Color.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coffwindscalendar.png 520w, https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coffwindscalendar-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/coffwindscalendar-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0e16308 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0e16308\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-02249a1\" data-id=\"02249a1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4bf179 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d4bf179\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Here at COFF, we study the Element Air and create our Book of Winds in the Third Degree. But long before then, we start getting to know the Twelve Winds of Color and the <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em>, all of which appear to be unique to Ireland. We find revelations about them in the tenth-century <em>Saltair na Rann<\/em> (Psalter of the Staves or Quatrains), in the <em>Senchas M\u00e1r<\/em> or <em>Senchus Mor<\/em> (the Great Tradition), and in the <em>Hibernica Minor<\/em> (Being a Fragment of an Old Irish Treatise on the Psalter).<\/p>\n\n<p>The <em>Saltair na Rann<\/em> tells us that:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote>King who ordained the eight winds<br\/>\nadvancing without uncertainty, full of beauty,<br\/>\nthe four prime winds He holds back,<br\/>\nthe four fierce under-winds.<br\/>\nThere are four other under-winds,<br\/>\nas learned authors say,<br\/>\nthis should be the number, without any error,<br\/>\nof the winds, twelve winds.<br\/>\nKing who fashioned the colours of the winds,<br\/>\nwho fixed them in safe courses,<br\/>\nafter their manner, in well-ordered disposition,<br\/>\nwith the varieties of each manifold hue.<br\/>\nThe white, the clear purple,<br\/>\nthe blue, the very strong green,<br\/>\nthe yellow, the red, sure the knowledge,<br\/>\nin their gentle meetings wrath did not seize them.<br\/>\nThe black, the grey, the speckled,<br\/>\nthe dark and the deep brown,<br\/>\nthe dun, darksome hues,<br\/>\nthey are not light, easily controlled.<br\/>\nKing who ordained them over every void,<br\/>\nthe eight wild under-winds;<br\/>\nwho laid down without defect<br\/>\nthe bounds of the four prime winds.<br\/>\nFrom the East, the smiling purple,<br\/>\nfrom the South, the pure white, wondrous,<br\/>\nfrom the North, the black blustering moaning wind,<br\/>\nfrom the West, the babbling dun breeze.<br\/>\nThe red, and the yellow along with it,<br\/>\nboth white and purple;<br\/>\nthe green, the blue, it is brave,<br\/>\nboth dun and the pure white.<br\/>\nThe grey, the dark brown, hateful their harshness,<br\/>\nboth dun and deep black;<br\/>\nthe dark, the speckled easterly wind<br\/>\nboth black and purple.<br\/>\nRightly ordered their form,<br\/>\ntheir disposition was ordained;<br\/>\nwith wise adjustments, openly,<br\/>\naccording to their position and their fixed places.[2]<\/blockquote>\n\n<p>A slightly different translation of the last several lines gives us:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote><p>The bright pure purple (<em>corcra<\/em>) from the east,<br\/>\nthe bright wonderful white (<em>gel<\/em>) from the south,<br\/>\nthe stormy harsh(?) Black (<em>dub<\/em>) from the north,<br\/>\nthe noisy dun (<em>odur<\/em>) from the west.<\/p>\n\n<p>The red (<em>derg<\/em>) and yellow (<em>buide<\/em>) together<br\/>\nbetween white and purple;<br\/>\nthe green (<em>uaine<\/em>), and the sea\u2019s valiant blue (<em>glas<\/em>),<br\/>\nbetween dun and shining white.<\/p>\n\n<p>The grey (<em>liath<\/em>) and jet (<em>ciar<\/em>), terrible their ardour (?),<br\/>\nBetween dun and jet-black;<br\/>\nthe dark (<em>temen<\/em>) and the piebald (<em>alad<\/em>), in the east,<br\/>\nbetween black and purple.[3]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p>A like system of the Twelve Winds of Color is detailed in the <em>Senchas M\u00e1r<\/em>, the earliest parts of which appear to date to the mid-5th century, pre-dating the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland. While the dating of those particular paragraphs describing the winds isn\u2019t at once obvious, they do seem to draw from the same source:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote>[God] also formed the eight winds \u2014 i.e., four chief winds, and four subordinate winds; and four other subordinate winds are mentioned, so that there are twelve winds accordingly. \u00b6 He also formed the colours of the winds, so that the colours of all these winds are different from each other \u2014 i.e., white and purple, pale gray and green, yellow and red, black and gray, speckled and the dark, the dark-brown, and the pale. From the east blows the purple wind, from the south the white, from the north the black, from the west the pale; the red and the yellow are between the white wind and the purple; the green and the pale gray are between the pale and the pure white; the gray and the dark-brown are between the pale and the jet black; the dark and speckled are between the black and the purple. And thus there are two subordinate winds between each chief wind.[4]<\/blockquote>\n\n<p>The <em>Hibernica Minor<\/em> names eight of the winds and provides us with some information about their inherent nature and effects:<\/p>\n\n<blockquote><p>Solanus [from the east] of a hundred battles,<br\/>\nIt is fruitful though productive of plague;<br\/>\nIt rejects (?) chiefs only.<br\/>\nMany are its diseases.<\/p>\n\n<p>Africus from the south-east, not bad.<br\/>\nIt signifies specially good fruit,<br\/>\nFish and corn, while it lasts.<br\/>\nIt is unique in its excellences.<\/p>\n\n<p>As for Saronicus from the south,<br\/>\nIt signifies to you a rich harvest,<br\/>\nA great quantity of full fruit,<br\/>\nMarvellous huge fish.<\/p>\n\n<p>Goods will be destroyed, a track not narrow,<br\/>\nIf it is Favonius from the south-west:<br\/>\nIt signifies every corn crop laid low,<br\/>\nBattles and scant harvests.<\/p>\n\n<p>It denotes the death of a king(s) if from the west.<br\/>\nIt is P. around the ocean,<br\/>\nGreat bloodshed, and slaying of men,<br\/>\nAnd plague on sinners.<\/p>\n\n<p>Pessima from the north-west only,<br\/>\nDearth and slaughters,<br\/>\nAnd fall of blossoms it says,<br\/>\nWithout . . . . . . .<\/p>\n\n<p>If it is F. from the north,<br\/>\nThere will be noise of red-sworded battle,<br\/>\nDeath of the sinful, plague and heat,<br\/>\nDrought and heavy distress.<\/p>\n\n<p>A fair multitude of fish, petty commemoration!<br\/>\nIf it is Altanus from the north-east,<br\/>\nSicknesses in it, battle with venom;<br\/>\nMany fruits it brings to us.[5]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n<p>Ronald Black and Alexander Carmichael in <em>The Gaelic Otherworld<\/em> and the <em>Carmina Gadelica<\/em>, respectively, record other attributes for the winds.<\/p>\n\n<p>Even as they still do today for modern people, the winds played an important part in the lives of the ancient Celts. Winds could help sailors cross the seas to fish or trade, or they could bring storms that sunk ships or dashed them to pieces against rocky shores. Winds could help winnow seeds from chaff or flatten crops and orchards before they were harvested. Winds could freshen roundhouses or destroy them. They could keep cook fires flaming steadily or cause wildfires to burn completely out of control.<\/p>\n\n<p>All this is one of the reasons why it pays to make friends with the <em>Gathan-Dubha<\/em> and to learn to paint with all the colors of the winds.<\/p>\n\n<p>Blessings!<br\/>\nAPs Rhianwen Bendigaid<\/p><br\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-57ca34b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"57ca34b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-43116af\" data-id=\"43116af\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d554f50 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d554f50\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Footnotes<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>[1] \u201c<em>gath-dubh<\/em>.\u201d <em>Am Faclair Beag<\/em>. Faclair.com. Web. 26 February 2023.<\/p>\n<p>[2] \u201cCreation of the Winds with Their Colors, from <em>Saltair na Rann<\/em>\u201d (Psalter of Staves or Quatrains). <em>The Poem-Book of the Gael: Translations from Irish Gaelic Poetry into English Prose and Verse<\/em>, Hull, Eleanor (Ed.). Chatto &amp; Windus, 1913.<\/p>\n<p>[3] Text in <em>Saltair na Rann<\/em>, ed. W. Stokes, Oxford, 1883, lines 69-80; translation from J. Carey, <em>King of Mysteries: Early Irish Religious Writings<\/em>, revised edn, Dublin 2000, p. 100.<\/p>\n<p>[4] <em>Ancient Laws of Ireland. Senchus Mor. Introduction to Senchus Mor, and Athgabail; or Law of Distress, as Contained in the Harleian Manuscripts<\/em>. Dublin: Alexander Thom; Hodges, Smith, &amp; Co.; London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1865, pp. 27-29.<\/p>\n<p>[5] <em>Hibernica Minora: Being a Fragment of an Old-Irish Treatise on the Psalter<\/em>, Meyer, Kuno (Ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1894, pp. 39-41.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As I write this, we\u2019re preparing for storms in my hometown this evening. Weather.com has warned us that: \u201cThere is a likely risk of severe weather today. Wind, tornadoes and hail are possible. Look out for damaging winds. Stay aware and be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,51,8],"tags":[59,63,60,62,64,61,58],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710"}],"version-history":[{"count":95,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":955,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710\/revisions\/955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fethfiada.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}