Samhain agus Science – The Stars Look Very Different Today
30th October 2019 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Old Irish, the language spoken in early medieval Ireland, was not only a medium for sagas, poetry, or religious learning, but it was also a language for scientific discourse, not least for the astronomy of the day. The surviving texts furnish a wide range of specialised words for a variety of heavenly bodies. Some of these words, such as réalt ‘star’ or grian ‘sun’, are still in spoken use in Irish today, but many others have become obsolete over the past thousand years. Looking at these words from the point of view of etymology, and paying close attention to how they are used in the texts, yields unexpected insights into how people of a long bygone age viewed the nocturnal sky, and how their classification of heavenly bodies differed substantially from ours today. Superficially, the stars in the night sky may not have changed a lot since then, but what is very different is the significance that these objects carry for those who gaze up into the sky.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Old Irish, the language spoken in early medieval Ireland, was not only a medium for sagas, poetry, or religious learning, but it was also a language for scientific discourse, not least for the astronomy of the day. The surviving texts furnish a wide range of specialised words for a variety of heavenly bodies. Some of these words, such as réalt ‘star’ or grian ‘sun’, are still in spoken use in Irish today, but many others have become obsolete over the past thousand years. Looking at these words from the point of view of etymology, and paying close attention to how they are used in the texts, yields unexpected insights into how people of a long bygone age viewed the nocturnal sky, and how their classification of heavenly bodies differed substantially from ours today. Superficially, the stars in the night sky may not have changed a lot since then, but what is very different is the significance that these objects carry for those who gaze up into the sky.
More about Professor David Stifter
Registration is now open
Details
Venue