Master of Souls (45 page)
Authors: Peter Tremayne
Tags: #_NB_Fixed, #_rt_yes, #blt, #Clerical Sleuth, #Fiction, #Historical, #Mystery, #Medieval Ireland
‘I believe that not everything had come together in the Venerable Cináed’s mind until Abbess Faife was murdered and the six gem polishers had been abducted. Then he knew Buan must have been involved. Buan also realised that he had made the connection. So he had to be killed. She lured him to the oratory with a false message from Sister Sinnchéne. She hoped that this would be evidence against Sinnchéne but Cinaed was astute enough to try to burn it. She handed the remains over to the abbot hoping for suspicion to fall on Sinnchéne. She went out of her way to incriminate Sinnchéne to Eadulf and me. Buan waited in the chapel and bludgeoned her husband to death.’
Eadulf was nodding in agreement.
‘We did suspect Sister Sinnchéne for a while,’ he admitted. ‘Only she knew that we were going to be in the workroom where they polished the stones at the time the attempt on Fidelma’s life was made.’
Abbot Erc was astonished.
‘How was this?’
Fidelma quickly explained the circumstances.
‘I think that Buan was becoming increasingly fearful and knew that I suspected her. The previous evening she had asked me to come to her chamber on the pretext of discussing her rights, which she knew anyway. I think that she was going to arrange my death there. However, Eadulf arrived and she had to abandon her plan. So the next day she attempted to push a stone on my head as we were leaving the workroom.’
‘But if only Sister Sinnchéne knew you were going to be there, at the stone polishers’ workshop, how did Sister Buan find out?’ demanded Brother Cú Mara.
‘You told her,’ Fidelma smiled.
The young steward’s eyes widened.
‘I told no one,’ he denied hotly.
‘Not directly,’ agreed Fidelma in a mild voice.
‘I remember that morning,’ interrupted Sister Uallann. ‘Sister Sinnchéne was delivering washing. I was standing with Brother Cú Mara and Sister Buan. Brother Cú Mara felt he had been too abrasive to you and felt he should apologise. He asked Sister Sinnchéné if she knew where you were.
She told him. That’s how Sister Buan learnt the information and I remember that she left us immediately.’
She told him. That’s how Sister Buan learnt the information and I remember that she left us immediately.’
‘So Buan was able to get through the dormitories to the roof of the workshop in a matter of moments, pry loose the block and make her second attempt on my life.’
‘Thankfully it failed,’ Eadulf added. ‘Ever since I first met Buan I kept thinking that I had met her before. Her features seemed so familiar to me. I mentioned it to Fidelma. But it was not until Buan made her final mistake that it all came together.’
‘A final mistake?’ Abbot Erc was shaking his head, perplexed. Fidelma looked appreciatively to Eadulf.
‘She was trapped into making that mistake by Eadulf.’
All eyes turned to him and he shrugged modestly.
‘All along, Sister Buan had been pretending a lack of education. She claimed not to know a word of Latin, thus trying to assure us that she would not have had any knowledge of Cináed’s work. Had this been so, we would have had to accept that she must have been innocent of the book destruction and that would have been a fatal flaw in our argument. However, as the daughter of a chieftain, raised by a chieftain, she would naturally have learnt Latin.’
Abbot Erc was still puzzled.
‘But I can vouch that she was no scholar. She had neither Latin nor Greek.’
‘No, she pretended not to, but made a fatal slip,’ contradicted Eadulf. ‘We were talking and I commented
dura lex sed lex
- the law is hard, but it is the law. And she turned and agreed with me without my needing to translate. And I knew then that she had been lying about her knowledge. Everything fell into place and I finally understood the significance of her resemblance to Uaman.’
dura lex sed lex
- the law is hard, but it is the law. And she turned and agreed with me without my needing to translate. And I knew then that she had been lying about her knowledge. Everything fell into place and I finally understood the significance of her resemblance to Uaman.’
Sister Fidelma nodded appreciatively.
‘Thanks to Eadulf, that was the point when the evidence tied into the knot that sealed Buan’s fate.’
‘She was ambitious to the point of blind evil,’ Abbot Erc sighed deeply. ‘What profit a person, if they gain the whole world, and lose their own soul?’
Fidelma nodded agreement at his quotation from scripture.
‘Publilius Syrus said …’ She paused, glanced to where Eadulf was waiting with a stoic expression for yet another of her many quotations
from the moral sayings of her favourite Latin philosopher. Then she gave him one of her rare mischievous grins: ‘But that’s another story. Let’s make a start on the road for Cashel and little Alchú.’
from the moral sayings of her favourite Latin philosopher. Then she gave him one of her rare mischievous grins: ‘But that’s another story. Let’s make a start on the road for Cashel and little Alchú.’
Bréanainn (which means ‘prince’) was the name
of the sixth-century Irishman who founded the abbey of
Ard Fhearta (Ardfert, Co. Clare). Revered as a saint,
he has become more widely known by the Latinised
forms of Brandanus and Brendanus of which the English form
is Brendan and the modern Irish is Breandán.
of the sixth-century Irishman who founded the abbey of
Ard Fhearta (Ardfert, Co. Clare). Revered as a saint,
he has become more widely known by the Latinised
forms of Brandanus and Brendanus of which the English form
is Brendan and the modern Irish is Breandán.
This story takes places in the month of
Dubh-Luacran,
the darkest days (January) of the year AD 668
following the events narrated in
The Leper’s Bell.
Dubh-Luacran,
the darkest days (January) of the year AD 668
following the events narrated in
The Leper’s Bell.
Sister Fidelma
of Cashel, a
dálaigh
or advocate of the law courts of seventh-century Ireland
of Cashel, a
dálaigh
or advocate of the law courts of seventh-century Ireland
Brother Eadulf
of Seaxmund’s Ham in the land of the South Folk, her companion
of Seaxmund’s Ham in the land of the South Folk, her companion
On the
Sumerli
Sumerli
Esumaro,
captain
Coros,
his first mate
captain
Coros,
his first mate
At Inis
Olcán,
leader of the wreckers
Abbess Faife
of Ard Fhearta
Sister Easdan
leader of the wreckers
Abbess Faife
of Ard Fhearta
Sister Easdan
At Ard Fhearta
Conrí,
warlord of the Uí Fidgente
Socht,
one of his warriors
warlord of the Uí Fidgente
Socht,
one of his warriors
Abbot Erc
Brother Cu Mara,
the
rechtaire
or steward
The Venerable Cináed
, a scholar
The Venerable Mac Faosma,
a scholar
Brother Benen,
his student
Sister Sinnchéne
Sister Buan,
wife to Cinaed
Brother Feólaigid,
the butcher
Sister Uallann,
the physician
Brother Eolas,
the
leabhar coimedach
or librarian
Brother Faolchair,
his assistant
Brother Cillín,
the
stiúirtheóir canaid,
or master of music
Brother Cu Mara,
the
rechtaire
or steward
The Venerable Cináed
, a scholar
The Venerable Mac Faosma,
a scholar
Brother Benen,
his student
Sister Sinnchéne
Sister Buan,
wife to Cinaed
Brother Feólaigid,
the butcher
Sister Uallann,
the physician
Brother Eolas,
the
leabhar coimedach
or librarian
Brother Faolchair,
his assistant
Brother Cillín,
the
stiúirtheóir canaid,
or master of music
Mugrón,
a merchant
Tadcán,
lord of Baile Tadc
a merchant
Tadcán,
lord of Baile Tadc
At Daingean
Slébéne,
chief of the Corco Duibhne
chief of the Corco Duibhne
At Sliabh Mís
Iobcar,
son of Starn the Blacksmith
Ganicca,
an old man
son of Starn the Blacksmith
Ganicca,
an old man
At Baile Gabhainn
Gáeth,
the smith
Gaimredán,
his assistant
the smith
Gaimredán,
his assistant
An té a bhfuil drochmeas aige ar a shaol féin, beigh sé ina mháistir ar shaol duine eile - fainic, éireoidh le’n a leithéid máistreacht a fháil ar anamacha.
He who despises his own life is soon master of another’s - beware, for such a man can become master of souls.
Brehon Morann
Also by Peter Tremayne and featuring Sister Fidelma:
Absolution by Murder
Shroud for the Archbishop
Suffer Little Children
The Subtle Serpent
The Spider’s Web
Valley of the Shadow
The Monk who Vanished
Act of Mercy
Hemlock at Vespers
Our Lady of Darkness
Smoke in the Wind
The Haunted Abbot
Badger’s Moon
Whispers of the Dead
The Leper’s Bell
Shroud for the Archbishop
Suffer Little Children
The Subtle Serpent
The Spider’s Web
Valley of the Shadow
The Monk who Vanished
Act of Mercy
Hemlock at Vespers
Our Lady of Darkness
Smoke in the Wind
The Haunted Abbot
Badger’s Moon
Whispers of the Dead
The Leper’s Bell
As the Fidelma series has become increasingly popular, many English-speaking fans have written wanting assurance about the way to pronounce the Irish names and words.
Irish belongs to the Celtic branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It is closely related to Manx and Scottish Gaelic and a cousin of Welsh, Cornish and Breton. It is a very old European literary language. Professor Calvert Watkins of Harvard maintained it contains Europe’s oldest
vernacular
literature, Greek and Latin being a
lingua franca.
Surviving texts date from the seventh century AD.
vernacular
literature, Greek and Latin being a
lingua franca.
Surviving texts date from the seventh century AD.
The Irish of Fidelma’s period is classed as Old Irish; after AD 950 the language entered a period known as Middle Irish. Therefore, in the Fidelma books, Old Irish forms are generally adhered to, whenever possible, in both names and words. This is like using Chaucer’s English compared to modern English. For example, a word such as
aidche
(‘night’) in Old Irish is now rendered
oiche
in modern Irish.
aidche
(‘night’) in Old Irish is now rendered
oiche
in modern Irish.
There are only eighteen letters in the Irish alphabet. From earliest times there has been a literary standard but today four distinct spoken dialects are recognised. For our purposes, we will keep to Fidelma’s dialect of Munster.
It is a general rule that stress is placed on the first syllable but, as in all languages, there are exceptions. In Munster the exceptions to the rule of initial stress are a) if the second syllable is long then it bears the stress; b) if the first two syllables are short and the third is long then the third syllable is stressed - such as in the word for fool,
amadán,
pronounced amad-awn; and c) where the second syllable contains ach and there is no long syllable, the second syllable bears the stress.
amadán,
pronounced amad-awn; and c) where the second syllable contains ach and there is no long syllable, the second syllable bears the stress.
There are five short vowels - a, e, i, o, u — and five long vowels - a,
é, í, 6, ú. On the long vowels note the accent, like the French acute, which is called a
fada
(literally, ‘long’), and this is the only accent in Irish. It occurs on capitals as well as lower case.
é, í, 6, ú. On the long vowels note the accent, like the French acute, which is called a
fada
(literally, ‘long’), and this is the only accent in Irish. It occurs on capitals as well as lower case.
The accent is important for, depending on where it is placed, it changes the entire word.
Seán
(Shawn) = John. But
sean
(shan) = old and
séan
(she-an) = an omen. By leaving out the accent on his name, the actor Sean Connery has become ‘Old’ Connery!
Seán
(Shawn) = John. But
sean
(shan) = old and
séan
(she-an) = an omen. By leaving out the accent on his name, the actor Sean Connery has become ‘Old’ Connery!
These short and long vowels are either ‘broad’ or ‘slender’. The six broad vowels are:
a pronounced ‘o’ as in cot
o pronounced ‘u’ as in cut
u pronounced ‘u’ as in run
á pronounced ‘aw’ as in law
ó pronounced ‘o’ as in low
ú pronounced ‘u’ as in rule
o pronounced ‘u’ as in cut
u pronounced ‘u’ as in run
á pronounced ‘aw’ as in law
ó pronounced ‘o’ as in low
ú pronounced ‘u’ as in rule
The four slender vowels are:
i pronounced ‘i’ as in hit
e pronounced ‘e’ as in let
í pronounced ‘ee’ as in see
é pronounced ‘ay’ as in say
e pronounced ‘e’ as in let
í pronounced ‘ee’ as in see
é pronounced ‘ay’ as in say
There are double vowels, some of which are fairly easy because they compare to English pronunciation — such as ‘ae’ as
say
or ‘ui’ as in
qui
t. However, some double and even triple vowels in Irish need to be learnt.
say
or ‘ui’ as in
qui
t. However, some double and even triple vowels in Irish need to be learnt.
ái pronounced like ‘aw’ in law (
dálaigh
= daw-lee)
ia pronounced like ‘ea’ in near
io pronounced like ‘o’ in come
éa prounced like ‘ea’ in bear
ei pronounced like ‘e’ in let
aoi pronounced like the ‘ea’ in mean
uai pronounced like the ‘ue’ in blue
eoi pronounced like the ‘eo’ in yeoman
iai pronounced like the ‘ee’ in see
dálaigh
= daw-lee)
ia pronounced like ‘ea’ in near
io pronounced like ‘o’ in come
éa prounced like ‘ea’ in bear
ei pronounced like ‘e’ in let
aoi pronounced like the ‘ea’ in mean
uai pronounced like the ‘ue’ in blue
eoi pronounced like the ‘eo’ in yeoman
iai pronounced like the ‘ee’ in see
HIDDEN VOWELS
Most people will have noticed that many Irish people pronounce the word film as fil-um. This is actually a transference of Irish pronunciation rules. When I, n or r is followed by b, bh, ch, g (not after n), m or mh, and is
preceded by a short stressed vowel, an additional vowel is heard between them. So
bolg
(stomach) is pronounced bol-ag;
garbh
(rough) is gar-ev;
dorcha
(dark) is dor-ach-a;
gorm
(blue) is gor-um and
ainm
(name) is an-im.
preceded by a short stressed vowel, an additional vowel is heard between them. So
bolg
(stomach) is pronounced bol-ag;
garbh
(rough) is gar-ev;
dorcha
(dark) is dor-ach-a;
gorm
(blue) is gor-um and
ainm
(name) is an-im.
THE CONSONANTS
b, d, f, h, l, m, n, p, r
and
t
are said more or less as in English
and
t
are said more or less as in English
g
is always hard like the ‘g’ in gate
c
is always hard like the ‘c’ in cat
s
is pronounced like the ‘s’ in said except before a
slender vowel when it is pronounced ‘sh’ as in shin
is always hard like the ‘g’ in gate
c
is always hard like the ‘c’ in cat
s
is pronounced like the ‘s’ in said except before a
slender vowel when it is pronounced ‘sh’ as in shin
In Irish the letters
j, k, q, w, x, y
or
z
do not exist and v is formed by the combination of bh.
j, k, q, w, x, y
or
z
do not exist and v is formed by the combination of bh.
Consonants can change their sound by aspiration or eclipse. Aspiration is caused by using the letter h after them.
bh
is like the ‘v’ in voice
ch
is a soft breath as in loch (not pronounced as lock!) or as in Bach
dh
before a broad vowel is like the ‘g’ in gap
dh
before a slender vowel is like the ‘y’ in year
fh
is totally silent
gh
before a slender vowel can sound like ‘y’
as in yet
mh
is pronounced like the ‘w’ in wall
ph
is like the ‘f’ in fall
th
is like the ‘h’ in ham
sh
is also like the ‘h’ in ham
is like the ‘v’ in voice
ch
is a soft breath as in loch (not pronounced as lock!) or as in Bach
dh
before a broad vowel is like the ‘g’ in gap
dh
before a slender vowel is like the ‘y’ in year
fh
is totally silent
gh
before a slender vowel can sound like ‘y’
as in yet
mh
is pronounced like the ‘w’ in wall
ph
is like the ‘f’ in fall
th
is like the ‘h’ in ham
sh
is also like the ‘h’ in ham
Consonants can also change their sound by being eclipsed, or silenced, by another consonant placed before it. For example
na mBan
(of women) is pronounced nah
m’
on;
i bpaipéar
(in the paper) i
b‘
ap’er and
i gcathair
(in the city) i g’a’har.
na mBan
(of women) is pronounced nah
m’
on;
i bpaipéar
(in the paper) i
b‘
ap’er and
i gcathair
(in the city) i g’a’har.
p
can be eclipsed by
b, t
t
can be eclipsed by
d
c
can be eclipsed by
g
f
can be eclipsed by
bh
b
can be eclipsed by
m
d
and g can be eclipsed by
n
can be eclipsed by
b, t
t
can be eclipsed by
d
c
can be eclipsed by
g
f
can be eclipsed by
bh
b
can be eclipsed by
m
d
and g can be eclipsed by
n
For those interested in learning more about the language, it is worth remembering that, after centuries of suppression during the colonial period, Irish became the first official language of the Irish state on independence in 1922. The last published census of 1991 showed one third of the population returning themselves as Irish-speaking. In Northern Ireland, where the language continued to be openly discouraged after Partition in 1922, only 10.5 per cent of the population were able to speak the language in 1991, the first time an enumeration of speakers was allowed since Partition.
Language courses are now available on video and audio-cassette from a range of producers from Linguaphone to RTE and BBC. There are some sixty summer schools and special intensive courses available. Teilifis na Gaeilge is a television station broadcasting entirely in Irish and there are several Irish language radio stations and newspapers. Information can be obtained from Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, 46 Sráid Chill Dara, Baile Atha Cliath 2, Eire.
Readers might also like to know that
Valley of the Shadow
, in the Fidelma series, was produced on audio-cassette, read by Marie McCarthy, from Magna Story Sound (SS391 - ISBN 1-85903-313-X).
Valley of the Shadow
, in the Fidelma series, was produced on audio-cassette, read by Marie McCarthy, from Magna Story Sound (SS391 - ISBN 1-85903-313-X).
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