Laidin
The Language of the Draoithe
Laidin (/ˈlaɪ̯ dɪn/) was an archaic language used by the Draoithe of the ancient Kiltic pagan religion to perform their rituals and to pass on their secret knowledge and traditions. It became a dead language with the ascension of Sanctism and corresponding decline of Druidism following the Edict of Meánleathan, issued by Emperor Amalgaid macÉndai in 187.1 Although it has exerted substantial influence upon the specialized vocabulary of certain fields such as law, medicine and science, giving rise to thousands of Laidin-based words and phrases currently in common usage, the language itself is virtually extinct at the current time.
Laidin is believed to have been originally spoken by the predecessors of the Kiltoi before the emigration from Heberia, subsequently retained nearly intact in its original form by the priestly classes, who transmitted their genealogies, histories and secrets through memorization of poems composed in the ancient language and passed down through the ages.
Laidin was a highly inflective language, employing three distinct genders, seven cases, four verb conjugations, six tenses, three persons, two moods, two aspects, two voices and two numbers. Since it was entirely an unwritten verbal language, there is no Laidin alphabet, although there are several ancient transcriptions of the language in Ogham. Modern scholars have adopted a transcription system employing the Goideliac Alphabet commonly used in Érevon today.
Laidin is believed to have been originally spoken by the predecessors of the Kiltoi before the emigration from Heberia, subsequently retained nearly intact in its original form by the priestly classes, who transmitted their genealogies, histories and secrets through memorization of poems composed in the ancient language and passed down through the ages.
Laidin was a highly inflective language, employing three distinct genders, seven cases, four verb conjugations, six tenses, three persons, two moods, two aspects, two voices and two numbers. Since it was entirely an unwritten verbal language, there is no Laidin alphabet, although there are several ancient transcriptions of the language in Ogham. Modern scholars have adopted a transcription system employing the Goideliac Alphabet commonly used in Érevon today.
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1 The death of Dubhshláine Sluaghadhán, the last known Draoi to speak the language, was recorded at Naus in 452 CA.
1 The death of Dubhshláine Sluaghadhán, the last known Draoi to speak the language, was recorded at Naus in 452 CA.
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The Ancient Kiltic Religion
The Ancient Kiltic Religion
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