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Fata-Morgana, Fateful-Sea-Queen.
F*T*-M4G*N1
[to Whom the twenty-second day of January, day 021, is dedicated]
Geography/Culture: Celtic: Irish.
In Wales Her sacred territory was Glamorgan.
Linguistic Note: See Fata linguistic notes, (under Moirae) for the fata element. As for morgana, of some interest is the following: Sussex and Hants. dialect: morgan, `various species of camomile Anthemis, also applied to the oxeye-daisy chrysanthemum leucanthemum'; Welsh and Cornish: Morgan, `a dog-fish'. Possibly related English word: morgue, (the etymology of which is unknown). Words relating to morning may also be connected with Her name in the sense of the morning of a new-life.
Description: Goddess of swamps, sea-coasts, mirages, miracles, anything misleading, visual illusions, enchantment, magic, destiny and death; Queen of the Fortunate Isles in the west where dead heroes go; Queen of Avalon, the underworld fairy land; She Who makes the death-curse; Matron of artists and healers.
She is sometimes nine-fold.
To Whom Sacred: {camomile, oxeye-daisy, dog-fish}; St. Elmo's fire; {static electricity}; the word glamour (an old word for witches spells, perhaps derived from Her Welsh territory); mermaid; palace of crystal and gold; pentacle; the colour red; the number 9.
Male Associates: She presides over the death and resurrection of the rival year gods. As Morgan-le-Fay She was sister of King Arthur, Her consort was Julius Ceasar, and Her son Oberon, king of the faeries.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- For more on Her forename: Fata, Who are linked with Moirae.
- Variant: Morgue-le-Faye.
- Variant from Brittany: Morgan-le-Fay.
- Short form: Morgaine.
- Also called: Morgana.
- Also called: Morgane.
- Also called: Morganetta.
- In Brittany She has a plural form, Morgans, below.
- Variant short form: Morgen.
- Perhaps etymologically related to Irish Triple Morrighan).
- Thought to be similar to Welsh Nimue, Who is linked with Rhiannon.
- See also Titania, below.
Source: OED; EDEL; Evans BDPF 755; WEMS/301, 674; BGH/207.
Morgans, Sea-Women.
Geography/Culture: Brittany.
Description: Those who who venture too near the water are drawn down to the palaces of the Morgans, at pond or sea-bottom.
Source:
Titania, {Mother-of-Titans}.
TYT*NY1
Geography/Culture: English: Medieval Folklore.
Linguistic Note: as though from Greek titan, `Striver', (with female form Titanis, and male form Titanes). Some say the Greek Titan is from Greek tito, `day, sun', from a source in Asia Minor. Or again, the word may be related to Greek titanos, `a gypsum, white earth'. Related English words: Titan, titanic, titanium, titaniferous, etc.
Description: Queen of the Faeries.
To Whom Sacred: {Titan (the largest satellite of Saturn); the color white}.
Male Associate: consort Oberon, {King-of-the-Elves}.
Titles/Variants, etc:
- See also Gaia, Who as Mother of Titans might well be known as Titania. {Note: It may be the name appealed to Shakespeare because the word titan, from its Greek origins (in plural) as the colossal, rebellious and defiant children of Gaia, made such a bizarre contrast with the concept of the faeries as miniscule beings.
Source: Evans BDPF 800; Funk & Wagnall 1115; {I think the first derivation is from Graves}; AHDEL.
worked on: July 10, 1990; August 6, 1991; May 1995
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