A writer and independent researcher with particular interest in Iron Age and Early Medieval Scotland, early poetic forms, naming systems, and women's history.
The Book of Deer is a small pocket gospel dated by handwriting to around 850-1000 C.E. It contain... more The Book of Deer is a small pocket gospel dated by handwriting to around 850-1000 C.E. It contains, in Latin, portions of the four gospels, the Gospel of John in its entirety, and the Apostles Creed, but what it is most famous for are the later additions in Gaelic from the 12 th century, believed to be the oldest Gaelic from Scotland still extant.1 By the time of the Gaelic additions, it appears to have been housed at the Columban monastic institution at Deer and it is possible, though not certain, that it was created there or nearby.2 The manuscript is sprinkled with some stylized distinctively-blocky illustrations of human figures in addition to some animal and other motifs. One of the smallest human figures in the Book of Deer is found at the bottom of folio 71v, after the Latin text of John 14:12-22, standing in orans position, and I believe represents a female figure. If the figure is indeed meant to depict a woman, then that raises further questions around interpretation, audience, and the conditions surrounding the manuscript's production.
This paper aims to briefly highlight evidence of a number of suggested uses of a matronymic in Pi... more This paper aims to briefly highlight evidence of a number of suggested uses of a matronymic in Picto-Irish contexts to demonstrate the rare yet regular use of matronyms where the mother was deemed the most important, useful or disambiguating identifier.
There is an inscription in Rome at or near St. Peter's:
ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS ... more There is an inscription in Rome at or near St. Peter's: ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS VOTU(M) SOLVER(UNT) This would appear to translate along the lines of “Asterius, royal-companion/earl of the Picts, and Syra and theirs [their family/household] fulfilled their vow”. If this inscription indicates an inscription commissioned by Picts visiting Rome, it would have a number of implications for pilgrimage of relatively early Christian Picts, of how some Picts saw and referred to themselves, for the role of women, and more.
The Book of Deer is a small pocket gospel dated by handwriting to around 850-1000 C.E. It contain... more The Book of Deer is a small pocket gospel dated by handwriting to around 850-1000 C.E. It contains, in Latin, portions of the four gospels, the Gospel of John in its entirety, and the Apostles Creed, but what it is most famous for are the later additions in Gaelic from the 12 th century, believed to be the oldest Gaelic from Scotland still extant.1 By the time of the Gaelic additions, it appears to have been housed at the Columban monastic institution at Deer and it is possible, though not certain, that it was created there or nearby.2 The manuscript is sprinkled with some stylized distinctively-blocky illustrations of human figures in addition to some animal and other motifs. One of the smallest human figures in the Book of Deer is found at the bottom of folio 71v, after the Latin text of John 14:12-22, standing in orans position, and I believe represents a female figure. If the figure is indeed meant to depict a woman, then that raises further questions around interpretation, audience, and the conditions surrounding the manuscript's production.
This paper aims to briefly highlight evidence of a number of suggested uses of a matronymic in Pi... more This paper aims to briefly highlight evidence of a number of suggested uses of a matronymic in Picto-Irish contexts to demonstrate the rare yet regular use of matronyms where the mother was deemed the most important, useful or disambiguating identifier.
There is an inscription in Rome at or near St. Peter's:
ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS ... more There is an inscription in Rome at or near St. Peter's: ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS VOTU(M) SOLVER(UNT) This would appear to translate along the lines of “Asterius, royal-companion/earl of the Picts, and Syra and theirs [their family/household] fulfilled their vow”. If this inscription indicates an inscription commissioned by Picts visiting Rome, it would have a number of implications for pilgrimage of relatively early Christian Picts, of how some Picts saw and referred to themselves, for the role of women, and more.
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ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS VOTU(M) SOLVER(UNT)
This would appear to translate along the lines of “Asterius, royal-companion/earl of the Picts, and Syra and theirs [their family/household] fulfilled their vow”. If this inscription indicates an inscription commissioned by Picts visiting Rome, it would have a number of implications for pilgrimage of relatively early Christian Picts, of how some Picts saw and referred to themselves, for the role of women, and more.
Papers by Erica Birrell
ASTERIUS COMES PICTORUM ET SYRA CUM SUIS VOTU(M) SOLVER(UNT)
This would appear to translate along the lines of “Asterius, royal-companion/earl of the Picts, and Syra and theirs [their family/household] fulfilled their vow”. If this inscription indicates an inscription commissioned by Picts visiting Rome, it would have a number of implications for pilgrimage of relatively early Christian Picts, of how some Picts saw and referred to themselves, for the role of women, and more.