# Nion > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nion > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Nion.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nion > Source revision: 1326137880 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For the anti-war organisation also known as NION, see [Not in Our Name](/source/Not_in_Our_Name). Not to be confused with [Neon](/source/Neon) or [Nyan](/source/Nyan_(disambiguation)). **Nion** (ᚅ) is the [Irish](/source/Irish_language) name of the fifth letter ([Irish](/source/Irish_language) "letter": sing.*fid*, pl.*feda*) of the [Ogham](/source/Ogham) alphabet, with phonetic value [n]. The [Old Irish](/source/Old_Irish) letter name, **Nin,** may derive from [Old Irish](/source/Old_Irish) [homonyms](/source/Homonym) *nin/ninach* meaning "fork/forked" and "loft/lofty". *Nin* is notable for being the old name that refers both to this specific letter, and to any of the Ogham letters in general. "Nin" is also an Irish word used for a grandma. [1] ## Interpretation The glossators of the [Ogam Tract](/source/Ogam_Tract) and the [Auraicept na n-Éces](/source/Auraicept_na_n-%C3%89ces) seem to refer to at least two Irish words *nin*, meaning "part of a weaver's loom", and "a wave". The corresponding adjective *ninach* is glossed as *gablach* and used as a synonym of [cross](/source/Cross), and the word seems to be roughly synonymous with *gabul* "fork, forked branch", and is thus a plausible base for a name for "Ogham letters", which (at least the consonants), look like forks or combs. The second *nin* seems to be cognate with Welsh *nen* "roof, heaven", with a meaning of "loftiness", with an adjective *ninach* "lofty". The kennings are explained by the glossators that weavers' beams were erected as signs of peace. The "arboreal" tradition claims the word as [ash-tree](/source/Ash-tree), concluding that looms were made of ash-wood. In some instances, the association with ash-wood, which is best known as the raw material for spears, the kenning was amended to "destruction of peace", as in the [Auraicept](/source/Auraicept_na_n-%C3%89ces): Nin too is named from a tree, viz., ash, ut dicitur: A "check on peace" is *nin*, viz., ash, for of it are made the spear-shafts by which the peace is broken: or, A "check on peace" is ash-tree. *Nin*, that is the fork of a weaver's beam which is made of ash, which is in time of peace raised.[2] McManus[3] suggests that the word for "forked branch" was also applied to the olive branch, the shaking of which in Irish tradition requested an interruption of a battle. The kennings related to beauty, on the other hand, are perhaps dependent on the second meaning of "lofty". ## Bríatharogaim In the medieval [kennings](/source/Kenning), called *[Bríatharogaim](/source/Br%C3%ADatharogam)* (sing. *Bríatharogam*) or *Word Oghams* the verses associated with *Nin* are: *costud síde*: "establishing of peace" in the *Bríatharogam Morann mic Moín* *bág ban*: "boast of women" in the *Bríatharogam Mac ind Óc* *bág maise*: "boast of beauty" in the *Bríatharogam Con Culainn*.[4] ## See also - [Naudiz](/source/Naudiz) - [Nun (letter)](/source/Nun_(letter)) ## Notes While medieval and modern [neopagan](/source/Modern_Paganism) arboreal glosses (i.e. tree names) for the Ogham have been widely popularised (even for feda whose names do not translate as trees), the Old Irish *[In Lebor Ogaim](/source/In_Lebor_Ogaim)* (the *Ogam Tract*) also lists many other word values classified by type (e.g. birds, occupations, companies) for each fid. The *[filí](/source/Fil%C3%AD)* ([Old Irish](/source/Old_Irish) *filid*, sing. *fili*) or poets of this period learned around one hundred and fifty variants of Ogham during their training, including these word-list forms.[5] Some of the notable [Old Irish](/source/Old_Irish) values of these for *Nion* include: **Enogam/Bird-ogam**: *naescu* "snipe" **Dathogam/Colour-ogam**: *necht* "clear" **Ogam tirda/Agricultural ogam**: *nasc* "ring" **Danogam/Art-ogam**: *notaireacht* "notary work" **Ogam Cuidechtach/Company Ogam**: *Noeim* "Saints" ## References 1. McManus, Damian. (1991). *A guide to Ogam*. Maynooth: An Sagart. ISBN 1-870684-17-6. [OCLC 24181838](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24181838) 1. [Auraicept na n-Éces](/source/Auraicept_na_n-%C3%89ces) Calder, George, Edinburgh, John Grant (1917), reprint Four Courts Press (1995), pp.91 ISBN 1-85182-181-3 1. McManus, Damian (1988). "Irish Letter-Names and Their Kennings". *Ériu*. **39**: 127–168. [JSTOR 30024135](https://www.jstor.org/stable/30024135) 1. [Auraicept na n-Éces](/source/Auraicept_na_n-%C3%89ces) Calder, George, Edinburgh, John Grant (1917), reprint Four Courts Press (1995), ISBN 1-85182-181-3 1. McManus, Damian. (1991). *A guide to Ogam*. Maynooth: An Sagart. ISBN 1-870684-17-6. [OCLC 24181838](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24181838) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nion) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nion?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.