Yves Deroubaix a écrit:
> > Hello everyone,
> > Could someone tell me if the Picts were Celts? I heard they were
> > releated to the Basques. Is that true.
"DEFAYES MICHEL" responds
> Lat. pictus variegated
> Lat. Picti An ancient people of the British Isles. The word
> appears for the first time in 297 in Eumenius' Panegyric. It is a
>translation of the Breton Breizad "Breton" (from brezel "war", thus "the
>warriers") and confused with brez "variegated" ? 3.2.33; this confusion
>prompted Isidore of Seville to say that their name arose from their being
>tattooed (which was just a supposition). Thus Pict was simply a name >for a
Celtic people (Breton or Welsh) and not the mysterious people >often
referred to. GUITER (Bull. Soc. vascongada, 1968) shows >convincingly that
the inscriptions found in the British Isles do not
> differ any more from Basque than a dialect. This is no proof that the
>Picts were Basques, but simply that the Basques, a people of >navigators,
had left their traces in this country (as they have in America). >Pict is
without any relation to "Pictones" the ancient name of the >inhabitants of
Poitou, France.
Fascinating response by Defayes Michel. I frankly think both the
"variegated" and "warrior" implications were both there and intended, just
misinterpreted by Isidore. "Color mottled Attackers" were not
tatooed..rather dressed in plaid. In Gaelic, the apparel that became the
"kilt and plaid"; a two piece ensemble still given ancient Celtic
traditional origin (in the face of English historic arguments for 17th
century invention) by the Highland Scots..came from the "Feile Breacan".
This was the ancient one piece of wooven wool in cross check pattern. The
application favoring deep color contrast in a complex ancient weaving
tradition that favored purples and blues, but included yellows, reds, and
greens from well known natural dyes; mixed with natural soay sheep colors.
As a single piece of very long garment, it was wrapped around the waist and
secured with the sword belt in a fashion that was "proto-Kilt", and could be
adjusted for weather conditions..or serve as a sleeping bag, tent or lean
to. The excess was thrown over the left shoulder (to leave the sword arm
and shoulder free) , and could be adjusted easily, even into a backback for
carrying food with the broach clip at the shoulder. It could also be cast
off quickly if restrictive in battle. When used alone, "breacan" meant
something like "color speckled".
Now someone (John :-) will argue that "tartaine" was French and borrowed
into Gaelic rather late. No. It is a bit of resilient ancient Celtic
substrata common to both areas (IMHO). To answer Yves' question..certainly
Celts were among the folks of the Isles well before the first Irish Scotti
crossed over into Albione.
Cave Canum.
Caine Rau :-)
Rex H. McTyeire
Bucharest, Romania
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