The Ogham Alphabet

Ogham runes

Pronounced “Owe ‘em,” they are “groups of horizontal and diagonal lines carved on the vertical edge of a stone or piece of wood.”  They appear at first around the 4^th century, when the Roman alphabet was introduced to the Irish.  Later, settlers from the land of Eyre took it over to Britain.

However, according to certain myths, the ogham were created right after the fall of the Tower of Babel by the legendary Scythian king Fenius Farsa who gave the 25 letters the names of his best scholars.

Either way, they are to the Irish what runes are to the Norse (the most popular of which is known as the furthark).

PS:  technically, the letters themselves should be called Beith-Luis-Nin (kinda like how our alphabet’s name comes its two first letters, alpha and beta), but it’s such a mouthful, don’t you think?

A Futhark runic riddle

Sources:

The World of King Arthur

Wikipedia  - Ogham
Wikipedia - Runes