Power of the Word

Power of the Word

"Tongue is weak and tongue is woe,
Tongue is water and tongue is wine,
Tongue is chief of melody,
And tongue is thing that fast will bind."
   ____ "Prophecies of Thomas of Erceldoune"
        Scottish text (trans. CM)


    It is probably impossible to fully realize these days the power of the word in the Celtic world. In a society that used no writing, the word had a primacy that can scarecly be now imagined. The poets, druids, and judges were highly respected because what came out of their mouths was not only the lore of the tribe; it was also the truth. Like Thomas the Rhymer, the Scottish poet who entered the world of faery and won from the Faery Queen 'the tongue which cannot lie,' the gifted ones of the Celtic tradition could use their skills both mundanely and magically.
    While the poet most often used his skill to praise patrons, recite genealogies, encourage and enchant, he could also call upon formidable verbal powers to initiate change. A poet's satire was not just a painful lampoon that others would snicker about, it could actually raise blisters upon the face of the subject, bringing shame. It is said that a well-placed satire could even cause death.
    In many people, the tongue is untrained and weak, and some use it only for spreading gossip and for scaremongering. While speech can be workday or poetic, it can also be the music that enchants and inspires, the wine of praise; it can be used as a weapon to bind both in truthful promise and in smiting satire.

Strengthen the power of the word in your mouth by speaking only truth today.
[From: The Celtic Spirit by Caitlin Matthews]