Thursday, January 22, 2009

Old Irish Blessing Stone Ceramic Pendant

This unique 1 1/2" diameter pendant has been made to look like the Buckquoy spindle whorl, which was excavated in Buckquoy, Birsay, Orkney, Scotland in 1970. The old Irish Ogham inscription is believed to date back to the 8th century. My pendant was created with earthenware clay and has been glazed with an earthy iron ore colored glaze. No two pieces ever come out of the kiln the same!

The cord is a wonderful faux suede material that doesn't shed all over your clothes like real suede can. It can be tied to accommodate any neckline.

More photos of this piece and other Celtic and Norse ceramic pendants can be found in my Good Dirt Jewelry 1000markets shop and in my Etsy shop.

According to Wikipedia, the inscription was once used as positive proof that the Pictish language was not Indo-European, being variously read as

E(s/n)DDACTA(n/lv)IM(v/lb)

(e/)(s/n/)DDACTANIMV

(e/)TMIQAVSALL(e/q)

however, in 1995 historian Katherine Forsyth reading

ENDDACTANIM(f/lb)

claimed that it was a standard Old Irish ogham benedictory message, Benddact anim L. meaning "a blessing on the soul of L.". The stone from which the whorl was made, and on which the inscription was written, is native to Orkney.