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common european legends glossaryof terms

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• Alchemist: Someone who studies or practises alchemy - an early form of chemistry.• Alchemy:Early form of chemistry, the chief aim of which was to turn ordinary metals into gold or silver

Angel: 1. Devine attendant or messenger from god 2. Very kind or beautiful person• Angelic:Behaving like an angel - behaving with goodness • Apparition: A or ghost or something strange that appears •

• Alien:Foreign or from another world/place• Altar: Table, stone or similar structure for placing offerings in a religious ceremony

• Ancestral: Belonging to a previous generation from whom a person is descended • Ancient: 1. Belonging to times long past 2. Very old

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COMMON EUROPEAN LEGENDS TERMS

• Arrow: A pointed stick to be shot from a bow. Arrows in myths can be golden or often have symbolic meaningArtefact: An object made by humans, often refers to an ancient or very old object studies by archaeologists.

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• Banshee: Wailing female spirit or ghost • Baptism:Christian religious naming ceremony, involving sprinkling with or dipping a person in water as a sign of purity and to receive them into the church.• Baron: 1. A member of the lowest rank of noblemen 2. A powerful owner of industry or business • Barrow (long barrow, round barrow):A mound of earth over a prehistoric grave. In myths barrows are often associated with fairies and spirits. • Beadle:An official with ceremonial duties in a church, college or city.

COMMON EUROPEAN LEGENDS TERMS

• Beer seller: A person who sells beer. • Black dogs: Large fearsome dogs often described as being as big as a calf with either a single red eye or glowing red eyes often associated with roads, graveyards or ancient sites. In some myths, they are bringers of bad fortune or guardians of treasure. • Blockade: Surrounding a town or city or port etc to stop or obstruct people or goods coming in or out. • Boundary:A limit or a line, in myths this often refers to the edge between two worlds. • Brewer:Someone who makes beer. • Broomstick: Handle of a broom thought to have been ridden through the air by witches. • Burgess:Old term relating to a member of parliament for a borough, town or university.

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• Casket: 1. A box for jewellery 2. A container• Castle: Large protected or fortified building or stronghold. • Cathedral: Large important church usually in a city. • Cauldron: Large pot in witches were meant to mix their spells.

• Cavalier: A supporter of King Charles I in the English Civil War. • Cavalry: Soldiers who fight on horseback or in armoured vehicles. • Cave: Hollow in a rock or a hole in the ground.

• Celtic: Something belonging or related to the Celts, -a group of Western European people which included the ancient Britons and Gauls. Ceremony: A rite or formal set of actions observed on a certain occasion. • Chalice: A large goblet for holding wine, especially one from which Communion wine is drunk in Christian Services. • Chancel: Part of a church near the alter, where the choir or clergy are usually situated.

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Chapel: 1. A place of Christian worship other than a church or cathedral. 2. place for private worship in a larger building such as a cathedral • Charity: Kindness or leniency shown to another person or group of people or goods or money provided for the benefit of others. Charitable people are prone to giving and helping others. • Charm:1. To bewitch or influence as if by magic. 2. A protective talisman or object kept for protection. 3. To captivate or delight.

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• Demon:Evil destructive spirit, devil or supernatural being.• Devil:1. Supreme spirit of evil and enemy of god. 2. Superhuman malignant being or very bad person.• Divine:1. Godlike or devoted to god. 2. Excellent gifted or beautiful.• Doomsday:Final day of judgement, end of time.Doorway: Opening or entrance in myths often between two worlds.

• Dowsing: Searching for hidden water often by use of sticks or dowsing rods. • Dragon: A mythical monster like a reptile usually with talons and wings often breathing fire they can be guardians of treasure as well as terrifying beasts.

• Dream:1. To have a vision i.e. see and hear in sleep. 2. To have goal to aim towards.• Druid:Priest, magician or soothsayer amongst the Celts of ancient Britain or Gaul.• Dungeon:Strong underground cell for prisoners.

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• Elf: A small being with magic powers or a supernatural being or mischievous creature. The word comes from aelfnoth, which means 'elf-courage'. Elves were originally thought of as shining, radiant, beings of light. • Emblem: Symbol that represents something used as a distinctive badge.• Enchant: Put someone under a magic spell or make someone delighted. • Energy: In myths the main use of the term energy is as a force or power or electrical charge.

• Entity: A thing that has an existence, often in myths the word is used as a way of referring to a spirit or unknown supernatural being. • Era: A period of history. • Excavate: Make hollow or extract by digging. • Exorcise: Expel an evil spirit from a person or place.

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• Fable: A story often of supernatural character, which is not based on fact usually, told to conveying a moral. • Fact: A truth based on accurate information or thing known to have occurred • Fairy: Mythical small being with magical powers • Fairy-ring: Circular band of darker grass with mushrooms or toadstools attributed to the dancing of fairies. • Fairy-tale: Tale about fairies, mythical creatures or strange happenings. • Faith: Reliance or trust in something without proof

• Familiars: Animals that were close to witches and assisted them or were thought to provide them with powers. • Fantasy: Imaginary invention or dream not based on fact. • Fate: 1. What will happen or has happened to somebody their destiny. 2. A power that is thought to make something happen. • Fear: State of alarm or painful emotion brought about by the idea of coming danger.

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• Galleytrots: Large black supernatural dogs, Galleytrots are mostly found near old burial grounds or hidden treasure the name is through to be 'guard of the treasure'. • Gallows: Structure used to hang criminals. • Gaol: Public prison for detention of criminals or those committed there by the court of law. • Gateway: A structure or device that allows a person to enter or exit. In myths this can also be an entrance or exit between two worlds.

• Ghosts: The appearance or sighting of a dead person. Great Britain has the most highly documented & recorded history of ghosts and ghostly sightings in the world, with over 150 haunted castles alone and many thousands of public houses and private residences boasting a ghost. • Giant: Legendary beings -giants (female version giantess). are humanoid creatures of very large size and incredible strength. They appear in the tales of many different races and cultures. They are often stupid or violent and are frequently said to eat humans, especially children; others giants, are intelligent and friendly.

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• Halloween: Eve of all saints day, when witches are meant to fly. • Hamlet: A small village. • Harpy: Greedy monster with woman's face and body and a birds winds and claws Found in Greek and Roman myths. • Harvest: Reaping or gathering of grain or crops. • Haunt: 1. A dead person's spirit that frequents a place or person 2. A familiar place that is visited regularly 3 .Frequently occur in a person's memories

• Heath land: Open tract of land with plants such as heather and gorse. • Heaven: 1. Abode of god and the angels that good spirits will inhabit. 2. Vault over the sky containing the stars. • Hell: Abode of devils and bad spirits, a place of wickedness and torment. • Hell-hounds: A fiendish large black dog, often described as being as big as a calf with either a single red eye or glowing red eyes often associated with roads, graveyards or ancient sites. In some myths, they are bringers of bad fortune or guardians of treasure.

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• Gibbet: Upright post with an arm on which the bodies of criminals were hung as a warning to others. • Goblin: Mischievous ugly demon. • God: Superhuman being worshipped as having power over the natural world (female version goddess) • God-forsaken: Having no merit, dismal. • Gold: Precious yellow metal worth a considerable amount of money. • Golden: Brilliant, beautiful or precious thing.

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• Ill fortune: Bad luck• Illuminate: 1. Light something up 2. To decorate something such as a manuscript• Illusion: A false belief or vision.• Imagination: Ability to form images in the mind.• Immortal: 1. Living for ever, not mortal 2. Famous for all time• Imp: Child of the devil or little devil.• Infantry: Soldiers who fight on foot.

• Inn: House providing rooms for travellers where alcohol can be brought. • Inscription: Words carved on a monument, coin or stone or a dedication in a book. • Interfer ence: 1. Crackling or distorting or a radio or television signal 2. Interfering taking part in something that has nothing to do with you • Interwoven: Blended together, entwined. • Intriguing Intrigued: Puzzling and arousing interest. • Investigate: Find out as much as you can about something; make a systematic enquiry.

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• Jurisdiction: Authority; official power, especially to interpret or apply the law. • Justicar: One responsible for legal matters in Medieval times the Chief Justicar was the person responsible for applying the laws of the land

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• King: Male ruler of an independent country or state. • Kingdom: Independent country or state headed by a king. • Knight: 1. Man of noble birth raised to a honourable military rank by a king or other person of status. 2. Military follower, especially one devoted to the service of a lady as her champion or follower.• Knights Templar: Errant knight in medieval times wandering in search of chivalrous adventures or a person of chivalrous spirit.

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• Legend: Traditional story popularly known as a historical myth, which may have some basis in fact but has been changes and added to over time. • Legendary: Remarkable enough to be the subject of a legend. • Lemurs: Roman description for evil ghosts who often tormented relatives. • Ley lines: Lines of earth power, directly linking in a straight unbroken line the ancient sites of pagan places of worship. • Luminous: Full of light, bright, shinning or giving off light.

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• Magic: The art of changing or influencing the course of events by using supernatural forces, the occult control of nature or witchcraft. • Magical: 1. Like magic or as if produced by magic. 2. Amazing or enthralling. • Magician: A person skilled in magic such as a wizard or conjurer • Magnificent: 1. Grand or splendid in appearance 2. Excellent • Malevolent: Wishing to harm people. • Malicious: Somebody with the desire to cause another ill-will or is vindictive to others

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• Noble, Nobility: 1. Being Noble having a good character. 2. The aristocracy. • Nobleman, Noblewoman: A person of high social rank. • Normans: A descendent of the people from Normandy as in the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066. • Notoriety, Notorious: Known for very bad conduct. • Nun: Woman living in a convent or nunnery under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

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• Offering: To present goods, or a victim in way of sacrifice, to a god or deity. • Ogre: Man-eating giant in folklore. • Old Nick: The devil. • Omen: Occurrence that predicts or prophesises a good or evil happening. • Oppress, Oppression: 1. Govern or treat somebody cruelly or unjustly. 2. Weigh somebody down with worry or sadness. • Ordeal: 1. Ancient mode of deciding a person innocence or guilt by subjecting them to a physical test. 2. Experience that tests character or endurance. • Outcast: Person cast out or cut off from home and family, homeless of friendless. • Outlaws: Person deprived of the protection of the law or operating outside the law.

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• Palmer: 1. Pilgrim returning from the holy land with palm branch or leaf. 2. Travelling monk under a vow of poverty. • Parliament: The assembly that makes a countries laws. • Parliamentarians: Those who supported Cromwell during the English Civil War in the 17th Century. • Particles: Very small pieces.• Path: 1. Foot way or tract. 2. Way forward (such as in finding the right path).• Patrolmen:A person whose job it is to patrol - travel regularly over an area in order to guard it.• Pedlar: Travelling seller of small wares usually carried in a pack.

• Penny: British bronze coin. • Perplex: Bewilder, puzzle or confuse. • Persecution, Persecuted: Be continually cruel to somebody, especially because you disagree with his or her beliefs. • Phantom: 1. An apparition or spectre 2 .A form without substance or reality mental illusion • Phenomena: A thing that occurs over which the cause is in question. • Pilgrimage: A pilgrim's journey.• Pilgrims: A person who journeys to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion.• Pillage: Carry off goods using force, especially in war.• Pirate: A person on a ship who attacks and robs other ships or places on the coastline.

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• Quarrelsome: Somebody who is ready to start a quarrel or argument. • Queen: 1. Kings wife. 2. Female sovereign.• Quill: Hollow stem of a feather used for writing.

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• Rebels: 1. Refuse to obey someone in authority, especially your own government; fight against your own group or country 2. Someone who rebels against government or accepted standards of behaviour • Reconcile, Reconciliation: 1. Make people who have quarrelled become friendly again. 2. Persuade a person to put up with something. 3. Make things agree. • Relic: Something that has survived form an earlier time. • Religion: 1. A particular system of beliefs or worship . 2 .What people believe about a god or gods and how they worship.

• Resolution: 1. Showing great determination. 2. A formal decision made by a committee or group. 3. Something you have resolved to do. 4. The solving of a problem. • Revelation: Something revealed especially something surprising.

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• Sacrament: An important Christian religious ceremony such as baptism or Holy Communion. • Sacrifice: 1. Giving something that you think will please a god e.g. an offering of a killed animal. 2. Giving up something that you value, so that something good may happen. 3. A thing sacrificed. • Saint: A holy or very good person. • Sanctify: Make sacred or holy. • Sanctuary: 1. A safe place or refuge 2. A sacred place or part of the church where the alter stands. • Satan: The Devil. • Satanic: To do with the Devil. • Satyr: A woodland god with a mans body and goats ears tail and legs from Greek myths.

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Talisman: An object that is supposed to bring good luck. • Talon: A strong claw. • Tavern: An inn or public house. • Tempest: A violent storm. • Tempestuous: Stormy; full of commotion. ,• Tenant: A person who rents a house building or land etc from a landlord.

• Territory: An area of land, especially one that belongs to a country or person. • Test: To carry out a test or challenge on a person or thing. • Theory: 1. A set of ideas put forward to explain something. 2. The principal or something rather than its practice. 3. In theory what should have happened. • Thief: A person who steal things. • Token: In myths usually a sign or signal of something such as a gift to symbolise a token of friendship or allegiance. • Tomb: A place where someone is buried -a monument built over this

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• Underworld: In myths and legends the place of the spirits or the dead, under the earth. • Unexpected: Not expected did not think it was going to happen. • Unexplained: Have no reason or explanation as to why something has occurred. • Unforeseen: Not foreseen; unexpected. • Unicorn: A legendary animal that is like a horse with one long straight horn growing from its forehead

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• Venerate, Veneration: Honour with great respect or reverence.,• Vengeance: Take revenge with great intensity.• Viking: A Scandinavian trader or pirate in the 6th-10th centuries.• Vision: 1. In myths something seen in a dream or imagination. 2. A person or thing beautiful to see.• Visitation: A visit in myths often of a spirit with a message to convey.• Vow: A solemn promise, especially to God or a saint.• Vulnerable: Able to be hurt or harmed or attacked.

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• Warrior: A person who fights a battle; a soldier. • Wayside: A path or road. • Wayward: Wilfully doing what you want. • Wearisome: Something that makes a person tired or weary. • Well & Wishing Well: 1. Deep hole dug to bring up water. 2. Belief that good fortune can be gained from placing and offering in a well. • Werewolf: A person who sometimes changes into a wolf, particularly when there is a full moon.

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• Yeti: A very large animal thought to live in the Himalayas. • Yonder: Over there or in the distance

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