DAWEYO OIBELO

N.B. - DAWEYO means ‘kindling’ and OIBELO means ‘flame’ in Proto-Celtic. Please find out more about Proto-Celtic and those that have been working to recover this language here.

She sat by her fireplace and warmed her hands against the dancing flames. Her hearth was not particularly old or impressive, just a grate wherein sat the wood and a chimney to lift away the sparks and smoke, but it was hers. She liked to sit and feed the fire with driftwood that she had gathered herself on the shore by her house. It smelled faintly of salt when burned, and swept away bad thoughts just like the waves as they crashed onto the sand. As she fed the fire, she would whisper to the flames. Sometimes she would tell stories or chant ancient words, but sometimes she would just talk about her day, seeing Blackbird in the garden, the cooking she had done, or talking to the neighbour. The flames would burn high or low, depending on her news, and was always the perfect temperature, whether in summer or winter.

© Elena Tornberg-Lennox 2023