Sourcery

[Pinchcliffe]

Hi all,

A question - In Sourcery, the Cohen wannabe goes on about 'geas'.

Im a bit lost, what does this mean? ( or did I mis-read a line somewhere ).

Cheers

[Richard Eney]

In article <3bd72...@mk-nntp-1.news.uk.worldonline.com>,

He's confusing "geas" with "geese". A "geas" is a particular sort of
magical obligation found in Celtic myth.

=Tamar

[Pinchcliffe]

Richard Eney <dic...@Radix.Net> wrote in message
news:9r7bm1$8gb$1...@saltmine.radix.net...

Aahhhh...

Thanks!

[STUART SPENCE]

Actually, according to the companion, the geas is a mythical creature which
escapes predators by looking so funny, they fall over and it runs away on
its sumo legs. I don't have the companion here at the minute, but Richard
was right also.

Stu

[gra...@affordable-leather.co.ukdeletethis]

Hi there,

A geas is generally an obligation (I think it derives from Celtic
Mythos), generally placed upon a heroic type, requiring them to
perform a particular act.

AIUI, however, there were also "curse" [1] geases (sp?) which obliged
the hero to, for example, *not* wear armour in order to get the favour
of a particular deity.

However AIR in Sourcery a "geas" is a type of ludicrous looking bird
that survives by making predators laugh so much that it can run off
before they recover.

Cheers,
Graham.

[1] Not exactly curses, but I can't think of a better word at the
moment!

[Paul Squires]

In message <3bd84bc8...@news.cwcom.net>,
gra...@affordable-leather.co.ukDELETETHIS writes
<snip>

>AIUI, however, there were also "curse" [1] geases (sp?) which obliged
>the hero to, for example, *not* wear armour in order to get the favour
>of a particular deity.

<Snip>
<opening self to flames and abuse>
is the correct plural "geasa"?
</head back below parapet>

--
Paul Squires
pa...@pasquires.demon.co.uk
get my PGP public key from
www.pasquires.demon.co.uk

[Peter Ellis]

On Mon, 29 Oct 2001, Paul Squires wrote:
>gra...@affordable-leather.co.ukDELETETHIS writes
>>
>>...geases...
>>
>"geasa"?

geezers?

[Kimmi]

<g>

isn't geis the singular form?

Kim
(puzzled)

[Stuart Hastings]

"Paul Squires" <pa...@pasquires.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:jdvSw4Bf...@pasquires.demon.co.uk...

A quick search shows that
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0116903/spirit/beliefs.htm has:

Geas - (pronounced "gesh", plural "geasa")

HTH

Stuart

[Mark James Schryver]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the more common spelling
is "geis," the plural of which is "geise." The less common spelling
(which is the only one I've ever seen) is "geas," the plural of which
is "geasa."

Mark James

[Andrew Perron]

On 31 Oct 2001 12:53:10 -0800, mjsch...@yahoo.com (Mark James
Schryver) wrote:

Interesting... I've seen the "geas" spelling, not only in Terry's
books, but in the Xanth series and in Dungeons & Dragons. I've never
seen "geis"...

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, how very odd.

[Kimmi]

"Andrew Perron" <pwe...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3be1c692...@news.mindspring.com...

Piers Anthony's Geis of the Gargoyle *does* sort of spring to mind
here... <g> - but that *is* the only one I can think of at the
moment.

Kim

[Andrew Perron]

On Fri, 2 Nov 2001 15:31:40 -0000, "Kimmi" <kimmi...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

...Dangit, I was sure it was spelled "geas" in that one. >_>; Curse
that... thing, that you use to know what other things are, you know,
wossname...

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, I'd forget my own head if I had
one!

[Christina Waldeck]

Well, yes. but _his_ novels have titels which are puns on existing
words, isnt it?

The only spelling i have ever seen (mostly in connection with Irish
folktales) was "geas", with "geasa" as plural.
And my Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary knows neither geas nor geis,
probably because it's not actually an English word. *shrug*

Christina