Cornish Ogham Translations

The ogham stone investigative team of Megan Kasten, Nora White and Katherine Forsyth (Principle investigator and professor at University of Glasgow) travelled around Cornwall. This is what they visited.
One of the team taking a picture of the Roborough Down Runestone - E-DEV-002 (CIIC 488). It was originally found being used as a gatepost near Buckland Monachorum north of Plymouth in England.
Photo from: https://ogham.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2024/05/30/recording-in-devon-and-cornwall/

Roborough Down Ogham/Rune Stone, Cornwall 500 CE

(December 14, 2024, Updated July 6) E-DEV-002 (CIIC 488).

Letter style is mostly Latin indicating this was written shortly after the Roman left Britain.

Translation in Akkadian (Rune Text 34)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.

Di'u Bu WaNu Nu -
Ku ABu ReYu Ku ILu [Ḫu]
ENu ABu ARu ReYu

In English

The divine-motion-powers are resisting the fate-revelations ---.
Involve the priest-parents in the control involving the high-power's [Hu]
Reassignments (of fate) by the priest-parents can control the shepherd-priests (motion power priests).

Comment

Priest -parents are a class of Druid priests who interpret fate and can slightly shift their target. As such integrate the motion and life classes of powers in this fate shifting. After deities were lordified/personified they divined the will of the gods and suggested ways in which they could be appeased.
In contrast, shepherd-priests are magic crafters who seek to control fate directly. After deity lordification/personification, this was seen as interfering with the will of the gods. Consequently, the Druid texts show astrology magic and their shepherd-priests were often controversial. Their patron diety was the dark new moon god Su who is the source of all voluntary motion/emotion powers. These astrological powers are different from the powers of fate associated with the celestial light (stars, planets, moon light) goddess of Selu/Selene.

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 1)

Read bottom to top. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration

E Su AḪu AGu Gu

In English

None of Su's attendants (the shepherd-priests) are angering the Energizer (Thu)

(The Ogham text is an addition to the runic text. One flows naturally into the other. The eagle vultures are a network bird.)

Previously Attempted Translation

Previous scholarship produced a translation composed mostly of names. This is a linguistic cheat because names can cluster any arbitrary set of letters. They assumed the other two remaining words were Latin. "Fabri" means "fabricator's" in Latin. While close the translation does not work.

DOBUNNI
FABRI FILII
ENABARRI

Dobunni
the fabricator's children
of Enabarros

Comment: The middle line translation provided by the Glasgow team was left uncertain to cover this inadequacy as they wrote: "Dobunnos faber, son of Enabarros."

Reference

https://www.ogham.academy/blog/ogham-alphabet-sources

Team at St Martin’s Church, Lewannick, where there are two ogham inscriptions. Online at: https://ogham.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2024/05/30/recording-in-devon-and-cornwall/

Translation of Ogham Using Book of Ballymote Letter Assignments and Druid Akkadian (Ogham Text 9)

(December 18, 2024) Read bottom to top, right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration

IṬu E Su ATu. IMu E Ma'u Gi

In English

Stickiness is making ineffective Su's monitoring. Emotions can make ineffective the Pusher's (Thu) energy.

Comment: This text complements the runic text

Lewannick 1 Ogham-Rune Stone at Lewannick Cornwall 500 CE

(December 13, 2024, Updated December 18, 2024) Lannwenek | Lewannick 1, E-CON-002

Letter style is mostly Latin indicating this was written shortly after the Roman left Britain.

Translation of Runes in Akkadian (Rune Text 50)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.

INu Ku ENu
UYu
Mu EMu
a'u ReYu A

In English

The Moon-eye (Su) can be involved with
the fate-curses.
Fertility-fluids can be supervised
by the emotion-powers (awen) from his (Su's) shepherd-priests.

Previously Attempted Translation in Latin

This translation is only plausible if word splitting is allowed (which is never seen elsewhere)

Latin Text

Incen
ui
Mem
oria

In English

Incen
ui in remem
brance

The second ogham inscription at St Martin’s Church in Lewannick, Cornwall. This was discovered in 1894 in two pieces built into the walls of the north porch of the church. Online at: https://ogham.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2024/05/30/recording-in-devon-and-cornwall/

The later runic text disagreeing with the ogham inscription.

Lewannick 2 Ogham-Rune Stone at Lewannick, Cornwall 600 CE

(December 19, 2024) Lewannick 2, E-CON-003

The runic text style is a mix of Old Irish (letters K and D) and Latin (letters A and N). The others are common between the two. The Old Irish letter style ultimately derives from the Etruscan letter style.

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 10)

Read bottom to top. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.
Notice the Ogham texts are mirror images of each other.

UPu Ku A. Ṭu Nu Ya
UPu Ku A. Ṭu Nu Ya

In English

Spirits/Winds can be involved with this. Thu does not affect revelations (of fate)
Spirits/Winds can be involved with this. Thu does not affect revelations.

Translation of Runes in Akkadian (Rune Text 51)

Read bottom to top. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration
Letter Chart: Northern Letter Lineage

Ku Ya A
Ku Ya Tu U LaKu.
ASu Nu Ya

In English

Don't involve these
Don't involve astrology-magic and the indifferent-one (Kate/Hekate)
Celestial-powers (spirits) are not being revealed.

Comment: This runic text was written after the Ogham was written and is in opposition to it's theme.

The stone lies in a precarious position on the bank of the river Camel which as early as the 17th century inspired people to see the runes as a Latin text having the name of King Arthur who was said to have died at the battle of Camlann. Online at: https://ogham.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2024/05/30/recording-in-devon-and-cornwall/

The later runic text disagreeing with the ogham inscription.

Worthyvale, Cornwall 700 CE

(December 19, 2024, Updated July 6, 2025) Worthyvale, E-CON-001

The text style is a late mix of Old Irish and Latin (letters A, L) starting to become Middle Irish so it is of a latter date than the other examples above.

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 11)

Read bottom to top. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.

INu ITu APu

In English

The Moon-eye (Su) can foreshadow the veil

Translation of Runes in Akkadian

Read bottom to top. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration
Letter Chart: Northern Letter Lineage

Lu ATu INu YaYa. Ku Ya A. Du Ya Tu
ALu IWu ŠaMu AZu A RaGu

In English

A lack of monitoring by the Moon-Eye (Su) is causing pain. Don't involve the him. Don't involve astrology-magic.
Alu will redirect the obligations associated with their false-influences.

Silchester Ogham Stone soon after it was discovered. It was found down a well in the backyard of a small cottage within Insula IX at the Roman town of Calleva, near Silchester, Hampshire in 1893 by the Society of Antiquaries and had crushed a pewter flagon beneath it.
Reading Museum object number REDMG : 1995.1.24height 23.5 in, diameter 14.7 in
http://collections.readingmuseum.org.uk/index.asp?page=record&mwsquery=({search}=*{ogham})&filename=REDMG&hitsStart=1

Ogham Stone From Silchester

(July 4, 2025) This stone is now at the Reading Museum. This ogham stone is the furthest east of any stone yet discovered.

The stone was originally a baluster that would have formed part of a portico or verandah. It was carved from greensand rock quarried in the Weald of Surrey and had to be brought to the site by road. It is very worn and the capital is missing, so it could have been taken from the ruins of an earlier, grander house for re-use.

References

3D Scan at: https://sketchfab.com/models/153ed90f03a14ff290e1ec39ee07dfe2/embed?autostart=1

MICHAEL FULFORD, MARK HANDLEY and AMANDA CLARKE (2000) An Early Date For Ogham: The Silchester Ogham Stone Rehabilitated. Medieval Archaeology, 44, Online at: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-769-1/dissemination/pdf/vol44/44_001_023.pdf

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text )

Read bottom to top (left to right). Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration.

Wa ERu Ya Su. A Ka'u
Ṭu Tu Ya. Ṭu Wa Se'u

In English

Fate-curses are not harboring the Woman (Selu/Selene). She is the prodder.
Thu is not doing astrology-magic. Thu is cursing the inhibition.

Comment

This text is essentially holding to the themes present in the other Druid Ogham texts from Cornwall.

Previously Attempted Translation Based On Modern Language Letter Extrapolation Onto the Ogham

Macalister, and all previous authorities, agreed that the inscription was carved on two near vertical stem-lines and read

EBICATO[S] /
[MAQ]I MUCO[I__].23

Macalister, however, had probably never seen the inscription himself; rather he thanked W. J. Hemp for providing him with a photograph which he then included within his volume. It was probably upon the basis of this photograph that lacalister provided the above reading. This could not be translated.

The latest attempt at a translation gives the letters as:

TEBICATO[S] I
[MAQ]I MUCO[I--].

This still cannot be translated so they were assumed to be a name "Tebicatus, son of (MAQ) ......"

Reference

MICHAEL FULFORD, MARK HANDLEY and AMANDA CLARKE (2000) An Early Date For Ogham: The Silchester Ogham Stone Rehabilitated. Medieval Archaeology, 44, Online at: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-769-1/dissemination/pdf/vol44/44_001_023.pdf

Cornish Ogham Translations

Roborough Down Ogham/Rune Stone, Cornwall 500 CE

Translation in Akkadian (Rune Text 34)

In English

Comment

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 1)

In English

Previously Attempted Translation

Reference

Translation of Ogham Using Book of Ballymote Letter Assignments and Druid Akkadian (Ogham Text 9)

In English

Lewannick 1 Ogham-Rune Stone at Lewannick Cornwall 500 CE

Translation of Runes in Akkadian (Rune Text 50)

Previously Attempted Translation in Latin

Lewannick 2 Ogham-Rune Stone at Lewannick, Cornwall 600 CE

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 10)

In English

Translation of Runes in Akkadian (Rune Text 51)

In English

Worthyvale, Cornwall 700 CE

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text 11)

In English

Translation of Runes in Akkadian

In English

Ogham Stone From Silchester

References

Translation Using Ballymote Letter Assignments With Runic Akkadian Letters (Ogham Text )

In English

Comment

Previously Attempted Translation Based On Modern Language Letter Extrapolation Onto the Ogham

Reference

Silchester Ogham Stone Color

Silchester Ogham Stone Gray Scale