Glossary
Although most of this book takes place within the United States, some of the characters are from other countries and speak in different dialects. Kellan and her boys also travel abroad a few times during the book and encounter characters speaking in other languages. I thought readers might appreciate a glossary to assist with some of the unusual words and phrases.
I have also included magickal and mythological terms and places which might not be clear from context.
Aedis Astrum: (magickal) the ruling council for wielders of magic in the United States.
Arse: (British) ass.
Badbh: (magickal) ancient queens of Faery.
Barghest: (mythological) a monstrous black dog with huge teeth and claws, sometimes depicted as having burning eyes; a portent of death or misfortune; also called goblin dogs.
Bwg: (mythological) a small, humanoid fae who lives in human homes and performs housekeeping services in exchange for treats of human food; sometimes depicted as having mouse ears and claws; often seen wearing white or blue caps; also known as a pwca, brownie or hob.
Cait Sidhe: (mythological) a fae who can appear as a cat in the human world; in Faery, they’re seven-foot-long, prehistoric black panthers and are among Faery’s greatest warriors; also known as catweres and cat-shifters.
Cait Teulu: (mythological) loosely translated, the Cait Sidhe family.
Cyhraeth: (mythological) a fae who feeds on human sorrow and grief; feared for their wail which can send men mad; also known as the Washer at the Ford, bean sidhe, ban sith, or banshee.
Darkswerd: (fae) the title among the high fae of the knights who guard the courts; also the crystal sword some of the knights carry.
Druadh: (fae) the title among the high fae for advisors to nobility (from the Gaelic word for sorcerer).
Dynion ceirw: (fae) tall, humanoid fae with white antlers and black faces (sometimes deer skulls instead of faces); also known as faerie doctors, the cunning men, or the black hill men.
Fae: (magickal) collective term for several different races of non-human, magickal creatures; high fae are called Seelie; low or dark fae are called Unseelie; also known as the Fair Folk, fairies, Tylwyth Teg, and sidhe.
Faery: (magical) a plane of existence that touches the human world but is separate from it; Faery and the human world are connected by gates or doors which can be fixed or can be temporarily created; Faery is generally thought to be older than the human world in terms of sentient habitation; Faery is a source of wild magic; also known as the World Wood and the First Dark.
Fae Lantern: (magickal) a small plant with magickal properties; the fruit looks like a small, four-sided lantern in red, white, yellow or purple.
Fae Ways: (magickal) passages through Faery that have been established by long use or temporarily created by a Walker.
Fecking: (British) fucking.
Fussed: (British) bothered, upset.
Gan’gail: (Cait) heartmate, a term of endearment.
Gaoithe sidhe: (mythological) a fairy wind; the breath of the fae.
Gwyn ap Nudd: (mythological) king of the high fae; the Oak King.
Hells: (mythological) planes of existence that touch the human world but are separate from it; inhabited and controlled by demons, who are themselves ruled by demon overlords or arch fiends; traditionally considered the underworld as demons both collect and feed off human souls; a source of magic.
Horae: (mythological) goddesses of the hearth.
Jackalweres: (mythological) humans who magickally shift form into jackals.
Karkarus: (magickal) a super-max prison for mages.
Legged it: (British) run away.
Mage/magi: (mythological) a wielder of magic, usually of human or partially human ancestry; most magi wield Elemental magic (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water); magi who cannot wield Elemental magic and have only limited ability to manipulate wild magic are known as hedgewitches; also known as witches and wizards.
Mirk: (magickal) the darkest of the dark fae, feared and reviled even by the Unseelie.
Morrigan: (mythological) a Celtic queen or goddess; also known as the Phantom Queen.
Naff: (British) gross, disgusting.
Naga: (mythological) a half-human, half-cobra Indian mythological race; a snake-shifter.
Necromancer: (magickal) a wielder of magic who has a special affinity for the dead; almost all Earth-mages are necromancers; Air and Fire-mages are also often necromancers.
Numpty: (British) idiot, fool.
Pertcha: (mythological) a demi-goddess who both protects and punishes women to preserve the social order; she rides at the head of an eldritch army known as Mirk riders; also known as Hulda, Holda, Holle, or Holla.
Poorly: (British) unwell.
Prolly: (British) probably.
Proper crimbo: (British) literally, a good Christmas; a popular song by the British comedian, Leigh Francis, “Proper Crimbo by Bo’ Selecta!” celebrates the materialistic elements of the holiday rather than the religious elements (available on YouTube for readers’ viewing pleasure) ; Teddy’s being ironic wearing a sweater wishing people a “Proper Crimbo” when Teddy herself is a pagan.
Scuzzi: (Italian) excuse me, pardon me.
Sióg dorcha: (Gaelic) dark fae; sometimes also called Unseelie.
Smokeberry: (magickal) a berry-bearing shrub with magical properties associated with faery rings.
Sommat: (British Mancunian accent) a contraction of “some what” or “some thing.”
Sūnús gerlós. Sūnús juwōn. Sūnús aiwós: (magickal) the Mother’s triple name for Gwyn ap Nudd: old son, young son, eternal son.
Tylwyth Teg: (mythological) high fae; courtiers to Gwyn ap Nudd; also known as fairies, Seelie, elves, and sidhe.
Umbra Wood: (magickal) an area of Hell in which souls of the Cait were captured and tortured after death.
Wild Hunt: (mythological) an eldritch collection of hounds and riders who hunt souls, particularly during times when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was thin, like All Hallow’s; in some Welsh myths, the Wild Hunt is led by Gwyn ap Nudd; in some German myths, it’s led by Odin; also known as the Furious Host.
Whinge: (British) whine, complain.