Glossing the Glosses: The Right Marginal Notes on Glaidomuin and Gudomhuin in TCD MS 1337

Abstract

This article examines marginal notes glossing two entries (glaídemain and gúdemain) in a legal glossary in TCD MS 1337. The entries in the glossary and the glosses in the upper margin connect these terms to a range of natural and supernatural beings (wolves, women of the síde, morrígna, infernal demons, demons of the air, scaldcrows, and foxes). The glosses in the right margin etymologize the lemmata as referring to the doubling of howls or voices. It is argued here that this may refer to the phenomenon of the echo; furthermore, it is proposed that this interpretation may relate to a recurring image in the Táin Bó Cúalnge, wherein supernatural beings screech in reply to Cú Chulainn’s shouts or the sounds of battle. Finally, the association between echoes and the voices of demons in a pseudepigraphic text and the Vita Antonii is discussed briefly.