I was reading a translation of The Gododdin today. It is, I believe, Britain's earliest known literary composition and originally in the P-Celtic language of southern Scotland (close to Old Welsh).
One section says: A dear comrade, Owain; Vile, his cover of crows. Ghastly to me that ground, Slain, Marro's only son. I was reminded that Virgil's last name was 'Maro' and that he came from Cisalpine Gaul where, before the arrival of Latin, I believe a P-Celtic language was spoken. Indeed, I suspect it was still widely current during Virgil's lifetime. Is the name 'Maro' Celtic, or does it have a long and respectable history as a Roman name? If anyone wants to look at The Gododdin it is at: http://camelot.celtic-twilight.com/poetry/aneirin10.htm Patrick Roper ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
