"Deiliog": Origins of the Name

As noted briefly in The Three Tribes, although tribe names were used in reference to delineated tribal territories, all peoples of Deiliog used similar terms to refer to the region as a whole. To the Påvl Avwn, believed to be the eldest of the tribes, it was Deiliågh. It was then passed on to the Pwbl Lhyn, who knew it as Dalog, and to the Pobyl Môrh, who came to call it Tæliwch. Regardless of dialect or territory, the meaning of each term was consistently in the vicinity of "verdure", "vegetation", "forestation", "forest" or "greenery". While the word has since come to be used exclusively as the national name, its more generic interpretations now addressed by relatively newer vocabulary, the original spirit remains; a secondary meaning, always lurking slightly behind its dry public presentation as a proper noun.

Studies of historic usage offer insight into the significance of this family of words:

The terms typically exhibited slight context-dependent semantic variance, their meanings changing subtly to accommodate what the speaker or writer was describing. For example, the entire region, the forest that covered most of the region, and a specific section of forest were all equally likely to referred to by these words. They refer to places or areas as much as the actual vegetation growing therein, sometimes both at once, depending on what needs to be communicated.

Additionally, while they are often translated literally into one of the five words listed above, it is likely that their functional semantics were somewhat more nuanced than such translations are able to convey. Evidence suggests that in their original context, the usage of these words implied that the greenery or locations being discussed were capable of providing sustenance, tools, and/or shelter. This is in contrast to the rocky, largely infertile belt of land along the northern fringe of the region, which was called Diffeithdir ("wasteland") and traditionally served as the tribes' northern territorial limit. (In folklore and scripture, the existence of this land was typically explained as a barrier laid down by the Creator, Ystiward Mawr, to keep humankind safe from a colourful multitude of monsters, spirits, and other legendary threats.) Similarly, clusters or groupings of harmful plants, such as those that bore toxins or irritants, were always denoted by the specific name of the plant or plants in question.

Tiroedd-marw ("dead lands") and other areas reserved for funerary ritual were not, in fact, considered to be outside the scope of these words. Indeed, such places were typically chosen for their perceived connections to Ystiward Mawr and the beyond, by extension providing sustenance and shelter to the spirits of the dead. While it was considered taboo to spend time on these grounds without intent to mourn or leave offerings, and desecration thereof was punished with great severity, their sanctity and function rendered them as worthy of these terms as the rest of the land.

It is not presently clear whether the spiritual significance of the natural world that seems so foundational to the fundamentals of Ystiwardiaeth pre- or post-dates these linguistic developments. It is apparent, however, that once the two came to coexist, they immediately went hand-in-hand. The concept of Deiliog as a land set aside by Ystiward Mawr for his prized creation did not take long to gain a foothold among its inhabitants, and neither did the associations between the vast and mysterious wood and the supernatural. Although Deiliog is becoming increasingly secularized, at least with regard to governance and social norms, this trilateral bond between the nation, its ecosystem, and matters of the soul shows no signs of weakening. (Let it be known that this rarely produces exclusionary practises. While the land has long been conceived of as a gift to its dwellers from the creator, the gift was never historically described as being ethnically or nationally exclusive, at least not since the War of the Trinity. Deiliogaedd are known to be somewhat jumpy in the face of threats, but between their faith and the shared experiences of a formerly wandering people, peaceful mingling and immigration is rarely contested.)

Some of the most valuable sources in this and related research have been those Deiliogaedd who still speak in their traditional dialects and as such continue to use antiquated vocabulary. Although this population is increasingly elderly and gradually dwindling due to academic standardization - itself driven by natural dialect levelling - preservation efforts and research such as this are currently under way so as to retain an accurate record of Deiliog's history and cultures.