n
o, m.
, n. (imb-ḟiuss or imb-ḟess `das grosse
vielumfassende Wissen,' Thurneysen,
ZCP xix 164
;
Ériu xxxii 79
).
great knowledge ; poetic talent, inspiration ; fore-knowledge ; magic lore:
imas .i. saidecht,
Stowe Gl. 433
,
Lec. Gl. 364.
iachta[d] sluaigh suide n-imbais .i. estidh in sluagh
re saidhecht, nó dobeir subaidhe ar in sluagh in t-imat
sofeasa bis acon said sin,
O'Dav. 1071.
būas .i. soes n-arc[h]etail arinní dothēt imbas īar mbūais,
Corm. Y 148.
cethri srotha déc éicsi ... immas ┐ dichetal,
LL 30d34
.
ad-sloinn airdnemhidh iomhais (of the technical accomplishments required of a poet),
Ériu xiii 18.20
. sreth immais (a
technical term in poetry for connecting all words of a
verse line by alliteration),
IT iii 30.14
.
trí labra ata ferr
túa : ochán ríg do chath, sreth immais, molad iar lúag,
Triads 112.
srotha ionnalta an iomais,
Content. xxii 17
n. 4
.
Referring especially to knowledge or fore-knowledge obtained
by magic or occult means:
failte fri tascor n-imais dofaircet
nae cuill cāinmesa for Segais i sīgaib,
Anecd. v 25.5
(cf.
Ériu xiii 26.17
,
ZCP xvii 268.13
). imbus greine .i. bolg
greine imfuilnges in grian for na luibhibh ┐ cipe caithes iat
bidh dan aigi ? i.e. poetic knowledge derived from the river
Graney,
O'Dav. 1569.
is suithe iumais Greine na (= no)
Boinne uil aici,
Laws iii 50.9 Comm.
Tipra Connla...fo' tat
cuill ┐ imbois (? leg. cuill imbois) na heicsi,
RC xv 456 § 59.
immas na Segsa so dait,
Metr. Dinds. iii 286.21
.
luidh
Cuchulainn do ririm imhais ar Boinn,
O'Curry 1362
(
H 3.18,
p. 624a
).
buinne na Buaisi ar a mbi bladh iomais nó eladhna,
Leb. Gab.(i) 64 n. 5
.
dogebthi bheós cna iomhais for Bhóind
┐ Bhuais fria linn,
AFM i 90.4
.
a c[h]ur ar amus na filed go
nderndais faillsiugudh imais cindas ro baí Aengus iarna égaib,
Ériu xi 45.28
(=
O'D. 950
).
gabais (Finn) a mér ina bēolu.
A donic as afrithisi foopairt dicetal. Fortnosmen an imbas con-debert,
RC xxv 346.1
.
fortnosnae a n-imus .i. do fuarascaib a soes ar is ainm imbas do soes,
O'Curry 768
(
H 3.18, p. 361 b
).
Hence : imbas forosna(i) (lit. knowledge which illuminates)
a special gift of clairvoyance or prophetic knowledge supposed to be possessed by poets in ancient Ireland. The
rites through which this knowledge was supposed to be
acquired are described in
Corm. Y 756
,
Laws i 44.6
,
O'Curry
767
(
H 3.18, p. 361a
) (see Thurn.
ZCP xix p. 163
.
SGS iv 97 ff
.
Scott, R.D., The Thumb of Knowledge, chap. iii
):
"can dothéig" or Medb. "a halbain iar
foglaim filidechta" or ind ingen "in fil imbass forosna lat"
or Médb. "Fil écin" or ind ingen. "Décai damsa didiu,
cobbia mo ḟechtas",
TBC-I¹ 40.
doairchechain Scathach
do anni aridmoiad co n-epert fris tria imbas forossndi dia
foirciund,
Anecd. v 28.12
.
asbert Find triasa n-imbas
forosnai, `fer ilurg,' ol sé,
Fianaig. 38.6
.
tredi dlegar dun
ollamain filead .i. teinm laeghdha ocus imus forosnadh
ocus dicedal do cennaib,
Laws v 56.20 Comm.
ni conermaitis
teinm laodhu no ímbas forosna (of poets who passed false
judgments),
Laws i 24.33
.
imus forosnudh name of a metre
,
IT iii 102 § 187.