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Bran
Bran
1. Also known as Brân the Blessed, Brân Llyr; see BENDIGEIDFRAN. 2. One of two wonderful hunting dogs of Fionn mac Cumhaill; the other was Sceolang [grey dog (?)], and a third, appearing less often, was Lomair. The story of how Fionn acquired the dogs is told differently in Ireland and in Scotland. In the Irish version, Bran and Sceolang are the children of Fionn's sister Uirne (or Tuiren), who had been transformed into a dog by a jilted sweetheart of her husband, Illann (or Iollan). Uirne was restored to her human form, but her children remained canines. In the Scottish Gaelic version, the two dogs are unrelated to Fionn and are instead monstrous wild dogs that must be won in a contest with a baby-eating predator. Sceolang can be restrained only with Bran's gold chain; Bran was fastened for a long period at Oban, Strathclyde, formerly Argyllshire. Bran and Sceolang are celebrated in many stories for their extraordinary intelligence. Bran is favoured more by her master and is also a swifter runner; she can overtake geese in flight. Bran and Sceolang bring a young doe to Fionn's fortress, who is released from enchantment to become Fionn's beloved Sadb, the mother of Oisín. Later she is lured from the fortress and becomes a deer again; then Fionn will allow only Bran and Sceolang to hunt because they know Sadb and will do her no harm. Bran and Sceolang find the infant Oisín in the forest. With deep regret Fionn kills Bran when she is hunting a fawn, evidently the transformed Sadb whom she has not recognized. Fionn calls first to the fawn and then to Bran to run through his legs; when Bran passes, Fionn crushes her between his knees. Irish tradition has Bran buried at Carnawaddy [Ir. carn an mhadra, cairn of the dog], a cairn near Omeath, Co. Louth. Lough Brin in Co. Kerry is thought to be named after Bran. See J. R. Reinhard and V. E. Hull, ‘Bran and Sceolang’, Speculum, 11 (1936), 42–58. See also ADHNÚALL; FAIRY DOG. 3. Legendary Breton hero thought to have done battle with the Norsemen. His story was much expanded in the free renderings of traditional Breton literature by Hersart de La-Villemarqué (1839). After dying in prison, Bran returns to life in the shape of a crow, the literal meaning of his name. Portions of his story parallel those of the Arthurian hero Tristram. The Breton village Kervran [Bret., Bran's village] is named after him. 4. In Macpherson's Ossian (1760), a river in Caledonia, perhaps identifiable with the actual river that falls into the Tay near Dunkeld, Tayside (until 1974, Perthshire). Another Bran empties into Loch Luichart, mid-Highlands (until 1974, Ross and Cromarty). |
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Cite this article
JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Bran1.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Bran1.html |
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Bran
Bran. The word bran appears in all the living Celtic languages with the same spelling and near-uniformity in meaning: Ir. raven; W carrion crow; Bret. raven or crow. In Scottish Gaelic it acquires a suffix to mean raven: bran-fhitheach. In Scottish Gaelic and in Irish it is the name of Fionn mac Cumhaill's dog (see Bran (2)). Not surprisingly, then, there are dozens of characters named Bran in Celtic narrative and history, including kings, poets, warriors, and at least one saint, St Bran Clane in Co. Kildare, whose feast-day is 18 May. There are two heroes named Bran in the Fenian Cycle. The best-known Brans are probably the Irish Bran son of Febal (see BRAN MAC FEBAIL) and the Welsh Brân, known in the Mabinogi/Mabinogion as Bendigeidfran.
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Cite this article
JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Bran.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Bran." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Bran.html |
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bran
bran The outer layers of cereal grain, which are largely removed when the grain is milled (i.e. in the preparation of white flour or white rice). The germ is discarded at the same time, and there is a considerable loss of iron and other minerals, and particularly of the B vitamins, as well as of dietary fibre. A 30‐g portion of wheat bran is a rich source of niacin, iron, and zinc; a good source of vitamin B1; a source of vitamin B2; provides 12 g of dietary fibre; supplies 70 kcal (295 kJ). See also flour, extraction rate; wheatfeed.
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DAVID A. BENDER. "bran." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "bran." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-bran.html DAVID A. BENDER. "bran." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-bran.html |
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Bran
Bran ♂ Welsh: traditional name from brân ‘raven’, now in wider use. In Welsh and Irish mythology, the name was borne by Bran the Blessed, a giant-sized god, the son of the sea god Mannannan Mac Lir. He had many heroic adventures before being mortally wounded in the foot with a poisoned spear while attempting to rescue his sister Branwen in Ireland. At his behest, his severed head was carried to the hill where the Tower of London now stands and buried there.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bran.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bran.html |
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bran
bran outer coat of a cereal grain—e.g., wheat, rye, and corn—mechanically removed from commercial flour and meal by bolting or sifting. Wheat bran is extensively used as feed for farm animals. Bran is used as food for humans (in cereals or mixed with flour in bread) to add roughage (i.e., cellulose) to the diet. It is also used in dyeing and calico printing. |
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"bran." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bran." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bran.html "bran." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bran.html |
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Bran
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Bran." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Bran." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Bran.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Bran." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Bran.html |
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Bran
Bran ♂ (Welsh) Traditional: from brân ‘raven’; borne in Welsh and Irish mythology by Bran the Blessed, a giant-sized god, the son of the sea god Mannannan Mac Lir.
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bran1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Bran." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Bran1.html |
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bran
bran XIII. ME. bran, bren — (O)F. bran, †bren bran, (now) excrement, filth; of unkn. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "bran." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "bran." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bran.html T. F. HOAD. "bran." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bran.html |
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bran
bran / bran/ • n. pieces of grain husk separated from flour after milling. |
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"bran." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bran." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bran.html "bran." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bran.html |
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bran
bran
•Aberfan, Adrianne, an, Anne, artisan, astrakhan, ban, began, Belmopan, bipartisan, bran, can, Cannes, Cézanne, Cheyenne, clan, courtesan, cran, dan, Dayan, Diane, divan, élan, Elan, fan, flan, foreran, Fran, Friedan, Gell-Mann, gran, Han, Hunan, Ivan, Jan, Japan, Jinan, Joanne, Kazan, Klan, Kordofan, Lacan, Lausanne, Leanne, Limousin, Louvain, man, Mann, Marianne, Milan, Moran, nan, Oran, outran, outspan, Pan, panne, parmesan, partisan, pavane, pecan, Pétain, plan, Pusan, ran, rataplan, rattan, Rosanne, Sagan, Saipan, saran, scan, scran, sedan, span, spick-and-span, Spokane, Suzanne, Tainan, tan, than, tisane, trepan, van, vin, Wuhan, Xian, Yerevan, Yunnan, Zhongshan
•koan • kanban • Seremban
•Cardin, Teilhard de Chardin
•Rodin • Ramadan • dauphin
•turbofan • Afghan • Gauguin
•Callaghan
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"bran." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bran." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bran.html "bran." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bran.html |
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