Ruis (letter)

Ruis (ᚏ) is the fifteenth letter of the Ogham alphabet, derived from ruise "red" or "reddening". The kennings refer to the reddening of the face caused by intense emotion, and medieval glossators also refer to the practice of reddening the cheeks with the juice of plants.[1] Its Proto-Indo-European root was *h₁reudʰ- 'red'. Its phonetic value is [r].[2]

Ogham letters
Aicme Beithe			Aicme Muine
ᚁ	[b]	Beith	ᚋ	[m]	Muin
ᚂ	[l]	Luis	ᚌ	[ɡ]	Gort
ᚃ	[w]	Fearn	ᚍ	[ɡʷ]	nGéadal
ᚄ	[s]	Sail	ᚎ	[st], [ts], [sw]	Straif
ᚅ	[n]	Nion	ᚏ	[r]	Ruis
Aicme hÚatha			Aicme Ailme
ᚆ	[j]	Uath	ᚐ	[a]	Ailm
ᚇ	[d]	Dair	ᚑ	[o]	Onn
ᚈ	[t]	Tinne	ᚒ	[u]	Úr
ᚉ	[k]	Coll	ᚓ	[e]	Eadhadh
ᚊ	[kʷ]	Ceirt	ᚔ	[i]	Iodhadh
Forfeda (rare, sounds uncertain)
ᚕ	[k], [x], [eo]	Éabhadh
ᚖ	[oi]	Ór
ᚗ	[ui]	Uilleann
ᚘ	[p], [io]	Ifín	ᚚ	[p]	Peith
ᚙ	[x], [ai]	Eamhancholl

Bríatharogam

In the medieval kennings, called Bríatharogaim or Word Ogham the verses associated with ruis are:

tindem rucci - "most intense blushing" in the Bríatharogam Morann mic Moín

rúamnae drech - "reddening of faces" in the Bríatharogam Mac ind Óc

bruth fergae - "glow of anger" in the Bríatharogam Con Culainn.[3]

References

1. McManus, Damian (1988). "Irish Letter-Names and Their Kennings". Ériu. 39: 127–168. JSTOR 30024135.
2. McManus, Damian. (1991). A guide to Ogam. Maynooth: An Sagart. ISBN 1-870684-17-6. OCLC 24181838.
3. McManus, Damian (1988). "Irish Letter-Names and Their Kennings". Ériu. 39: 127–168. JSTOR 30024135.