geas

English

Etymology

Borrowed, like English geis, from Irish geis (“injunction; taboo, prohibition, spell”). The pronunciation resembles Irish geis, though the spelling matches its synonymous but heterophonous alternative form geas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛʃ/, /ˈɡiː.əʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɛʃ

Noun

geas (plural geasa or geases)

1. (originally in ancient Irish religion and mythology) A (generally magical) vow, obligation or injunction placed upon someone to do or not do something, which typically brings harm if violated and blessings if obeyed.
   • 1989, Roger Zelazny, Knight of Shadows:

     It can send us where it will with a task laid upon us—a geas, if you like.

   • 1992, Neil Gaiman, "Chivalry", republished in 1998, Smoke and Mirrors:

     Galaad stood up again and turned to Mrs. Whitaker. 'Gracious lady, keeper of the Holy of Holies, let me now depart this place with the Blessed Chalice, that my journeyings may be ended and my geas fulfilled.'

   • 2003, Arthur Rowan, The Lore of the Bard: A Guide to the Celtic and Druid Mysteries, Llewellyn Worldwide, page 126:

     The geas is the last effective enchantment we shall consider. A geas is a restriction or compulsion laid upon a person by a druid or a bard. To break a geas is to forfeit one's share of luck and possibly one's life. […] Geasa are not curses, but recognitions of individual needs given to protect and help an individual succeed at life.

   • 2012, Alferian Gwydion MacLir, Wandlore: The Art of Crafting the Ultimate Magical Tool, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN, page 37:

     A geas is a powerful binding spell that binds its subject to a particular task or restriction. Frequently in Irish legends, the playing out of a geas laid upon a hero reminds one of the playing out of fate in the Greek tragedies.

   • 2016, Zen Cho, Sorcerer to the Crown, Penguin, →ISBN, page 181:

     The Sorcerer Royal's servants had formerly been bound by a geas against disclosure of any detail of his household affairs, breach of which was visited by the most terrible revenge.

   • 2018, Poul Anderson, Operation Chaos and Operation Luna, Open Road Media, →ISBN:

     I recognized the self-geas against telling a falsehood in the particular conversation. Our courts still haven't adopted it—Fifth Amendment—but I'd seen it used in trials abroad. The demon recognized it, too.

   • 2019, Jennifer Blackstream, The Blood Trails Series, Books 1-3: Deadline, Monster, and Taken, Skeleton Key Publishing:

     “No one knows why?” “No one will talk about it. The older ones give each other looks if the subject comes up—which it almost never does. I heard a rumor there was a geas against speaking of what happened.” My eyebrows shot up.

   • 2019, John Beckett, Paganism In Depth: A Polytheist Approach, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN:

     If you have a geas against eating a particular food or foods, it is unlikely you will ever have to break it. You may have to skip some tasty looking dishes, and in certain circumstances may end up with a rather meager meal.

   • 2020, Simon Kewin, The Triple Stars Trilogy: the complete box set, Stormcrow Books:

     Most likely Concordance's geas against artificial modification was left over from some earlier age when the tech was unreliable, dangerous. Or maybe they feared those with amped-up transhuman abilities.

2. A mystical compulsion.
   • 1980, Stephen R. Donaldson, The Wounded Land, page 162:

     The memory came upon him like a geas, overwhelming his revulsion, numbing his heart.

   • 2000, Ly De Angeles, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice, Llewellyn Worldwide, page 176:

     A geas is your own personal haunting by yourself! […] Kassandra, a Greek prophetess who always envisioned dreadful happenings, had a geas on her. She might have wanted to be a queen or a housewife, a warrior or a merchant, but she wasn't (even though a geas won't interfere in any of your pursuits). She became legendary for the geas that propelled her to prophesy dreadful happenings.

Anagrams

• ages, SEGA, sega, sage, Sega, %ages, Sage

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɟasˠ/

Noun

geas

1. genitive plural of geis

Noun

geas f (genitive singular geise, nominative plural geasa)

1. Alternative form of geis

Declension

Declension of geas (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative geas geasa vocative a gheas a gheasa genitive geise geas dative geas geis (archaic, dialectal) geasa forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an gheas na geasa genitive na geise na ngeas dative leis an ngeas leis an ngeis (archaic, dialectal) don gheas don gheis (archaic, dialectal) leis na geasa

Noun

geas m

1. Alternative form of gás (“gas; paraffin oil”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of geas

radical	lenition	eclipsis
geas	gheas	ngeas

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “geas”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Northern Sami

Pronoun

geas

1. locative singular of gii

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish geis, from the same root as guidid (“prays”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲes/

Noun

geas f (genitive singular geis or geasa, plural geasan)

1. enchantment, sorcery

Declension

Declension of geas (type IVb feminine noun)

indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	geas	geasan
genitive	geasa	gheasan
dative	geasa	geasan; geasaibh✝
definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(a') gheas	(na) geasan
genitive	(na) geasa	(nan) geasan
dative	(a') gheasa	(na) geasan; geasaibh✝
vocative	gheas	gheasan

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Derived terms

• fo gheasaibh
• geasachd

Mutation

Mutation of geas

radical	lenition
geas	gheas

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

See also

• geasachd
• draoidheachd
• drùidheachd