Isle of Skye from outer space. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

The isle Skye is first recorded in Ptolemy’s Map of the world with the name Scetis. The later Ravenna Cosmography renders the name Scitis, while the various Irish chronicles call it Scíth. The word is undoubtedly Celtic, meaning “wing”, which matches the modern interpretation of the name An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (“The Winged Isle”). The name Skye is thus both Celtic and very ancient; it had that name in remote pre-Roman antiquity. Other than it’s name and existence, no history is recorded from Skye prior to the missionary voyages of Columba. Adomnan’s biography of the saint records the very first native of the island, a chieftain named ‘Artbranan’ (the name appears to mean “Exalted Wee Raven”), who was said to have welcomed Columba and his party upon arrival at the coast and to have been baptized on the spot. This is Skye’s first ever recorded historical event. Prior to that, we only have archaeology, which indicates that Skye was part of the broader world of Pictish Scotland. Massive stone towers or ‘brochs’ on the island link it culturally to the northwest (i.e. Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides) during the two or three centuries B.C. / AD. From the early Christian period, three Pictish symbol stones found on the island (+ two on neighboring Raasay) also evidence a strong link to Pictland, as do the Pictish names of a handful of Skye natives recorded by the Annals of Ulster, such as Talorc, Gartnait, and Cano.

https://t.me/CelticEurope