The Phœnician origin of Britons, Scots & Anglo-Saxons : discovered by Phœnician & Sumerian inscriptions in Britain, by preroman Briton coins & a mass of new history : with over one hundred illustrations and maps

CATTI IN ORKNEY & SHETLAND a9

inscriptional evidence for the presence of the early Catti or Khatti with their Cassi Sun-Cross, in the region of the Orkneys, actually exists to confirm the historicity of this tradition of the visit of the early Catti to “ the Orkney Islands.”

fAt Lunasting on the mainland of Shetland (‘or Land of the Shets,’’ which name, as we shall find, is a softened variant of “ Khat,” or ‘‘ Xat,” or “‘ Hitt-ite,” and the “Ceti” of Early Scot monuments) is a pre-Christian Cross monument bearing an Qgam inscription and on its top a large engraved Sun-Cross of the “ Kassi’’ type (see later). This inscription also has proved such a puzzle to Celtic experts, who have variously deemed it to be “ Celtic,” ‘‘ Gaelic,” ‘‘ Welsh,” etc., that the Celtic scholar, Dr. A. Macbain, petulantly declares that: “‘ it is neither Welsh nor any Other language!’ It reads however, I find, without difficulty in a dialect of the Gothic of the Eddas (see text in foot-note 2) ; and with strict literalness in translating the Gothic words reads as follows :—

“ (This) Cross at Xattwi-Cuh (city) of the Xatt (or Khait).® (This) Cross (is erected by) Xafiit Manann (son of) Hacc Ffeff (who) rests aneath,* weening in hope® nigh.”®

iW. F. Skene, Highlands of Scotland, 1902, 398.

2 It is published by B.O.I., 365, pl. 49; and compare Southesk P.S.A.S., 1884, 201/., whose transliteration of the Ogam differs but little from mine, and in particular he renders the critical names in question ‘‘ Xafiwi-cuh,” “ Aatts” and ‘‘ Aakhtt” respectively, transliterating the same sign X, when loosely written as 4a in the two latter instances. On the other hand, Dr. W. Bannerman (P.S.A.S. 1908, 343/.) reads the inscription in reverse direction orupsidedown! My transliteration of this Lunasting inscription into Roman letters is as follows—the inherent short a of the consonants being expressed in small type and the other letters in capitals :

+XaTTUI CUH XaITS: +H XaHHTT MaNaNN: HaCC PFEFF: NEDT. ON Na.

>The final s in the text XaTTS is the genitive not only in Gothic but in Hitto-Sumerian and Kassi, and it thus corresponds to possessive affix 's of the English language, now disclosed to be derived from the HittoSumerian, through the British Gothic. On the Cuh affix, see subsequent text.

‘The Nedt of the text is the literal equivalent of the English “ neath,” the Gothic Eddic Nedr, the Scandinavian Nad, “ rest,’’ neath, beneath; {compare V_D. 448, 450) and is, I find, derived from the Sumerian and Kassi Nad “ lie down, resting place.’’ Compare B.B.W. II, 203—which is thus disclosed to be the remote Hitto-Sumerian source of the Scottish “‘ nod ” and English “ neath ’’ and “ nether.”

* The On of the text is the Eddic On for Von, Won or Van, the English “ween “’ and “ fain” and ‘yearn’ and is usually translated by Scandinavians as meaning “‘ hope ” (cp. V.D., 472, 684,-5). It appears to be derived from the Sumerian Jn ‘‘ to plan, heart, secret’”’ (cp. B.B.W. ii, ty, and P.S.L. 192.).

® The final Na of the text seems the Eddic Na or “‘nigh.”’ (ep. V.D., 447).