Yan Tan Tethera
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Yan Tan Tethera was a traditional numeric jargon used by shepherds to count sheep in northern England and southern Scotland. Until the Industrial Revolution, the use of specialized traditional number systems was common among shepherds, especially in the dales of the Lake District.
Though these number systems fell out of use by 1910, the word yan remains in use to mean "one" in some northern English dialects. The practice may also have given rise to the notion of counting sheep to lull oneself to sleep.
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[edit] The importance of keeping count
In order to keep accurate records (e.g. of birth and death) and prevent animals from straying, shepherds must perform frequent head-counts of their flocks. Dating back at least to the medieval period, and continuing to the present in some areas like Slaidburn, farms were granted fell rights, allowing them access to common grazing land. To prevent overgrazing, it was vitally necessary for each farm to keep accurate, updated head-counts.
Though fell rights are largely obsolete in modern agriculture, farms are often subsidized and taxed according to the quantity of their sheep. For this reason, accurate counts are still necessary, and must be performed frequently.
Generally, a count is the first action performed in the morning and the last action performed at night. A count is made after moving the sheep from one pasture to another, and after any operation involving the sheep, such as shearing, foot-trimming, mulesing, etc.
[edit] Origin and usage
Sheep-counting systems ultimately derive from a Celtic language, possibly Welsh, Cumbric or the speech of a British population surviving after the Anglo-Saxon conquest. It is impossible, given the corrupted form in which they have survived, for us to be sure of their exact origin.
Like most Celtic numbering systems, they tend to be vigesimal — based on the number twenty. Moreover, they usually lack words to describe quantities larger than twenty. To count a large number of sheep, a shepherd would repeatedly count to twenty, placing a mark on the ground to represent each score (e.g. 100 sheep = 5 score sheep).
[edit] Systems by region
[edit] Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lancashire
Number | Bowland | Rathmell | Nidderdale | Swaledale | Wharfedale | Teesdale |
1 | Yain | Aen | Yain | Yan | Yan | Yan |
2 | Tain | Taen | Tain | Tan | Tan | Tean |
3 | Eddera | Tethera | Eddero | Tether | Tether | Tether |
4 | Peddera | Fethera | Peddero | Mether | Mether | |
5 | Pit | Phubs | Pitts | Pip | Pip | |
6 | Tayter | Aayther | Tayter | Azer | Lezar | |
7 | Layter | Layather | Layter | Sezar | Azar | |
8 | Overa | Quoather | Overo | Akker | Catrah | |
9 | Covera | Quaather | Covero | Conter | Borna | |
10 | Dix | Dugs | Dix | Dick | Dick | |
11 | Yain-a-dix | Aena dugs | Yaindix | Yanadick | Yan-a-dick | |
12 | Tain-a-dix | Taena dugs | Taindix | Tanadick | Tean-a-dick | |
13 | Eddera-a-dix | Tethera dugs | Edderodix | Tetheradick | Tether-dick | |
14 | Peddera-a-dix | Fethera dugs | Pedderodix | Metheradick | Mether-dick | |
15 | Bumfit | Buon | Bumfit | Bumfit | Bumfit | |
16 | Yain-a-bumfit | Aena buon | Yain-o-Bumfit | Yanabum | Yan-a-bum | |
17 | Tain-a-bumfit | Taena buon | Tain-o-Bumfit | Tanabum | Tean-a-bum | |
18 | Eddera-bumfit | Tethera buon | Eddero-Bumfit | Tetherabum | Tethera-bum | |
19 | Peddera-a-bumfit | Fethera buon | Peddero-Bumfit | Metherabum | Methera-bum | |
20 | Jiggit | Gun a gun | Jiggit | Jigget | Jiggit |
Number | Derbyshire | Weardale | Tong | Kirkby Lonsdale | Wensleydale | Dales |
1 | Yain | Yan | Yan | Yaan | Yain | Yan |
2 | Tain | Teyan | Tan | Tyaan | Tain | Tan |
3 | Eddero | Tethera | Tether | Taed'ere | Eddero | Tethera |
4 | Pederro | Methera | Mether | Mead'ere | Peddero | Methera |
5 | Pitts | Tic | Pick | Mimp | Pitts | Pip |
6 | Tayter | Yan-a-tic | Sesan | Haites | Tayter | Sethera |
7 | Later | Teyan-a-tic | Asel | Saites | Later | Lethera |
8 | Overro | Tethera-tic | Catel | Haoves | Overro | Hovera |
9 | Coverro | Methera-tic | Oiner | Daoves | Coverro | Dovera |
10 | Dix | Bub | Dick | Dik | Disc | Dick |
11 | Yain-dix | Yan-a-bub | Yanadick | Yaan'edik | Yain disc | |
12 | Tain-dix | Teyan-a-bub | Tanadick | Tyaan'edik | Tain disc | |
13 | Eddero-dix | Tethera-bub | Tetheradick | Tead'eredik | Ederro disc | |
14 | Peddero-dix | Methera-bub | Metheradick | Mead'eredik | Peddero disc | |
15 | Bumfitt | Tic-a-bub | Bumfit | Boon, buom, buum | Bumfitt | |
16 | Yain-o-bumfitt | Yan-tic-a-bub | Yanabum | Yaan'eboon | Bumfitt yain | |
17 | Tain-o-bumfitt | Teyan-tic-a-bub | Tanabum | Tyaan'eboon | Bumfitt tain | |
18 | Eddero-o-bumfitt | Tethea-tic-a-bub | Tetherabum | Tead'ereboon | Bumfitt ederro | |
19 | Peddero-o-bumfitt | Methera-tic-a-bub | Metherabum | Mead'ereboon | Bumfitt peddero | |
20 | Jiggit | Gigget | Jigget | Buom'fit, buum'fit | Jiggit |
[edit] Cumbria, Cumberland, and Westmorland
Number | Coniston | Borrowdale | Eskdale | Westmorland |
1 | Yan | Yan | Yaena | Yan |
2 | Taen | Tyan | Taena | Tahn |
3 | Tedderte | Tethera | Teddera | Teddera |
4 | Medderte | Methera | Meddera | Meddera |
5 | Pimp | Pimp | Pimp | Pimp |
6 | Haata | Sethera | Hofa | Settera |
7 | Slaata | Lethera | Lofa | Lettera |
8 | Lowra | Hovera | Seckera | Hovera |
9 | Dowra | Dovera | Leckera | Dovera |
10 | Dick | Dick | Dec | Dick |
11 | Yan-a-Dick | Yan-a-Dick | Yan Dick | |
12 | Taen-a-Dick | Tyan-a-Dick | Tahn Dick | |
13 | Tedder-a-Dick | Tethera - Dick | Teddera Dick | |
14 | Medder-a-Dick | Methera - Dick | Meddera Dick | |
15 | Mimph | Bumfit | Bumfit | |
16 | Yan-a-Mimph | Yan-a-bumfit | Yan-a-Bumfit | |
17 | Taen-a-Mimph | Tyan-a-bumfit | Tahn-a Bumfit | |
18 | Tedder-a-Mimph | Tethera Bumfit | Teddera-Bumfit | |
19 | Medder-a-Mimph | Methera Bumfit | Meddera-Bumfit | |
20 | Gigget | Giggot | Jiggot |
[edit] Celtic-based
Number | Old Welsh | North Wales | Cornish | Breton |
1 | Un | Un | Un, Onan | Unan |
2 | Dou | Dau | Deu, Dyw | Daou |
3 | Tri | Tri | Try, Tyr | Tri |
4 | Petuar | Pedwar | Peswar, Pedyr | Pevar |
5 | Pimp | Pump | Pymp | Pemp |
6 | Chwech | Chwech | Whe | Chouech |
7 | Seith | Saith | Seyth | Seiz |
8 | Wyth | Wyth | Eath | Eiz |
9 | Nau | Naw | Nau | Nao |
10 | Dec | Deg | Dek | Dek |
11 | Un ar ddeg | |||
12 | Dau ar ddeg | |||
13 | Tri ar ddeg | |||
14 | Pedwar ar ddeg | |||
15 | Pymtheg | |||
16 | Un ar bymtheg | |||
17 | Dau ar bymtheg | |||
18 | Tri ar bymtheg | |||
19 | Pedwar ar bymtheg | |||
20 | Ugain |
[edit] Miscellaneous
The English composer Harrison Birtwistle (b. 1934) composed an opera entitled Yan Tan Tethera (subtitled "a mechanical pastoral") in 1984.
English chansonnier Jake Thackray wrote, performed and recorded a song about a shepherdess, entitled Old Molly Metcalfe, with the refrain Yan Tean Tether Mether Pip she counted. In the introduction to the song he describes how Swaledale sheep farmers "count their sheep in a curious fashion," and gives the entire sequence from 1 to 20.
In Terry Pratchett's novel The Wee Free Men, the heroine, Tiffany Aching, was called Jiggit by her Grandmother, a female shepherd, as Tiffany was her twentieth grandchild.
Yan Tan Tethera is the name of a book by David Herter related to his first novel, Ceres Storm.