THE FOGOU AT HALLIGEY, TRELOWARREN. 253 



As a separate chapter it will conclude this introductory 

 account. 



ON THE NAME HALLIGEY. 



Sir John Maclean, who has written so ably on Cornish history 

 and other matters connected with the county, remarked one day 

 "To be safe, a writer should never give derivations," and the 

 late Mr. Augustus Smith, of Scilly, said on another occasion "An 

 archseological paper which I have just read leads me to the con- 

 clusion that a Cornish word can be shewn to mean almost 

 anything." 



In spite of these excellent warnings, with which I quite agree, 

 it will be interesting to investigate and (if possible) determine 

 the meaning of Halligey. Still, the result will — I feel sure — 

 shew the truth of the observations just quoted. 



The separate plots of ground overlying the Halligey Cave do 

 not seem to have betrayed its presence by either of their names, 

 as already stated. 



The general designation of the place which includes them all 

 has therefore now to be considered. It is pronounced Hal : lig : 

 ge (the accent being on the second syllable, and each g hard). 

 Sir Eichard Vyvyan ingeniously tried to discover some trace of 

 the cave in this name. 



From its sound he thought it might refer to " The Sun and 

 the Earth," and denote that the cave had been dedicated to these 

 deified impersonations. When the probable uses of the Fogou 

 are taken into consideration, such a theory seems to be untenable, 

 but yet it is worth examination for philological reasons. 



Sir Eichard has observed that the sounds El and Ghee favor 

 his supposition. It may be hastily replied that the Greek words 

 Helios (the Sun) and Ge (the Earth) could never have found 

 their way into any old Cornish word, but it so happens that at 

 least one of them was incorporated into the Celtic language, 

 which the Cornish people spoke ; — Heul (derived from the 

 Greek Helios) being their name for the sun. 



Ke, — in composition ge, (equivalent to the Welsh cae) signi- 

 fied hedge, earthwork, or enclosed field. 



Coupling these Cornish terms, then, we have Heul'a'ge, ex- 

 pressing to a certain extent "The Sun and the Earth," and 



