Devandaurae

Devandaurae is a new musical project featuring:
Sharynne MacLeod NicMhacha (vocals, Irish flute, pennywhistle, recorder, bodran, dulcimer, harp and keyboards) of the Moors and other musicians yet to be announced on various exotic instruments -and perhaps some surprise special guests!
It may be a few months before any audio clips are available, but stay tuned! Meanwhile check out Sharynne and The Moors' pages to get a sense of where we're coming from, expect a more acoustic bent.Devandaurae's original and traditional songs draw their inspiration from Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Cornish folk music; vocal and instrumental music from medieval Scotland, Britain and France; and elements of early, ancient and primal music from other cultures and traditions. Watch this site for CD and performance info!
About the Name: Devandaurae means 'God or Goddess of the Oak.'
It is comprised of three elements:
The first, 'deva' (or 'dewa') is a Pictish word meaning 'goddess'. The middle part has two functions. Firstly, it reflects an early British suffix (-on), which is used to show that something is sacred or divine. It is found in various god names, as in the Welsh figure of Mabon (which means 'Divine Son'). Therefore, the middle section can imply 'devon', signifying a male deity. (To us, the the sacred is both masculine and feminine). The middle part also reflects Old Irish 'an', meaning 'the / of the'… And finally, 'dara,' Old Irish for “(of the) Oak.”
So, 'deva' is 'goddess,' 'devon' is 'god,' and 'dara' is 'of the oak.'
Pronunciation: For you purists out there, the name should be pronounced as follows: [DEH-wun THA-ruh] - the 'v' as written in Latin (by those who wrote down the Pictish place-names) is pronounced like 'w' in English. The 'D' in 'dara' undergoes a sound change called lenition, and is therefore pronounced like the 'TH' sound in the English word 'bathe' (not like the 'th' in 'think.')
BUT… for the ease and comfort of the general populace, 'Devon Dara' will be fine!