(Based on the Trecheng Breth Fene, the Triad of Judgments of the Irish, a collection of 256 triads about Ireland and its people. Believed to have been written between 850 and 900 C.E.)

Three things that best support the world: The slender stream of milk into the pail, the slender blade of green corn upon the ground, the slender thread over the hand of a good woman.

Three preparations of a Mistress’ house: Ale, a bath, and a large fire.

Three things that Mistress Izza al Zarqa promises to her apprentice: Wisdom, wool, and the way of things. Wisdom to speak and be silent, and know when each is called for; wool to ward off the cold, and ply a trade; and the way of things, to show the way to growth.

Three things that Morgana MacDiarmid promises to her Laurel: Food, cloth, and a woven cross. A potato to nourish the body; saffron and silk so the world may know her station and worth; and a cross of St. Brigid for the protection of the hills.

Three things that they promise to one another: Time, friendship, and honesty. Time that seeds planted may grow and bloom; friendship, that the passage of time may be sweet and light; and honesty, the protection of honor and greatest gift of fellows.

The only three things that may end this sacred bond: Death, dissolution, or the call of the crown.

Sworn in the sight of the peers; sworn in the sight of the people; sworn in the hearts of the swearers.