Lebor

Lebor is an Irish term meaning "book." In modern Irish the standard word for book is leabhar, but in medieval texts and in certain fixed titles the form Lebor appears. In that context, Lebor signals a compilation that preserves and presents a collection of texts, often drawn from oral tradition and earlier writings.

Notable examples include Lebor Gabála Érenn, commonly translated as The Book of the Taking of Ireland or The Book of Invasions. This is a medieval compilation from roughly the 11th century that presents a mythic and pseudo-historical chronology of Ireland, aiming to synchronize Irish legends with biblical and classical timelines.

Another prominent work is Lebor na hUidre, translated as The Book of the Dun Cow. This early 12th-century manuscript, housed at Trinity College Dublin, is one of the oldest surviving Irish-language books. It preserves a substantial portion of the Ulster Cycle and other texts, and it is a crucial witness for linguistic and textual study of medieval Irish literature.

Together these works illustrate the central role of manuscript culture in medieval Ireland, where scribes collected myth, legend, genealogy, and history into codified books. The use of Lebor in their titles reflects the tradition of recording and preserving oral lore within a written repository, bridging earlier oral transmission and later scholarly transmission in Gaelic literary history.