# Gee-us? Gai-us? means an enchantment or curse **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 7, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269 "2002-04-07T03:50:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Visual\_Purple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5daacb/32.png) [@Visual\_Purple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visual_Purple)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/1 "2002-04-07T03:50:51Z")
I’m sure there is a word like this even if it is confined mostly to fantasy writing, but no spelling I have come up with gets me anywhere. Help! Please? ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/2 "2002-04-07T04:15:51Z")
Geas. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/3 "2002-04-07T04:20:03Z")
geas ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/4 "2002-04-07T04:24:14Z")
Geas. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/5 "2002-04-07T04:25:57Z")
And furthermore, Geas:) (sorry bout the double posts - board hiccup). ---
**Author:** ![Nonny\_Mouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@Nonny\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonny_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/6 "2002-04-07T04:38:03Z")
Incidentally, I believe this term refers to a specific type of curse or enchantment in which the subject is compelled to perform or avoid some specific action. Nonny ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/7 "2002-04-07T05:12:13Z")
It is not, specifically, a curse (although it may feel like one) and the “enchantment” aspect is also subject to interpretation. It is, actually, an obligation which one cannot avoid or a moral prohibition or taboo. Its other spelling is _geis_ (of which _geas_ is the genitive plural in Irish). The Random House Word Maven has this to say about [geis](http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19990805). While the **OED** does not provide this specific citation, I suspect that its appearance in so much fantasy literature is attributable to its use by James Branch Cabell in his novels of Poictesme (for which he was challenged by some critic who could not find the word in _his_ dictionary). ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/8 "2002-04-07T05:44:21Z")
It also was in 1st edition D&D, which was out over 27 years ago. That could be a source. ---
**Author:** ![Visual\_Purple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5daacb/32.png) [@Visual\_Purple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visual_Purple)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/9 "2002-04-07T15:26:20Z")
Many thanks. I had tried looking it up in the OED because I was curious as to just how old a word it is, but I was spelling it incorrectly. Interestingly, it shows up in the OED, but only in the supplement, and with the spelling “geis.” It is defined there as " among the ancient Irish nobility, an obligation of honour." First listed use is 1899, in which it is glossed as “tabu.” Not an invention of the D&D folks! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/10 "2002-04-07T15:36:35Z")
And geas can get you in trouble. In the story of Cu Cullain, the Irish hero, the day of his death, he was forced to break one. He had two geas. He had to sample any food being prepared by the side of the road, and he wasn’t allowed to eat dog. So, when he came across some people cooking a dog by the side of the road, he was forced to break his geas, and he died in battle that day. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/11 "2002-04-07T19:59:46Z")
Incidentally, the pronunciation of the Irish word _geas_ would actually be like the stuff Americans put in their car to make it go, not like either of the pronunciations in this thread’s title. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@The\_Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tim)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gee-us-gai-us-means-an-enchantment-or-curse/102269/12 "2002-04-07T20:16:32Z")
Geas are compulsions of fate. One can have a geas that prevents death except by a certain method or be geased to kill someone. In Celtic mythology you had them pre-installed from birth. Violat them and get in all sorts of trouble. Fantasy stories and games used them for magical compulsions in general. The most recent novel use I can think of is in In-Nomine by Steve Jackson Games. They’re part of the power of Lilith’s daughters which allows them to demand payment for services rendered. As a result of these uses it has been verbed. So you can be geased or go about geasing someone. Which sounds odd as most people saw gease like a species of water-fowl.