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Common Wake Words

Certain words and phrases recur throughout Finnegans Wake. Learning these common terms helps you navigate the text.

Character Names​

HCE Names​

The father appears under countless names with H-C-E initials:

NamePage(s)Notes
Humphrey Chimpden EarwickerThroughoutFull formal name
Here Comes Everybody32His universal identity
Haveth Childers Everywhere535His boast
Howth Castle and Environs3Opening; landscape as body
Haroun Childeric Eggeberth4Early variant
Mr. PorterIIIHis "realistic" name
Persse O'Reilly44–47In the ballad (earwig/perce-oreille)
Festy KingI.4At his trial
Finnegan3–29As the fallen builder

ALP Names​

The mother/river appears as:

NamePage(s)Notes
Anna Livia PlurabelleThroughoutFull formal name
Annah the Allmaziful104Invocation
Mrs. PorterIIIHer "realistic" name
The LiffeyI.8As river explicitly
Biddy10–11As the hen
Biddy Doran111The hen's full name

The Twins​

Shem NamesShaun Names
ShemShaun
The PenmanThe Post
GluggChuff
DolphKev
The GracehoperThe Ondt
MerciusJustius
NickMick
JerryKevin
ButtTaff
DaveJaun

Issy Names​

NameContext
Issy / IsobelCommon form
Izzy / IzodVariants
Isa / IsoldeTristan connection
NuvolettaAs cloud (I.6)
The MaggiesMultiplied
The FlorasSt. Bride's girls

Recurring Phrases​

Opening/Closing​

PhrasePageMeaning
"riverrun"3, 628The flow begins/continues
"past Eve and Adam's"3Adam and Eve Church, Dublin; Eden
"Sir Tristram"3Tristan legend begins
"A way a lone a last a loved a long the"628The dissolving ending

Thunder/Fall​

PhraseMeaning
"bababadalgharaghtakammina..."Thunder; the fall
"The fall"Original sin; Finnegan's tumble
"Foenix culprit"Felix culpa; happy fault
"Humpty Dumpty"The fallen egg-man

Time/Cycle​

PhraseMeaning
"The Vico road"The cyclical path (also a Dublin road)
"In the beginning"Genesis; every beginning
"Teems of times"Teams/themes of times; recurrence
"Finn, again!"Resurrection; the cycle

Key Vocabulary​

Words for HCE​

WordMeaning
HesitencyHis stammer; guilt manifesting
EarwickerEar + Wicker + Earwig + Viking
HumpbackedHis physical characteristic
PublicanHis profession

Words for ALP​

WordMeaning
PlurabelleMany beautiful; more than beautiful
LiffeyDublin's river; her body
DeltaRiver mouth; her symbol (Δ)
HenHer animal form; letter-finder

Words for Shem​

WordMeaning
PenmanWriter; forger
ShamFake; also his name
InkHis medium
ExileHis condition

Words for Shaun​

WordMeaning
PostPostman; deliverer
BarrelHis vessel in III.1
SermonHis mode of speech
YawnHis dissolved state

Place Names​

Dublin Locations​

Name in WakeReal PlaceSignificance
HowthHill of HowthHCE's head
ChapelizodVillage near Phoenix ParkHCE's pub location
Phoenix ParkDublin's great parkScene of the crime
Magazine WallIn Phoenix ParkWhere HCE sinned?
LiffeyDublin's riverALP
DublinThe cityHCE's body
DalkeyCoastal town"The Vico Road"

Transformed Names​

Wake NameReal Name
Doublend DeedDublin
DyfflinsbyDublin
LivvyLiffey
Anna LiffeyRiver Liffey

Numbers as Words​

NumberAppearancesMeaning
Won/one/wanThroughoutHCE alone; unity
Too/two/tuThroughoutThe twins; duality
Tree/three/troisThroughoutSoldiers; trinity
Four/fore/forThroughoutEvangelists; masters
Siven/seven/septThroughoutRainbow; days
Elven/elevenThroughoutRenewal
Twendy-ate/28ThroughoutIssy's girls; February
Thundered/100ThroughoutCentury; completion

Sound Words​

Thunder Sounds​

  • Bababadal... — Crash, rumble
  • Rrrrrr — Rolling thunder
  • Crack — Lightning

Water Sounds​

  • Liffey — Flowing
  • Hitherandthithering — Water movement
  • Splash — Impact

Animal Sounds​

  • Quark — Gull cry
  • Cock-a-doodle — Rooster (dawn)
  • Moo — Cow

Multilingual Common Words​

Irish/Gaelic​

Wake WordIrishEnglish
MisheMiseI am
FiannaFiannaWarriors (Finn's band)
BeanBeanWoman
UisceUisceWater (→ whiskey)

French​

Wake WordFrenchEnglish
BelleBelleBeautiful
NoirNoirBlack, night
RivièreRivièreRiver
TonnerreTonnerreThunder

German​

Wake WordGermanEnglish
NachtNachtNight
VaterVaterFather
DonnerDonnerThunder
QuarkQuarkCurd cheese; nonsense

Latin​

Wake WordLatinEnglish
AnnosAnnosYears
PluraPluraMany
Felix culpaFelix culpaHappy fault

The Sigla in Text​

Joyce used symbols (sigla) which sometimes appear as:

SymbolMeaningText Form
⌂HCEHouse shapes, "M"
ΔALPTriangle, delta
⊏ShemOpen bracket
⊐ShaunReversed bracket
⋀IssyCaret, divided
XThe FourCross

Phrases to Recognize​

Greetings​

PhraseMeaning
"Howth ye?"How are you? + Howth
"Good morrow"Good morning
"Nighty night"Goodnight

Exclamations​

PhraseMeaning
"O!"Exclamation; also zero (0)
"Hohoho"Laughter; HCE
"Hahahaha"Laughter
"Alas!"Sorrow; also ALP

Questions​

PhraseMeaning
"What?"Often "Wha?" or "Hwat?"
"Where?""Ware?"
"Who?""Hoo?" (also owl sound)

Quick Reference Card​

Most Essential Words​

  1. Riverrun — Opening; flow; cycle
  2. HCE — Father; dreamer; everywhere
  3. ALP — Mother; river; letter-writer
  4. Shem — Artist son; penman
  5. Shaun — Respectable son; postman
  6. Issy — Daughter; mirror-girl
  7. Thunder — Vico's signal; the fall
  8. Fall — Sin; death; beginning
  9. Liffey — River; ALP; Dublin
  10. Wake — Funeral; awakening; consciousness

Further Reading​

  • Roland McHugh, Annotations to Finnegans Wake — Word-by-word glosses
  • Adaline Glasheen, Third Census — Character names index
  • FWEET — Searchable database

See Also​