The Wordhord
Daily Life in Old English
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
An entertaining and illuminating collection of weird, wonderful, and downright baffling words from the origins of English—and what they reveal about the lives of the earliest English speakers
Old English is the language you think you know until you actually hear or see it. Unlike Shakespearean English or even Chaucer’s Middle English, Old English—the language of Beowulf—defies comprehension by untrained modern readers. Used throughout much of Britain more than a thousand years ago, it is rich with words that haven’t changed (like word), others that are unrecognizable (such as neorxnawang, or paradise), and some that are mystifying even in translation (gafol-fisc, or tax-fish). In this delightful book, Hana Videen gathers a glorious trove of these gems and uses them to illuminate the lives of the earliest English speakers. We discover a world where choking on a bit of bread might prove your guilt, where fiend-ship was as likely as friendship, and where you might grow up to be a laughter-smith.
The Wordhord takes readers on a journey through Old English words and customs related to practical daily activities (eating, drinking, learning, working); relationships and entertainment; health and the body, mind, and soul; the natural world (animals, plants, and weather); locations and travel (the source of some of the most evocative words in Old English); mortality, religion, and fate; and the imagination and storytelling. Each chapter ends with its own “wordhord”—a list of its Old English terms, with definitions and pronunciations.
Entertaining and enlightening, The Wordhord reveals the magical roots of the language you’re reading right now: you’ll never look at—or speak—English in the same way again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Videen, a blogger and medievalist, sifts through centuries of Old English texts to create a portrait of medieval British life in this entertaining linguistic history. As Videen writes, "This book is not like a language primer so much as an old photo album. Old English words are familiar but also strange." In 12 chapters organized by topics such as food, play, and travel, she provides several "wordhords," or collections of Old English words and their meanings, and reveals how they have evolved. For example, winter, writing, and god have not changed in over a millennium, while others, including wil-cuma, (or well-comer, a good guest) and un-tima(un-time, a time when something is forbidden) have long since fallen into disuse. Videen walks readers through many examples and historical situations via language—in a section on meals, for example, she reveals that less daylight in winter meant just one meal a day, plus a snack and a glass of wine before bed. She skillfully brings to life early medieval England, describing both its highs and lows: "The thing about joy in Old English literature is that it's almost always followed by sorrow. With every feast, there is famine ahead." Well researched and cannily written, this smart survey makes the old feel new.
