“When a language dies,” said writer, philosopher, and critic George Steiner, “A way of understanding the world dies with it, a way of looking at the world.” Undoubtedly he is correct. Numerous studies have demonstrated the relationship between language and perception of time, language and memory, and even claimed that the language we speak shapes consciousness itself. AtContinue reading “The Forgotten Language of the West: Rediscovering Old Norse, Spoken by Icelanders and Vikings”
Category Archives: learn old norse
1,200-year-old pagan temple to Thor and Odin unearthed in Norway
By Tom Metcalfe The god house (shown here in a digital reconstruction) was strongly built of beams and walls of wood; some lasted for hundreds of years. It included a central tower, patterned on Christian churches seen in lands further south.(Image: © University Museum of Bergen) The remains of a 1,200-year-old pagan temple to the OldContinue reading “1,200-year-old pagan temple to Thor and Odin unearthed in Norway”
For the want of Emma: What if the Vikings had won the Battle of Stamford Bridge?
By Ian Stuart Sharpe For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;For want of the horse, the rider was lost;For want of the rider, the battle was lost;For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;And all from the want of a horseshoe nail. If you couldContinue reading “For the want of Emma: What if the Vikings had won the Battle of Stamford Bridge?”
The Old Norse Dictionary
The Old Norse dictionary below compiles everything you need to read the sagas in their original language.
Old Norse Vocabulary: The 246 Most Common Words
The vocabulary below compiles the 246 most common Old Norse words that appear in the family sagas.