An Introduction to Old Norse
Encyclopedia
An Introduction to Old Norse is an English
textbook
written by E.V. Gordon and first published in 1927 in Oxford
at the Clarendon Press. It has been reprinted several times since. The Second Edition was revised by A.R. Taylor. The book is commonly accepted as a standard text for anyone studying Old Norse
. It includes a long introduction, a short grammar
of Old Norse
, a glossary, an index of names and selections from the Elder Edda as well as a number of other sagas (all in Old Norse).
The introduction of the text traces the literary history of Old Norse, and describes the literary merits, historical accuracy, and compositional style of Old Norse texts. In it, Gordon draws comparisons to other Medieval languages and texts, such as the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf
.
The central part of the book is composed of selections of Old Norse texts, including the entire text of Hrafnkels saga
in the Second Edition. Other selections include the Eddic
poem Þrymskviða
, and parts of Hrólfs saga kraka
. Both East Norse and West Norse are represented, and there are also runic inscriptions.
The grammar portion of the text is written with the understanding that the reader would be familiar with linguistics
, particularly those of Germanic languages
. Verb conjugations are given in accordance with stem class, and Gordon often gives the historical reasons for particular changes in word form. There are also notes on the text selections, particularly glosses of difficult lines, as well as notes on differences between branches of Old Norse, both phonologically
and in writing.
It includes a comprehensive glossary that often includes cross-references to specific paradigm numbers, including a portion of names that occur within the selected readings. Various illustrations occur throughout, typically of Viking
and Scandinavia
n-related halls, weapons, etc.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
written by E.V. Gordon and first published in 1927 in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
at the Clarendon Press. It has been reprinted several times since. The Second Edition was revised by A.R. Taylor. The book is commonly accepted as a standard text for anyone studying Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
. It includes a long introduction, a short grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
of Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
, a glossary, an index of names and selections from the Elder Edda as well as a number of other sagas (all in Old Norse).
The introduction of the text traces the literary history of Old Norse, and describes the literary merits, historical accuracy, and compositional style of Old Norse texts. In it, Gordon draws comparisons to other Medieval languages and texts, such as the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
.
The central part of the book is composed of selections of Old Norse texts, including the entire text of Hrafnkels saga
Hrafnkels saga
Hrafnkels saga or Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of struggles between chieftains and farmers in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous main character, Hrafnkell, starts out his career as a fearsome duelist and a dedicated worshiper of the god...
in the Second Edition. Other selections include the Eddic
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
poem Þrymskviða
Þrymskviða
Þrymskviða is one of the best known poems from the Poetic Edda...
, and parts of Hrólfs saga kraka
Hrólfs saga kraka
Hrólfs saga kraka, the Saga of King Hrolf kraki, is a late legendary saga on the adventures of Hrólfr Kraki and his clan, the Skjöldungs. The events can be dated to the late 5th century and the 6th century. It is believed to have been written in the period c. 1230 - c. 1450...
. Both East Norse and West Norse are represented, and there are also runic inscriptions.
The grammar portion of the text is written with the understanding that the reader would be familiar with linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, particularly those of Germanic languages
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
. Verb conjugations are given in accordance with stem class, and Gordon often gives the historical reasons for particular changes in word form. There are also notes on the text selections, particularly glosses of difficult lines, as well as notes on differences between branches of Old Norse, both phonologically
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
and in writing.
It includes a comprehensive glossary that often includes cross-references to specific paradigm numbers, including a portion of names that occur within the selected readings. Various illustrations occur throughout, typically of Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n-related halls, weapons, etc.
West Norse
- Loki and Svaðilfari
- Frey and Skirnir
- Skaði's Marriage
- Thor and Utgarða-Loki
- The Doom of the Gods
- Volsunga sagaVolsunga sagaThe Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
- Hrólfs saga krakaHrólfs saga krakaHrólfs saga kraka, the Saga of King Hrolf kraki, is a late legendary saga on the adventures of Hrólfr Kraki and his clan, the Skjöldungs. The events can be dated to the late 5th century and the 6th century. It is believed to have been written in the period c. 1230 - c. 1450...
- Excerpt from Ari Thorgilsson's Libellus Islandorum
- The Norse Discovery of America
- Hrafnkels sagaHrafnkels sagaHrafnkels saga or Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of struggles between chieftains and farmers in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous main character, Hrafnkell, starts out his career as a fearsome duelist and a dedicated worshiper of the god...
- Njals Saga
- Grettis SagaGrettis sagaGrettis saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic outlaw.- Overview :...
- Egils SagaEgils sagaEgils saga is an epic Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald...
- Excerpts from HeimskringlaHeimskringlaHeimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
- Thormoð at the Battle of Stiklastaðir
- Thattr Auðunar Vestfirzka
- ÞrymskviðaÞrymskviðaÞrymskviða is one of the best known poems from the Poetic Edda...
- The Waking of AngantyrThe Waking of AngantyrHervararkviða is an Old Norse poem from the Hervarar saga, and which is sometimes included in editions of the Poetic Edda....
- EiriksmalEiríksmálEiríksmál is a skaldic poem composed sometime in 954 or later on the behest of the Norwegian queen Gunnhild in honour of her slain consort Erik Bloodaxe. Only the beginning of the poem is extant....
- Fagrskinna
East Norse
- Gesta DanorumGesta DanorumGesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
- West-Gautish LawsVästgötalagenVästgötalagen or the Westrogothic law is the oldest Swedish text written in Latin script and the oldest of all Swedish provincial laws. It was compiled in the early 13th century and is known to have been the code of law used in the province of Västergötland during the latter half of that century....
- The Life of St. EricEric ChroniclesEric's Chronicle is the oldest surviving Swedish chronicle. It was written by an unknown author between about 1320 and 1335....
- The Legendary History of GotlandGutasagaGutasaga is a saga treating the history of Gotland before its Christianization. It was recorded in the 13th century and survives in only a single manuscript, the Codex Holm. B 64, dating to ca. 1350, kept at the Swedish Royal Library in Stockholm together with the Gutalag, the legal code of...
Editions
- Revised edition 1956, revised by A.R. Taylor; Reprinted 1981, Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, ISBN 0198111843