# The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English - Hardcover

by **Hana Videen** (Author)

**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.

### Author Biography

**Hana Videen** has been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one a day. Now more 20,000 people follow these gems from her wordhord. A writer and blogger, she holds a PhD in Old English from King's College London and lives in Toronto. Website www.oldenglishwordhord.com Twitter @OEWordhord

**Number of Pages:** 296

**Dimensions:** 1.18 x 8.58 x 5.51 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** May 10, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 29.95 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 29.95 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English - Hardcover

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