Speak like a Saxon #17: less than a month until Christmas

It’s less than a month until Christmas. Are you ready?

Have you got everything planned? What about a Christmas tree? A recent report proved that real trees are more environmentally friendly than the plastic ones.* Which is lucky really, since the Anglo-Saxons didn’t have plastic. They didn’t have Christmas trees either, for that matter, since the Tannenbaum was a Victorian fad stolen from Germany. But, details aside....

‘We have a proper Christmas tree’ – We habban geradlic Cristesmæssetreow [“way hab-ban ye-rad-litch Krist-es-mas-uh-tray-ow”]


‘You have a fake Christmas tree’ – þu hafast leas Cristesmæssetreow [“thoo haf-ast lay-as Krist-es-mas-uh-tray-ow”]


‘Our Christmas tree is environmentally friendly’ – Ure Cristesmæssetreow is middangeardfreondlic [“oo-re Krist-es-mas-uh-tray-ow iss mid-an-yay-ard-fray-ond-lic”]



* http://www.ellipsos.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9&lang=english

Speak like a Saxon #16: when you've got to go...

When you've got to go, you've got to go. Whether you're looking for the smallest room in the house; the little girls' room or the ladies, here's what you need:

Gangpytt - ["gang-pu*tt"] (* this is the where you say an "u" sound but make your lips round)

It means quite literally the 'pit where you go'. Nice.

So, if you're looking for the toilet, you might want to ask:

'Where's the place to go?' - Hwær cwom gangpytt? ["hwar kwom gang pu*tt?"]

And once the gangpytt is full, it needs to be cleaned. That's when you call for the:

Gangfeormer! ["gang-fey-or-mer-uh"]

It's not just a toilet cleaner but, a "goings-farmer". To be crude, a s**t shoveller, perhaps. These two words, gangpytt and gangfeormer, are real, bona fide Angl0-Saxon words. I don't think it was until the Normans came along with their courtly sensibilities that we got all prudish and started calling it the 'privy.

Speak like a Saxon #15: The weekend beckons

You've got two whole days off before you have to start working again. That manuscript you've been copying for years can just wait. As can the money-counting for the thegn, the weaving and the hunting. For two days, you're going to have a weekend! But what to do...

'Let's sit and do nothing' - Uton we sittan and nales don ["oot-on way sit-an and naa-less don"]

'Let's eat turnips' - Uton we næpas abrucan ["oot-on way na-pas a-broo-can"]

'Let's sing psalms' - Uton we sealmas singan ["oot-on way say-alm-as sing-an"]

You get the idea. Here are some more words you might like to fill in the gaps with:

Uton we..... gan/gamolian/sacan - 'Let's go/grow old/fight' ["oot-on way gaan/ga-moh-lee-aan/sack-an"]

Speak like a Saxon #14: The rains came down...

What with all the living in huts without double-glazing and damp-proof-courses, the Anglo-Saxons probably got quite wet quite a lot. But that's no reason to be down. Oh no. When the rains fall and the floods rise, know that they'll go away again sooner or later. Life is cyclical, and so proclaim this line (pilfered straight from the poem The Battle of Maldon) in defiance:

Se flod ut gewat! - 'The flood went away*!!! ["say flohd oooooot ye-waat"]

There.

* well, technically it's translated as 'the flood went out', but that doesn't sound as good.

Saxon Phrase of the Day #8: It's windy

It’s been blowing a gale today: leaves flying everywhere; bits of tree falling off everywhere and poor little birds (and people) getting blown about by the wind. In fact, our word ‘windy’ comes straight from the Anglo-Saxons. Here’s a little ditty translated for the ears of the Old English speakers out there:

‘North-wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will poor robin do then (poor thing)?’

Norðanwind bleow, and we habban snaw, and hwæt þonne do earm fugel (earm þing)?

[“North-an-wind blay-oh, and way hab-ban snaw, and hwat thon-nuh doh* (*as in “dough”) ay-arm foo-gel (ay-arm thing)”]

Saxon phrase of the day #7: energy

Perhaps the Anglo-Saxons had it easier than we do now. Even if they didn't have solar panels or snazzy wind turbines, at least there were watermills and more wood-burning stoves than you could shake a stick at (or a log, for that matter).

'Our power is green. It comes from the mill' - Ure cræft is grene. Hit cumað of þæm myle ["oor-uh kraft is gray-nuh. Hit kum-ath off tham moo-le"]

Saxon phrase of the day #6: elevenses

It's not quite time to delve into the cauldron of boiling mystery meat that Ethel's cooking for lunch, and breakfast was a long time ago. Your stomach rumbles like the thundering viking hordes. What to do? Biscuits!

'Give me the biscuit' - Gif me þone brædhlaf ["Yif may tho-nuh bred-hlaff"]

'Where is the biscuit tin?' - Hwær cwom brædhlafcæpse? ["Hwar kwom bred-hlaff-cap-suh?"]