Speak like a Saxon: gardening battles

I've been indulging in some guerilla gardening today.* Ok, so maybe no-one's quite sure who owns the land, but at least now it's pretty and it was an excuse to eat cake too. For most people, warfare and horticulture might seem worlds apart, but linguistically there's not much in the way.

Take the word 'Garden', for instance. The poem Beowulf starts:

Hwæt! we Gardena in geardagum...þrym gefrunon

(Hey! We heard about the glory of the spear-danes quite a long time ago).

'Garden' here is a false friend. For the Anglo-Saxons, a Garden (pronounced "gaaaaRr-dane") was a fearsome warrior, a spear-wielding fighter from Denmark, or thereabouts. The Gar- bit of the word turns up in lots of other war words like garheap (band of warriors) and garnið (battle). **

So, next time you're out with your pansies and petunias, try this:

We sindon Gardene

["Way sind-on gaaRr-dane-uh"]

We are fearsome spear warriors from Denmark. Do not mess with us! (well, the last bit is implied at least).

 


*In honour of tomorrow being Earth Day.
** but maybe not garleac  (Garlic). Who knows?

Speak like a Saxon: three little words

Valentine's day might be so last month, but it's never too late to say those three little words. Here you go...

ic þe lufie

["itch thay luff-ee-eh"]

I love you.

Speak like a Saxon: faint praise

From the poem Beowulf... Ecgðeow is a praiseworthy warrior. Why? He's brave and renowned in battle and all the rest of it. But what marks him out for particular praise is this: he wasn't guilty of friendly fire. He successfully managed not to take out his own side:

nealles druncne slog heorðgeneatas

["nay-all-es drunk-nuh slog hay-orth-yuh-nay-at-as"]  

He didn't at all slay his heath-companions when he was drunk.

Great. Well done,  Ecgðeow!

(ll.2179-2180)

Speak like a saxon: snnnnnn.....

Yes. It's snowing. It's cold; it's miserable and it's very slippery out there. No mention of the wonderful, astonishing beauty of God's created world. As I've said before: nature (for our lovely Anglo-Saxons) was scary, dangerous and definitely not to be meddled with.

So, for this week:

Eala!! Her bið sneawgebland.

["Ay-all-uh!! Hair bith snay-ow-yuh-bland"]

Alas! There's a snowstorm! Panic! Run around! Batten down the hatches and don't go out! 

Speak like a Saxon: Happy New Year (and gold treasure)

Gesælige niwe gear!

["Yuh-sail-iy-uh nee-uu-wuh yay-ar"]

Not so very long ago, a new cache of Anglo-Saxon treasure was discovered in Staffordshire. We're not sure who put it there, or why, yet. "Get yer hands off my gold" or words to that effect probably accompanied the digging efforts.

1100 years ago to roughly this date (give or take a few months), a lovely lady called Athelflæd was in Staffordshire. Did she have anything to do with it??

The Cotton Tiberius A.vi manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says,

913: Her Gode forgifendum for Æþelflæd Myrcna hlæfdige mid eallum Myrcum to Tamaweorðige 7 þa burh ðær getimbrede on foreweardne sumor, 7 þæs foran to Hlafmæssan þa æt Stæfforda.*

In this year, through the Grace of God, Athelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, went with all the Mercians to Tamworth and built the fortress there at the beginning of the summer, and then the one at Stafford before Lammas.

This is just after vikings and pirates and all kinds of unfriendly people had been rampaging around Mercia. The earl of Mercia died in 912 and King Edward very kindly took over. The Mercians were not to be meddled with! Gold theft, land grabbing, interfering governments and pirates (maybe add rail fare increases, gas price manipulation and rubbish on telly)....Lady Athelflæd took action! She built the fortresses - did she hide the money??

*electronic version with much thanks to: http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/b/b-L.html 

Speak like a Saxon: Not the end of the world

Today is neither more nor less likely to be the end of the world than yesterday or tomorrow. Sorry, Mayan believers. In the year 1000, the Anglo Saxons thought it'd be the end of the world and it wasn't. But, just in case of fire, famine, flood or other global misfortune today, try these phrases:

Where has my boat gone? - Hwær cwom scip min?
["H-wair kwom ship min?"]*

This fire is very hot - þis ligbyrne ful hat is!
["This liy-boor-nuh full haat iss!"]

Why is this hedge of terrors here? - For hwon is þis færhaga her?
["For h-won iss thiss fair-ha-ga hair?"]

Watch out for the deep pit! - Beo ymbhydig færseaðes!
["Bay-oh oomb-hoo-diy fair-say-ath-us!"

*You can read about the man building floating escape pods, just in case, here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20803579 

Speak like a Saxon: Guess the carol

Nealece! Nealece! Immanuel!

Can you guess?

["Nay-ah-letch-uh, nay-ah-letch-uh, im-an-yu-el!"]

While you're singing around the fire, roasting pigeon and keeping the monsters at bay, try substituting the first line of this carol with the above phrase. It should scan, just about....