The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English

by Hana Videen

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 you’ll never look at―or speak―English in the same way again.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics, Medieval, Audiobook, Historical

296 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2021

About the author

Hana Videen has been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one every day. Now thousands follow for these daily gems from her 'wordhord'. Hana holds a doctorate in English from King's College London, and is now a writer and blogger based in Canada, where she translates curiosities of history into engaging narratives.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

A terrific and highly readable overview of Old English words, how they relate to and differ from modern English, and what they reveal about a time of which we know relatively little. Particularly interesting on hapaxes (words that only appear once in the whole corpus so it's a matter of guessing what they mean) and converging and diverging etymology. Also a beautiful object in hardback so it's a shame I've dog-eared the hell out of my copy to highlight all the bits I want to tell people.

[Warwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got into Old English in 2007, when I was between jobs and had a lot of time to sit around and find ways to stay inside and not spend any money. I crawled through the Cambridge Old English Reader and then Beowulf with a dictionary, and enjoyed myself enormously.

It's only now I realise how unenterprising I was about it. Hana Videen, according to this blurb, ‘has been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one every day. Now thousands follow her for these daily gems from her wordhord’.

I'm no longer on Twitter (or whatever it's called these days), but this seems a lot more substantial than just an expanded series of tweets, so clearly she's worked up her material effectively. There are some things I really like about it. For a start, I love the idea of a book that is just about words, their history and usage – this seems like it should be a dream pitch for me, really. And there is also some good serious scholarship behind it: her references are deep and up-to-date, and (particularly to be applauded) she gives the pronunciation of words in proper IPA.

Still, overall, there is something a little incoherent about the book. It probably works best as something to dip in and out of, rather than to read right through. Videen moves from one word to the next on a thematic basis, but without really digging too much into anything in particular, so it all starts to blend together and just feel like a kind of laundry list of random pieces of vocab.

I'm also slightly resistant to some of the fawning over words that can happen in these discussions. A word from poetry like uhtcearu is usually glossed as meaning ‘pre-dawn anxiety’, and it does mean that, inasmuch as cearu means ‘anxiety’ and uht is a division of the day corresponding to the last part of the night. We could say that someone was ‘dawn-anxious’ in English just as easily, if we wanted to be poetic. The transparency of these words is sometimes hidden in a foreign language – Old English formed compound words easily, and I feel it's kind of cheating. A Peter Bichsel book I read in German recently included the word Kranschiffwagenzieherkleiderwagenzieher, meaning ‘the person who pulls the wagon which is carrying the clothes of the person pulling the wagon that holds the boat that carries the crane’ (don't ask). Is it really a ‘word’, though, in the same sense we usually mean it?

Anyway, don't expect too much depth here, but as an introduction to the joys of Old English, and to life in Anglo-Saxon England, this is uncomplicated and plenty of fun.

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hana Videen's 2021 The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English most definitely (at least in my not so humble opinion) provides a fascinatingly delightful educational and fun introduction to early Mediaeval England via specifically featured and described (both culturally and linguistically) Old English (Anglo-Saxon) vocabulary.

And yes, Videen certainly manages to pack, to cram an immense amount of nicely intriguing and thematically relevant information into her presented text for The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English, featuring an introductory section as well as twelve concise chapters covering a broad range of topics (from eating and drinking to hoarding words, with some examples being only briefly showcased whilst others are depicted and analysed with considerably more detail) but always and thankfully remaining very firmly rooted in the textual examples chosen and which Hana Videen wonderfully and enlighteningly supports with solid linguistic and historical/archaeological evidence and proofs.

But just to say that The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English is also and indeed marvellously penned for a general readership and is thus and happily, fortunately easily enough understood without requiring a university level education and advanced degrees in linguistics, history etc., and not to mention that Videen using as her primary sources for The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English not just famous Old English literature examples like Beowulf but equally Bible translations, homilies, letters, cooking instructions etc. etc. etc., this is kind of like the icing on the proverbial cake for me, as well as the fact that each chapter provides Old English/Modern English glossaries with pronunciation guides and that there is also a detailed primary and secondary source section at the back of The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (although yes, I do kind of wish that like with her second book on Old English vocabulary, that like with the published in 2023 The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary, Hana Videen would also be taking all of the chapter glossaries and putting them into one general all encompassing final glossary in The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English).

Now the introduction for The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English, titled The Language You Thought You Knew, it decently contextualises Old English for nonspecialists, covering a great deal of ground from linguistic through historical and cultural topics, introducing pronunciation, inflection, syntax, runes, religious considerations and the like but without Hanna Videen's printed words becoming overly difficult/tedious (and with this also being the case for the twelve chapters post the introductory section, yay), with my only (but personally definitely a trifle frustrating) complaint regarding The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English (and the main reason for my rating being flour and not five stars) being that unlike with The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary, Videen does not both in the introduction and in the twelve following chapters of The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English delve all that much into detailed etymologies and into how Old English is as a West Germanic language of course quite closely related to German, Dutch, Friesian, Luxembourgish etc. (something that my linguistically inclined reading self rather painfully misses and laments and something that has fortunately been for the most part very nicely completely and lastingly remedied in The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary).

[Graychin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an old English major (not an “Old English” major) like me, this book was pure wynn (joy). If you love Beowulf and Co. or have an interest in early medieval history, get a copy, set it by your bed, and read a bit each week. Not only will you learn wonderful trivia about the making of quill pens, the meaning of “garlic,” trials-by-ordeal, and ancient medicine (“Wolf meat and mandrake root are effective remedies for dēofol-sēocnes”), you’ll also add some real gems to your personal wordhord.

Some of my favorites, as Videen defines them:

ān-genga (AHN-YENG-ga): Solitary walker, lone wanderer.

wes hāl (wess HALL): Be well, or be healthy. A greeting.

æmet-hwīl (AM-et-HWEEL): leisure time, idleness.

morgen-colla (MOR-gen KOLL-ah): morning-dread, morning-rage.

ealu-sceop (EH-al-luh-SHEH-op): Ale poet, one who recites poetry in the presence of those drinking.

hleahtor-smiþ (HLEH-ah-h’tor-SMITH): Entertainer, minstrel (laughter-smith).

leornung-cræft (LEH-or-nung-KRAFT): learning, erudition (learning-craft).

heorþ-fæst (HEH-orth-FAST): Having a house of one’s own.

lēod-wynn (LAY-od-WUEN): Joy of being among one’s own people.

dēofol-sēocnes (DAY-ov-ol-SAY-ock-ness): “Devil sickness,” demonic possession, insanity.

bān-hūs (BAHN-HOOS): “Bone house,” the body.

hord-loca (HORD-LOCK-ah): “Hoard locker,” “treasure locker,” the mind.

fnēosung (F’NAY-oh-zung): sneeze (noun).

dæg-candel (DAIE-KAHN-dell): “Day-candle,” the sun.

wæl-mist (WAEL-MIST): “Slaughter mist,” mist that covers the bodies of the slain.

wolcen-faru (WOL-kun-FAH-ruh): moving clouds, passing of clouds.

bēo-gang (BAY-oh-GAHNG): Swarm of bees.

līg-draca (LEE-DRAH-ka): “Flame dragon,” fire-breathing dragon.

bōc-hūs (BOAK-HOOS): Library (“book house”).

sūsl-hof (SOO-zull-HOFF): Place of torment, hell.

wīd-wegas (WEED-WEH-gas): “Wide ways,” distant regions, regions far and wide.

yþ-lād (UETH-LAWD): Ocean (“wave path”).

mearc-stapa (MEH-ark-STAH-pa): “Boundary stepper,” one who wanders the desolate
borderlands.

reord-berend (REH-ord-BEH-rend): “Speech bearer,” human.

twēo-mann (TWAY-oh-MAHN): “Doubt person,” creature whose humanity is uncertain.

wiþer-wengel (WITH-er-WENG-gell): Adversary.

dūst-scēawung (DOOST-SHAY-ah-wung): “Dust viewing,” visiting a grave or considering one’s mortality.

fyrwit-georn (FUER-wit-YEH-orn): Curious, inquisitive, eager for knowledge.

galdor-word (GAL-dor-WORD): Word of incantation.

un-āsecgendlīc (UN-ah-SEDGE-end-leech): Beyond the powers of speech to describe, unspeakable, ineffable, not proper to tell or be told.

[Gilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-researched, informative, engaging and humorous book explores daily life, culture and beliefs in Britain c. 550-1150 CE through a curated collection of Old English (i.e. englisc) words, discussing their etymology, meaning and usage. Each easily-digestible chapter ends with a glossary with two types of pronunciation key, making it fun to practice the vocabulary. As a word nerd and former languages student, including Old English and linguistics, I thoroughly enjoyed adding to my own word-hord!

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wordhord is a a delightful trove of the Old English language. The author highlights words that have remained the same for over a thousand years, words that have no similarities with modern English, and words that, even when translated, are mystifying to modern speakers.

I enjoyed this book, especially when the author was giving the history and background of Old English words. The book is organized by chapters centered around themes such as Wildlife, Nature, Words related to time, Travel, etc. the organization unfortunately seemed like a bit of a laundry list (as another reviewer described it), but overall this was a fascinating look at language and how words reveal so much about the past and present.

[Morgane · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUN’S OUT BOOK’S OUT deze is hét boek voor taal- en letterkundenerds

[Judyta Szacillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of wordwynn (‘word-joy’)! I very much enjoyed it. You can’t learn Old English from it, but you can surely learn loads about it and have good fun at that. The tone of the book is predominantly light (I saw some reviewers complaining about ‘school bathroom jokes’, but I’m very simple-minded and have no objections to such); yet more serious aspects of human existence are approached thoughtfully.

The book consists of thirteen short essays: on eating and drinking, passing the time, or playing, but also on learning, on gods and otherworldly beings, and on searching for life’s meaning. Each is concluded with a ‘wordhord’, i.e. a list of Old English words discussed in the chapter – this is very handy for content navigation.

It’s by no means exhaustive – and it does not pretend to be – but it certainly offers a good few glimpses into the Anglo-Saxon world. I’ve had a very happy time with this book and have learned loads. I had no idea that a lady (hlæfdige) is in fact a bread-maker!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a freakin' fun book. A great trip through the words of old english (which are pretty close to German, so I had fun relating it with my limited knowledge of German)

Each word has its meaning explained with context and history... and sometimes with a connection to JRR Tolkein!

Loved it.

[Courtney Johnston]

Remember that huge tens of books that started out as blog series?

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this book and much if it is really interesting but it doesn’t actually delve below the surface very often.

[Caspar "moved to storygraph" Bryant]

this went really well! it's a medievalist book that kind of skews Popular, for the market. but I never found that was irritating or got in the way I think Hana writes perfectly for what's happening here. and she's clearly alive and excited by the Weirdness of words like my lover garsecg

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book and the concept is good, but it quickly became tedious. The author seemed more concerned with proving their cleverness to the reader than providing insightful commentary. In fact the commentary was very rambling and filled with conjecture; not fun to read.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming, chatty overview of Old English, the language spoken in the British isles before the influx of German and Norse from the 9th century onwards, as well as others in the 11th century, helped shape the mongrel language of today. Also doubles as a survey of life in early medieval England. Just a delight of a book. If you use English in any way in your life, read this book!

[Claud · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolute delight, bought this for my grandad for Christmas, fell in love with it and ended up buying my own copy.

just one that comes to mind -

Bedswerver:

A more whimsical way of branding what we would now call a ‘cheater’ or ‘adulterer’ or ‘brad pitt’.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning every Goodreads review with "hwaet!" from now on

[Lisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about Old English words and how they would be used in the early Middle Ages.

[KB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about Old English. It's important to point out early on - as author Hana Videen does - that Old English is not Shakespeare, nor is it the Canterbury Tales. We're going back farther here. In reading more and more about the Anglo Saxons, I've come across lots of the language in random words, and the names of people and places. The Wordhord shed a lot of light on the pronunciation of these words, and how they would have been used by people back then.

The book is broken up thematically, and within each chapter Videen goes through numerous words and their meaning, and how we can read them contextually. There is a lot here based on religion, which maybe isn't surprising when we think of what has survived over the centuries. Some of this reading could get a little tedious from time to time, but I get that these words and where they come from need to be properly explained.

I really loved the writing - it can be a little informal at times, but you can tell just how much the author loves the subject. You might, for example, get little interjections such as this: "This atmosphere of fear, the soldiers’ dread of dying in battle, is described as morgen-colla. What a useful word for describing that feeling when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. ‘Nothing is going right this morning #MorgencollaMondays.'" The book isn't overrun with this kind of writing by any means, but I could maybe see some readers not being into it. I thought Videen could be pretty funny, though.

It's cool to take everything in and look at what has changed and what hasn't. There's obviously a lot of the language that modern English speakers would not recognize. There are some words you might be able to guess if you speak a Germanic language. But I was also surprised to see how many words have barely changed, or haven't changed at all.

The Wordhord is not just about the words themselves but also how people used them, giving us insight into their thoughts and way of life. Language is such as fascinating thing, isn't it?

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, this is an enjoyable book on what we might learn about the history of a people through the history of English. Almost every page offers the English reader an exciting new discovery about their native tongue. However, the author’s biases against the religious practices of her subjects was tiresome and, because religion is so central to the life of Anglo-Saxon England, was a detriment to the overall argument of the book. The book’s mocking, misrepresenting, and consistent misunderstanding of the Christian faith and religious texts of its subjects was exasperating (ex. 50, 56, 88, 175, 190-1, 194, 195, 200, 238, 257). The not infrequent grade-school bathroom jokes in a scholarly work were also devaluing to the work as a whole (ex. 169, 228). For a book offering a sociological study of Anglo-Saxon England through philology, to so frequently disparage and misinterpret the primary animating mythos of the book’s subjects diminished what would otherwise be a wholly delightful read. Recommended with reservations. Readers should not take the book’s comments on religious practice in Anglo-Saxon England, nor it’s summary and explanation of biblical texts, at face value.

[dobbs the dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book all about Old English. I actually listened to the audiobook while also following along in the book, and I think that’s probably the best way to do it. I think that either format on its own would have been really challenging, especially in the audio when certain letters and spellings are being referenced, and then being able to actually hear the pronunciations in the audio version. Highly recommend a dual approach.

The book is broken into different sections, based on the topic, and I found it absolutely fascinating. It looked at the Old English form of the word, it’s origins, and then went on to look at how the word changed, through Middle English and into modern English.

This is probably an exceptionally nerdy book, but I loved it!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book’s strongest and weakest point is that it’s written for a layperson with no knowledge of Old English. That makes it an easy read and fun to dip in and out of. However it doesn’t really dive deeply into the topic and some chapters do feel like just a list of thematically-linked words. That said, I wish that I had had a copy when I was an A-level Language student.

[Jessica - How Jessica Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was etymologically fascinating… and actually made me think about some Bible passages in a new way. (Since the Bible and Beowulf are the primary Old English documents the author uses as examples.)

Highly recommended for my fellow word nerds!

[Hulkenmamman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely, fantastic, little gem of a book. It’s only March, but I’m betting this is the best read of the year.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

While at times interesting, much of this book seems to be a list of different words. It does not come together into a larger narrative about the nature of language.

[John David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hana Videen started a daily blog about a decade ago in which she collected and discussed words from Old English, the form of the language that flourished from around 700 to 1200 A.D. Before long, she had a small collection of words (which a millennium ago would have been called a “wordhord”) that she’s annotated here and published as “The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English” (Princeton University Press, 2021).

“The Wordhord” is arranged topically by chapters that present Old English words that are related by subject. For example, Chapter 2 (“Eating and Drinking”) is full of words about food, potables, and entertainment while Chapter 7 (“Curing the Body and Mind”) looks at Old English words from medicine and anatomy. Along the way, Videen tells you how the words are used and the etymological journeys they took to get there. For example, the Old English word for “sea trip” was “gamen-waþ” (literally, “joyous path”), which alludes to the serenity of maritime travel (though traveling by sea 1,000 years ago was sure to be terrifying sometimes too). Similarly, the word ear-finger (meaning “little finger”) lets the user know which finger to use to pick your ear. For convenience, she provides a mini-wordhord at the end of each chapter which has the words she’s discussed for easy reference.

There are many ways you can present this kind of information, but Videen hews too closely to the short, scattershot presentations of related words for my taste. If you have a background in Old English or linguistics generally, you may be able to retain this information for more than a short period of time. If, on the other hand, you’re like me and have none of this background, most of the etymological information – which is admittedly fascinating – will just wash over you not long after you finish the last page. There are ways you can try to fix this, like reading it one chapter at a time or making extensive notes. Personally, neither would have helped me. So, while it was interesting, it was mostly full of information I’ve already forgotten, despite it having barely been a week since I finished it.

I don’t know how she could possibly make the content “stick” more for someone who only brings an amateurish curiosity to the table instead of any formal knowledge of Old English, but I wish her and her editor would have found it because this could have been a superb book for a much broader audience. The way it is now, it’ll probably just sit on the shelves of philologists and people who translate Old English as a reference book. She works in the occasional bit of social or cultural history along the way. It’s great for what it is, but it could have been so much more.

If you’re interested in books like this except on the topic of animals and nature, Videen came out with “The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary” earlier this year (2024), also from Princeton University Press. It appears to be written largely along the same lines by someone who is passionate about the subject and wants to share it with non-experts. I just wish I had the background to appreciate it instead of having it slip through my fingers so quickly.

[Gastjäle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old English has entrancingly evocative words and expressions, smelling of the soil of simpler times. They can have the sound of noble magic, of grin-and-bear-it fortitude or perhaps of garlic-stenched oaths mutter through gritted teeth—yet they are all beautiful, especially if one has a knack for Germanic languages. I have recently been reading stuff in Swedish and German, and also been flicking through the mirthful rustic sangs of one Rabbie Burnes, so Hana Videen's heath-blasts from the past have furnished mighty enhancements to my fanum linguae.

Each chapter of the book comes with a different theme, around which various words are presented in a free-flowing yet insightful fashion. There are tangents, but those tangents are often done either to elucidate on some words of another language family or to consolidate the overall narrative with bits of trivia. What I especially enjoyed was the author's ability to anticipate misunderstandings—she was especially careful not to let the reader make a pratfall into a steaming pile of false friends. It was also delightful to witness her wordlufu: she could relish the expressions in an infectious way, and would often elaborate on what the presence (or absence) of certain words could inform us about the past.

The demerits of Wordhord are few, and they are more like pet peeves rather than solid, constructing bits of criticism. References to modern pop culture do not resonate with me at all (I want to bask in my bally past!), and the overall attempts at forging some larger narratives into the work left me rather empty, them being rather a collection of cliches than words that call for contemplation. I am not saying that Videen's a shabby writer—her way of transitioning from one word to another could be admirable at times—but the book just (obviously) has the tone of a modern piece of non-fiction that, for me, seems to lack a proper gravitas for it to be a perfect diamond.

But yeah, peeves peeves. It is definitely a work to be recommended for anyone interested in the roots of English, for the wordhord within is widfæþme eallswa hell.

[Tim O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a genuinely entertaining book for anyone curious about the history of English words. It would be a good introduction to Old English for a student or anyone else beginning to learn the language. There is almost no grammar or technical linguistics here, but the cumulative effect of so many accounts of the meanings of Old English words and how they evolved into their modern counterparts forms an accessible pathway to understanding a lot of the vocabulary. But any reader interested in words will find this book entertaining and instructive. If nothing else, they will see words like "garlic" (gārlēac - "spear leek/onion") or "acorn" (æcern - "oak seed") differently after reading this book. And some of the words the language once had and are now gone are interesting as well. I think a gebēorscipe (a feast involving plenty of alcohol) with drēamcræft (joy craft/music) played on a gliwbēam (glee-beam/harp) sounds better than the modern equivalents.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I promised a review and here it is. I, surprisingly, hadn't heard of this book until my beautiful friend Morag gave me it for Christmas. It instantly became my favourite present of that particular Christmas. But it did take me some months to get to it, I was worried it would disappoint me as I already know so much about this time period. My worries were justified when I opened the book and started to read. It was a repeat of all the various philology courses I've had at university. Fortunately, this feeling didn't last long! Yes, I already knew some of the things discussed but the new information vastly outweighed what I already knew about Old English. Videen has an extremely fun tone so reading this book was a pleasure. I will criticise her for one slight thing though and that's how the pronunciation of /x/ was often incorrectly transcribed. As a speaker of Dutch, I'm fond of the /x/! And I have to applaud for how well she explained things, I am sure that people who haven't studied Old English at university will easily understand the text. And it's still fun for everyone who has studied OE. The work that's gone into this book is admirable. So, a big thank you to my friend Morag for sending me this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it :)

[Anna Emmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! As a fan of medieval literature and culture, I was thrilled to stumble across this book. Videen writes in a manner that is not only engaging but also surprisingly funny, a welcome change from the often dense and dry papers and books about Old English. Loved the layout of the book and the lists of words at the end of each chapter complete with pronunciation guides that makes it easy to look up a word.

[bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a joy! I listened to the audiobook and it was such a fun listen/read, sara powell’s narration makes it feel like a conversation rather than a list of words, sometimes I wished to see the words physically but I didn’t mind too much. I was SO excited to see videen bring in some old Icelandic too, such a fun combining of interests!!
Makes me miss studying old english 🥲

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erudite and, at times, fascinating. I was particularly interested in words that had Dutch cognates. However, it got to be a bit repetitive. There are only so many strange words that one can assimilate in a short time, and so after a while, it became just one word after another. A wordhord, I guess!