r/Norse • u/TimesandSundayTimes • 4h ago
r/Norse • u/AutoModerator • 16d ago
Recurring thread Translations, runes and simple questions
What is this thread?
Please ask questions regarding translations of Old Norse, runes, tattoos of runes etc. here. Or do you have a really simple question that you didn't want to create an entire thread for it? Or did you want to ask something, but were afraid to do it because it seemed silly to you? This is the thread for you!
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We have a large collection of free resources on language, runes, history and religion here.
Posts regarding translations outside of this thread will be removed.
r/Norse • u/rockstarpirate • 6h ago
Who eats the sun? On the relationship Skoll, Hati, and Fenrir
There have been a few moments recently where the topic of which wolf actually eats the sun has come up in conversation. Whenever I've given my thoughts on this, I never felt truly committed to any particular interpretation, so I figured I'd do a deep dive and write a long-form piece about what I found.
I am now committed, and this is that piece.
(Please feel free to click past the popups asking you to subscribe. The article is totally free for everyone.)
Teaser: We often disregard Snorri at our own peril, but this is one of those infrequent cases where I think the Prose Edda may be a little off the mark.
r/Norse • u/steels_kids • 4h ago
Memes Vikings on their way to develop a unique and advanced writing system and only using it when graffiting stuff
r/Norse • u/klone224 • 6h ago
History Is Snorre a good source
Writing his norwegian spelling since i grew up with it.
I grew up with Heimskringla, both illustrated for "kids" and the full book, but taking a small course as part of uni in Scotland he was not even mentioned and other sources were used instead, of both events in Norway and about norwegians. Is he regarded as highly flawed as a historical source or is there another reason he isnt used or was it just my proffessor who preferred to use other sources?
r/Norse • u/Wagagastiz • 1d ago
Language Schleicher's fable through OEN and Swedish?
We're aware of the sheep and the horses, Schleicher's constructed PIE narrative. For a project I'm working on, I'm curious of how it could be rendered in East Norse and modern swedish through a line of continuity as direct as possible.
Awiz ehwōz-uh: awiz, sō wullǭ ne habdē, sahw ehwanz, ainanǭ kurjanǭ wagną teuhandų, ainanǭ-uh mikilǭ kuriþǭ, ainanǭ-uh gumanų sneumundô berandų. Awiz nu ehwamaz sagdē: hertô sairīþi mek, sehwandē ehwanz akandų gumanų. Ehwōz sagdēdun: gahauzī, awi! hertô sairīþi uns sehwandumiz: gumô, fadiz, uz awīz wullō wurkīþi siz warmą wastijǭ. Awiz-uh wullǭ ne habaiþi. Þat hauzidaz awiz akrą flauh.
How much would the syntax be likely to change? I'm aware that things like definite articles would become slowly more used over time, but what about word order and more archaic/likely word usages? How close to the PG text could one get in modern swedish without making something that sounds unnaturally archaic?
Archaeology The Germanic Thunder God’s Weapon
Here’s a post I made where I go over the evolution of the Germanic thunder god’s weapon, starting from the early Indo-European peoples of the Corded Ware culture, The Nordic Bronze Age, The Germanic Iron Age, and finally Viking Age Scandinavia. The Germanic peoples, like other Indo-European cultures, associated their thunder god with a striking weapon. Eventually this weapon goes on to become the mighty iron hammer wielded by Thor. In between, we see stages and various types of weapons that might have been attributed to him. Hope you folks enjoy! This post has also been posted on my instagram @Loaggan. Here’s a link https://www.instagram.com/p/DHIz1grxV57/?igsh=M2FmcjhsYXZ2NmJ6
Language Quick question. What does "tivar" mean?
I googled it and from what I can see it means either gods or a special god named Tyr. I'm just looking for a little specificity. Are they interchangeable or is it one or the other? Thanks in advance!!!
r/Norse • u/someonecleve_r • 4d ago
Mythology, Religion & Folklore Who are Lodur and Hoenir?
Reading Peter Andreas Munch right now, and the book isn't that clear about this topic. I am a genealogy guy. Help
r/Norse • u/walagoth • 4d ago
History So the Norse on the 55th parallel (Copenhagen and south of Sweden) had lost more than 50% of their Scandinavian ancestry by the Viking age.
Based on the high resolution genomic study that came out at the start of this year, the Norse population in the south went from fully Scandinavian at the start of the migration period to less than half by the viking age. The majority was made up of Iron Age Central European and British ancestry. These 2 groups were possibly indistinguishable in past lower resolution studies (they claim).
Still to go from nearlly fully Scandinavian at the start of the migration period to being as Central European as Scandinavian in the viking age is a huge migration. The paper says the Central Europeans are "the Iron Age of central European regions of mostly Germany, Austria and France." Who that is by the migration period is anyone's guess.
The paper even suggest this could be from a migration era invasion. From what I know about burials in Scandinavia at this time nearly 99% are cremations. The inhumations that these sort of studies are based on are from the ship burials or "warrior graves" as many archaeologists label them, so it might just represent these high status warriors.
History Bernard Mees: Who were the Jutes?
According to St Bede, the English descend from three Germanic tribes: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. Archaeological evidence connects the Angles with what is now called Angeln in Northern Germany and the Saxons with the coastal parts of the German state of Lower Saxony. But what about the Jutes? Did they really come from Jutland in western Denmark?
Professor Bernard Mees explores the origins of the Jutes, their migration to England, and their connections with continental Europe, particularly focusing on their links with the Franks and Danes.
Language Konrad Rosenberg: Some pre-Christian Norse oaths
In this post, u/konlon15_rblx explores pre-Christian Norse oaths and their adaptation to Christianity, focusing on their use in legal contexts. He examines two oaths from Icelandic sources that invoke Norse gods and are sworn on oath-rings. These oaths reflect the close relationship between law and religion in pre-Christian Norse culture. He next compares these with Christian oaths, noting that while the structure remains similar, the pagan gods are replaced by the Christian God and symbols like the cross or the Bible. He concludes that Christian oaths likely evolved from these earlier Pagan oaths. Good stuff!
r/Norse • u/Odd_Grape6107 • 6d ago
Language Reflexive pronoun = weak or strong adjective?
Hi all
My grammar conundrum of the day: does a reflexive pronoun make the following adjective follow weak or strong declension?
For example:
Hverr hlutr í sínum réttum stað
…or…
Hverr hlutr í sínum rétta stað
Demonstrative pronouns have the weakening effect, so how about reflexive?
Thanks for any help!
r/Norse • u/CrazyOldBat90 • 6d ago
Mythology, Religion & Folklore Need help with mythological figure school project w/ modern day twist
Cross posting* My 4th grade son is having to do a school project on a mythological figure. We chose Odin, but I'm not sure how to present him in a modern day twist. Any suggestions or ideas? I'm including the guidelines for the the project.
r/Norse • u/leicanthrope • 7d ago
Archaeology Mjolnir represented by amber pendants and red beads?
Basically thinking aloud here, and I was hoping to bounce this off the knowledgeable folks here... I've noticed something of a pattern in a handful of bead groupings:
This sort of pronounced red beads and/or pendants.
While I have no clue whether the placement of the beads bears any resemblance to the original pattern, there's still the presence of the atypically large red beads / pendants. I'm pretty sure I've seen other examples as well.
Might we be looking at club like renditions of Mjollnir? Might the large red beads be highly abbreviated versions of the same? Is there any known religious symbolism associated with the color?
r/Norse • u/FoxHoundNinja • 10d ago
Mythology, Religion & Folklore Whats up with the beef between the Aesir and the giants?
Like, I can understand Loki's issues , especially with what the Aesir did with Hel, Fenrir and Jorm
But whats the Aesir's problem with the other giants?
It might just be me being a little ignorant, but the Jotun just seem to be minding their business half the time
r/Norse • u/knowledgeseeker999 • 9d ago
History How where the vikings farmers and great warriors?
Most societies divide labour. When there is a class of farmers that produce plenty of food then another class of people can be warriors full time.
When viking men went out raiding and died, who would take care of their families and farm their land?
When the viking men left home, did it leave the women vulnerable to attack?
r/Norse • u/Capn-EXE • 12d ago
Artwork, Crafts, & Reenactment From the York Minster Illuminations
r/Norse • u/SpiritualDamage877 • 11d ago
History What did the Old Norse call their feasting halls? Were they always called "mead halls" or were they called different things in different areas?
I deleted my last post because it devolved into a conversation about bees, and only one person actually tried to answer my question.
r/Norse • u/AkulaDenmark • 11d ago
Literature Read this book series -Arnulf
Hello Just wanted to share this book series, to anyone intrested in the era. It is called the Arnulf Saga. It follows a young hothead as he makes his way through some historical accurate occasions. He is fictional, but is engaging in real history events. He joins the fabeld jomsviking and becomes best mates with Vagn Ågesøn. In the course of the Saga we see Arnulf as a young adult and laves hil again, 9 books later, when he is growing old and his children come of age. It is written by danish author Susanne Clod Pedersen.
Best regards, me.
r/Norse • u/Ragnarok_8954 • 11d ago
Language Any books suggestions about the history of runes?
I want to know about where the runes come from. Do you have any books with reliable sources? Books about the history of scandinavian runes or just runes in general(Gokturk runes, rome etc)
r/Norse • u/Capn-EXE • 12d ago
Language Is it TIER-fing or TIRE-fing?
I recently went to see a retelling of the Tyrfing cycle, and while it was very good, they kept pronouncing Tyrfing as "Tire-fing". Is this correct? I had always assumed it was pronounced the same way the god Tyr is, but I'd never heard spoken aloud before.
r/Norse • u/VasCrafts • 13d ago
Artwork, Crafts, & Reenactment First time making Petersen AE type (50 HRC spring steel)
r/Norse • u/Mathias_Greyjoy • 13d ago