#old English words

[catt-nuevenor]

Charming Spiders

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything, the last week has been very tough, and I've just been focusing on getting my head down to work rather than dwell on matters beyond my control.

But, since it has been a while, how about some Anglo-Saxon medical shenanigans to lighten the mood?

This section is from Leechdoms, wortcunning, and starcraft of early England Vol III, pg 42-43, and is all to do with the treatment of warts.

I've included both the given translation and the Old English for you to compare, and I've highlighted the sung incantation in both.

Modern (ish) English:

Old English:

For a little bit of fun, I've highlighted a few keywords in the copy below to help you orientate yourself in the Old English:

In order of highlighting, the words are:

ꞅpiꝺeꞃ / spider - spider

ƿihꞇ / wiht - wight

lanꝺe / lande - land * 2

colıan / colian - cool

ꝺeoꞃeꞅ / deores - beast

ꞅƿeoꞅꞇaꞃ / sweostar - sister

[shilohxovo]

A Story I'm making

So I'm making a story and this is how it is so far it might change later though:

A maiden with locks of red did recline upon her resting place within her chamber, clad in her night attire. Though the sun had ascended to the sky, slumber still graced her form.

"Constance," a voice, low and unfamiliar, did utter. "Constance," the voice did sound again. Now roused, her eyes of hazel did swiftly unseal, yet no other presence did her sight perceive but herself and a raven, perched upon the sill.

Striving to shoo away the raven yielded no success, prompting her to rise and attire herself in garments meant for daylight. With a final glance toward the raven, she departed the chamber, her siblings already begun upon their day's tasks.

Constance descended the stairs, her parents' gazes met hers, laden with inquiry regarding the lateness of her slumber. She perceived their silent interrogation. Reluctant was she to speak a falsehood, yet she yielded to the temptation, knowing deceit to be a transgression. "I was ailing, and thus I tarried in sleep's embrace," she uttered, though in her heart she knew the tale to be untrue. "Forgive me for not beseeching your consent beforehand."

In truth, her nocturnal pursuits had drawn her into the bosom of the woods, driven by an unwavering curiosity that characterized her tender years. Alas, innocence outshone wisdom, leading her to venturesome endeavors amidst the woodland's shadows.

Her parents exchanged a knowing glance before her mother, a woman of gentle demeanor, spoke. "Dear Constance," she began, her tone soft but tinged with concern, "thy health is dear to us. 'Tis well that thee found rest, though we hope thy ailment does not persist."

Her father, a man of wisdom acquired through the passage of years, added with a measured nod, "A goodly night's sleep hath its virtues, yet perchance seek the counsel of thy mother or myself should such ailment recur. We are here to provide care and guidance, as parents ought."

And so, the parents' words carried the warmth of parental concern, unaware of Constance's true nocturnal escapades amidst the mysterious woods.

Constance did incline her head courteously to the thought, though words of her own did not readily pass her lips. Instead, she did take her leave of her progenitors, exiting the dwelling to unite with her kin in the yard, where they did await her presence to aid them in their day's labors.

After the fullness of their daily toil, Constance and her siblings found themselves drawn unto a patch of green beneath the fond embrace of a venerated oak. The sun's descent did tint the heavens with hues of amber and crimson, bestowing a placid luminescence upon the landscape.

Seated in a circle upon the verdurous tapestry, they partook in the rites of camaraderie known to kin alone. Laughter, tales, and the sharing of visions became one with the soft rustling of leaves and the gentle sighs of zephyrs.

As twilight spread its duskened wings, the embers of a small fire did kindle, a meeting ground wherein stories found voice. They exchanged chronicles of eras long past, of realms remote and marvels distant. Each narrative bore the spark of fancy, enkindling an enchantment mutual and transcendent of the mundane sphere.

Beneath the starry arras of night, they leaned upon one another's presence, a mosaic of souls interwoven by the loom of kinship. With each moment elapsed, the concerns of day's labor yielded to the sorcery of the night, a sorcery that murmured secrets to attentive ears.

And as the moon ascended its celestial throne, Constance and her siblings did surrender to the gentle embrace of slumber, their dreams a portal to realms both familiar and obscure, both worldly and wondrous. The night watched over them, its shadows a silent guardian over the tranquil scene.

Thus, in the quiet core of the night, they did rest, the tendrils of darkness weaving a tapestry of dreams that connected them to the enigmas that awaited in the waking hours.

The following morn, Constance stirred to a sensation tugging at her feet. 'Twas but one of her kin, a younger sibling, whose departure marked their leave-taking. "Constance," the voice, known from yester's eve, resounded once more. As the crow took wing once more to the selfsame window, she wondered, though uncertain, if 'twas the very same corvine creature.

[infoanalysishub]

Erst Meaning, Definition, Synonyms, Usage, History & More

Discover the complete dictionary guide to “erst”—learn its pronunciation, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, history, grammar, examples, and literary usage. Perfect for writers, poets, and language learners. Erst Pronunciation: /ɜːrst/ (British English), /ɜrst/ (American English)Part of Speech: AdverbSyllables: 1 (erst)Rhymes with: cursed, burst, first, nursed, versed I. Definitions Formerly;…

[lone-nyctophile]

Poetry is what helps me remember that even in my fragments, I am whole.

- Jennifer Huang

[prince4knights]

knights should let me touch their swords because I'm curious about the craftsmanship, and definitely not so I can flirt using thinly veiled sheath-themed euphemisms

[petaltexturedskies]

Shivelight (n.) — an eye-catching and poetic word used to describe the slender, golden ribbons of light that stream through the canopy of leaves—sunlight pierced and filtered by the gentle shifting of leaves. It captures the stillness of a wooded morning, the quiet revelation of illumination dancing between shadows.

[somewhereincairparavel]

Hear me out. Jason Grace would NOT understand meme culture or gen z jokes. Like. At all. This man is a dorky dad in a child's body.

Jason would just do a cool backflip or sumn and Piper would go "oh my gosh slayyy" and he'd get all serious and alert, draws his gladius and goes "Where's the monster I need to slay Piper? Where is it????"

Leo would call him a pookie bear, and Jason would be like "??? Frank's the bear" and "What is a pookie, it is a very peculiar sounding word" with the most adorable clueless puppy face ever.

Piper and Leo would be in TEARS.

Bc. Jason grace, the Son of Jupiter. Child of rome. Toppler of the black throne. Praetor of the twelfth legion. Slayer of krios. The golden celebrity of camp jupiter. Cold intimidating feral boy who most ppl even fear standing next to. Doesn't know what a pookie bear is.

Also, Jason would HATE HATE HATE the "womp womp" jokes (which Leo makes ALOT lmao) it's legit like the Bane of his existence.

Bc he doesn't get it? Like when Annabeth gives them all a very serious Architectural nerdy explanation about the exteriors of the new rome shrines, Leo would just go "womp womp" like so out of the blue.

Annabeth would be fucking furious, and Jason would be like super annoyed aswell bc. dude. What was the point of interrupting such a great nerdy yapping session, like, I was enjoying that. You killed the vibe.

(We all know it's canon that Jason and annabeth love yapping and geeking out in cursive together, so they BOTH hate the womp womp jokes with a burning passion BC IM TRYNA TALK HERE)

[slavhew]

jakey + dirkjake sandwiched between my organic chem notes. a poem in there somewhere

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Transcript:

Machine, I am little. I am little and small.

And I require uppies! With which I may reach closer to the heavens to worship God!

Lift me, Machine.

And place me onto the pews wherest others kneel so that I may pray.

Pray... FOR YOUR DOWNFALL.

Audio source

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

was thinking about how the dca would be able to figure out what counts as a curse in different languages

because on one hand, certain words when directly translated can technically mean a curse…even though they aren’t used the same way in the dialect…but there are also phrases that are very insulting in arabic that lose meaning in translation

so either the dca knows all the informal dialects of any language in their databanks…or they only know the formal ones and it just completely flies over their heads…

(For context, the word عنفص used above is used in the context of complaining or being annoyingly insistent...but it's also used to describe a donkey...)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Old English Words

Elflock

Late 1500s

A lock of hair that looks as though it’s been tangled by elves.

In old folklore, elflocks (or fairy locks) were said to be the result of fairies or elves knotting the hair of sleeping children as they played in it during the night.

Concupiscible

15th century

Means “worthy of being desired.”

Betwixt

Means “between.”

An Old English word; first recorded before the year 950.

Brabble

Means “to argue stubbornly about trifles.”

It was first recorded in English in the late 1400s.

Comes from the Dutch brabbelen, meaning “to quarrel, jabber.”

Mickle

Means “great; large; much.”

Can refer to something that’s large in size, like a mickle storm.

But it can also refer to a great amount of something.

Bookcraft

Means “literary skill; authorship.”

It’s an archaic noun used to talk about great talents with storytelling and the written word.

Appeared in English before the year 900.

Brainish

First recorded in the 1520s.

Means “impetuous, headstrong.”

Unfriend

Unfriend isn’t just a social media term.

Its use in English actually dates back to the 1200s when it was used as a noun to refer to an enemy: The opposite of a friend is an unfriend.

Constellate

Means “to cluster together, as stars in a constellation.”

First appeared in English between 1615 and 1625.

NOTE

The phrase “old English”can mean two different things.

There’s the official term Old English, which refers specifically to the English spoken between 450 and 1150.

But there’s also old English—as in words that are considered really old because they first appeared in the 1300s, 1400s, and beyond.

There are dozens of English words that were first recorded in centuries past and then fell out of favor.

Not every word survives the passage of time, above is a mix of Old English and just plain old English words for your next poem/story.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[catt-nuevenor]

Names of Fingers

How old is the tradition of wearing rings on the third finger?

At least back to the Anglo-Saxon period, apparently:

But what were the names for the rest? Oh, I am so glad you asked:

Let's start with the first, or index finger.

Note that this is a speculation of mine by process of elimination.

Now, the second, or middle finger.

An alternate name for the third, or ring finger.

The fifth, or pinky finger.

And finally thumbs.

All the entries above are from the Online Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary.

For a little insight from a contributing source, here in the Latin to Old English translation from A Volume of Vocabularies: Illustrating the Condition and Manners of Our Forefathers... by Thomas Wright 1857:

[ro-bee]

What is bro even yapping about? 💀

[infoanalysishub]

Erst Meaning, Definition, Synonyms, Usage, History & More

Discover the complete dictionary guide to “erst”—learn its pronunciation, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, history, grammar, examples, and literary usage. Perfect for writers, poets, and language learners. Erst Pronunciation: /ɜːrst/ (British English), /ɜrst/ (American English)Part of Speech: AdverbSyllables: 1 (erst)Rhymes with: cursed, burst, first, nursed, versed I. Definitions Formerly;…

[lone-nyctophile]

~ Whitney Hanson

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price guest stars on Jack Benny Show (1957)