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Fred's Words have touched on a variety of topics, so we devided the "words" into manageable categories. Click a text link below to peruse:
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Our "Weekly Word Klub" is growing. I have added a couple of guests to see if they like the concept (not the "concept" virius).
We have been toying with Mother Goose poems for the last month or so and these have a basis in Olde Saxon lore.
Most of the Mother Goose poems make some sense in modern English as far as the word meaning—the poem meaning has been somewhat obscured and distorted by time.
Becky has asked about "words" several times as she is involved in an organization that re-creats the dress of the period and does plays and is involved in the "Faire" several times a year.
So here are some Saxon words you might enjoy.
Serf -- servus
Tun -- fenced or walled area or as in Bromton, England = "a tun where broom corn grows"
Ham -- village
Wic -- village
Wich -- village as in Sandwich, England = "a sandy place with a village built on it"
Worth -- homestead as in Merworth, England = Mearas homestead.
Den -- pasture as in Marden, England = "the mare’s pasture"
Hyrst or hurst -- a wooded hill as in Staplehurst, England = "a wooded hill where posts grow." Actually "straight trees growing suitable for making fence posts".
Noess -- (the oe is an umlaut O) = headland as in Sheerness, Scotland = "bright headlands"
Brycg -- bridge as in Tonbridge, England "Tunna’s Bridge"
Ford -- we all know this one as in Aylesford = "The Angle’s Ford"
Stow -- inhabited place as in Halstow (hal is holy) "Holy Place" usually a small chapel. Holy is Sanctus in Latin---there are no Latin connections to the Saxon words above. I did find a Slavic connection to "Tun" out of Sanskrit. Variation of Ten = meaning the area that you don’t go into or forbidden area (as if were fenced), i.e. "Tundra" in the Russian Steppes.
Thorpe -- orchard as in Orangethorpe Ave. in Anaheim, Calif.
Dun -- hill another variation or dialectical use of "Tun" . In West Saxon Dun was a hill, in Mercia Tun was a fenced in place, but sometimes a hill—depends on context.
Cot -- little house as in cottage.
Leah or ley -- clearing
Mere -- pool or lake Hey! Our first Latin connection—Ocean, Sea, or Lake is "Mare" in Latin.
Mercia could have come from Latin—it means, loosely "Trade". Old Mercia could have been a Roman trading area—only surmising.
Fyrd or Here -- Army. Modern writers use Fyrd, but Here means the same in Saxon. Some Kings used Here and some used Fyrd—dialect.
Fyrdmen -- had a sword, a shield, an axe—became "freedmen" in Old English. Received high Pay $$$. Tacitus, a Roman writer, used Fyrd instead of the Latin "Agmen".
Ceorl -- Peasant (or able bodied men suitable to be drafted into the Fyrd).
Adryhten -- Warlord. We lost the word somewhere in the 8th Century.
Scyld -- Danish for Shield.
Hlaford -- landlord. A Lord is referred to as "a giver of rings". He also gave out Lands to warriors that helped him battle.
AeTHeling -- prince (the "TH" is written as an "O" with a little tail on top like a mirco miniture "X". I don’t have Saxon characters on my keyboard—I’ll use TH for the funny O). (FYI – If my one little memory cell is still working, the funny O is called a "thorn." TM)
Cyning -- King
"Real Estate" -- Real (from Latin) Royal and Estate from Latin/French "lands"—so "The King’s Lands". All land belonged to the King just as all land in the USA belongs to the Govt. (If you don’t believe me—see how the Govt. Reacts if they want to build a Freeway thru your house—who do you think will lose??)
DuguTH -- Youth—a dim connection to Junge in German (the J is a Y).
HeardTHweru -- Hearth troops or household troops (drafted in other words).
Thieves -- A band of marauders (or war-band) not to exceed 7 men.
Folk -- the Nation (or the people) Akin to Volk (folks) as in Volkswagon (peoples car).
Byrnie -- mail shirt (or chain mail shirt) from Scotish (Kelt).
Dreng -- warrior
Thegn or Thane -- one who serves
Scir -- a single Estate
The Thane who owned an Estate was called "Ealdorman" (From the German "Alt" meaning old).
Gerefa -- Reeves
Shire -- a district politically controlled by an Earl. He usually hired the Reeve to manage the Shire or the Shire’s Reeve (Sheriff).
Buhra -- Burrough Burh also meant Garrison.
Weorcmen -- workmen
Huscarles -- later called "housecarls or housecurls" Professional soldiers.
Lithsmen -- fought hard for cash
Heriot -- the death duty paid by the family when a Theign died of natural causes. They did not pay if he died in battle.