gliew-mēden

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Hana Videen

gliew-mēden, n.n: a glee-maiden, female musician. (GLIH-ew-MAY-den)

Woman playing a harp in the Codex Manesse. Zurich, c. 1300-c. 1340. Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Cod. Pal. germ. 848, f. 412r. [digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de]

frēo

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Hana Videen

frēo, adj: free, having liberty or immunity, noble, glad, joyful. Also, m.n: a lord, master. Also, f.n: a lady, woman. (FRAY-oh)

Read more about this word in this week’s Wordhord Wednesday post on Patreon.

hearpestre

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Hana Videen

hearpestre, f.n: a female harper. (HAY-arp-est-reh)

A woman playing a harp. Gerald of Wales’s Topographia Hiberniae. England, N. (Lincoln?), c. 1196-c. 1223. British Library, Royal 13 B VIII, f. 26r. [bl.uk]

hearpere

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Hana Videen

hearpere, m.n: a harper. (HAY-arp-eh-reh)

David playing the harp in the Westminster Psalter. S. England (Westminster or St Albans), c. 1200. British Library, Royal 2 A XXII, f. 14v. [bl.uk]

mēowle

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Hana Videen

mēowle, f.n: a maid, damsel, virgin, woman. (MAY-oh-leh)

A unicorn resting its head in a maiden’s lap. Most depictions of this scenario have a hunter stabbing the poor unicorn but in this image we can imagine the two are simply good friends. Jacob van Maerlant’s Der Naturen Bloeme. Flanders, c. 1350. Hague, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16, f. 63r. [bestiary.ca]