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Category Archives: people

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mægden-cild

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Hana Videen

mægden-cild, n.n: a female child. (MAEY-den-CHILLD / ˈmæj-dɛn-ˌtʃɪld)

Medieval manuscript illustration of a haloed woman holding a book open before her and a young haloed girl studying it carefully.
St Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read, from a Book of Hours; France or England, c. 1430-40; J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 5, f. 45v. [getty.edu]
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wer

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Hana Videen

wer, m.n: man, male. (WEHR / ˈwɛr)

Read this month’s Mōnaþ-spell (monthly update) on Patreon.

A naked man holding a stick rides on the back of a many-legged dragon in the margin of a medieval manuscript.
Rutland Psalter; England, c. 1260; British Library, Add MS 62925, f. 83r. [blogs.bl.uk]
Posted in deorhord book, people Leave a comment

wēa-gesīþ

Posted on January 28, 2025 by Hana Videen

wēa-gesīþ, m.n: woe-companion, a companion in misery or wickedness. (WAY-ah-yeh-SEETH / ˈweːa-jɛ-ˌsiːθ)

In a medieval manuscript illustration, a group of men look upset, scratching their heads and gesturing to something unseen before them.
Lament over the fall of Babylon in the Douce Apocalypse; England (Westminster?), c. 1265-1270; Bodleian Library, MS. Douce 180, f. 50v. [digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk]
Posted in emotions, people Leave a comment

cǣg-bora

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Hana Videen

cǣg-bora, m.n: key-bearer. (KAEY-BO-ra / ˈkæːj-ˌbɔ-ra)

Medieval illustration of two haloed men standing within a letter S holding a giant key between them.
Historiated initial S with Christ giving St Peter a key in an Antiphonary; Germany (Regensburg), early 14th century; Walters Art Museum, Ms. W.754, f. W.754Br. [thedigitalwalters.org]
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ge-bēor

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Hana Videen

ge-bēor, m.n: a guest. (yeh-BAY-or / jɛ-ˈbeːɔr)

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ge-fēra

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Hana Videen

ge-fēra, m.n: companion, comrade. (yeh-VAY-ra / jɛ-ˈveː-ra)

Read this month’s Mōnaþ-spell (monthly update) on Patreon.

Medieval manuscript image of people gathered around a table, eating and drinking and conversing; musicians perform in the background and in the foreground a dog steals some fish from a plate.
Somme le Roi; France, 1290-1300; British Library, Add MS 28162, f. 10v. [blogs.bl.uk]
Posted in deorhord book, people Leave a comment

bȳtla

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Hana Videen

bȳtla, m.n: a hammerer, builder. (BUET-la / ˈbyːt-la)

Medieval manuscript image of people building a tower, including a person hammering and others fitting blocks into place; God and angels look on from the heavens.
Giuard des Moulin’s Grande Bible Historial; French, 14th century; National Library of the Netherlands. [durhamworldheritagesite.com]
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wæl-cyrige

Posted on November 25, 2024 by Hana Videen

wæl-cyrige, f.n: valkyrie, chooser of the slain. (WAEL-KUE-ri-yuh / ˈwæl-ˌky-rɪ-jə)

Posted in battle, deorhord book, people Leave a comment

drūt

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Hana Videen

drūt, f.n: a friend, beloved one. (DROOT / ˈdruːt)

Posted in people 3 Comments

frowe

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Hana Videen

frowe, f.n: lady. (FRO-wuh / ˈfrɔ-wə)

Medieval manuscript image of a smiling woman with one hand raised, wearing a veil over her hair, in the midst of a roundel, around which is writing in French.
Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, from a 13th-century genealogical chronicle; British Library, MS Royal 14 B V. [wikipedia.org]

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