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smiðian

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Hana Videen

smiðian, wk.v: to make out of metal or wood, to fashion, forge. (SMIH-thi-ahn / ˈsmɪ-θɪ-an)

Medieval manuscript image of a woman seated on a bench at her forge, raising a mallet with her right hand and grasping a small, partially formed human on an anvil.
Roman de la Rose; France (Paris), c. 1340; Morgan Library & Museum, MS M.503, f. 106r. [ica.themorgan.org]
Posted in arts + crafts Leave a comment

ge-ortrūwian

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Hana Videen

ge-ortrūwian, wk.v: to distrust, despair. (yeh-OR-troo-wi-ahn / jɛ-ˈɔr-truː-wɪ-an)

Posted in etc Leave a comment

beard

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Hana Videen

beard, m.n: beard. (BEH-ard / ˈbɛard)

Medieval manuscript image of a young man holding the grey beard of an older man in his left hand and chopping it off with a knife in his right hand; the older man looks rather perturbed.
Grandes Chroniques de France; France (Paris), 1332-1350; British Library, Royal MS 16 G VI, f. 93v. [blogs.bl.uk]
Posted in body + health, deorhord book Leave a comment

beorht

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Hana Videen

beorht, adj: bright, clear, lucid. (BEH-orh’t / ˈbɛɔrxt)

Posted in deorhord book Leave a comment

spōn

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Hana Videen

spōn, m/f.n: a chip, shaving. (SPOAN / ˈspoːn)

This week’s Wordhord Wednesday post is on hostile bites. Read it on Patreon.

Posted in etc Leave a comment

lāþ-bite

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Hana Videen

lāþ-bite, m.n: wound, literally ‘hostile bite’. (LAWTH-BIT-uh / ˈlaːθ-ˌbɪ-tə)

Medieval manuscript image of an amphisbaena, a winged two-headed serpent with two clawed feet; it has one head in the normal position and another at the end of its tail, and it is biting its own tail.
Aberdeen Bestiary; England, c. 1200; Aberdeen University Library MS. 24, f. 68v. [abdn.ac.uk]
Posted in body + health Leave a comment

ge-sprec

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Hana Videen

ge-sprec, n.n: the power of speech. (yeh-SPRETCH / jɛ-ˈsprɛtʃ)

Posted in communication, deorhord book Leave a comment

engel

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Hana Videen

engel, m.n: angel. (ENG-gell / ˈɛŋ-gɛl)

Medieval manuscript image of a feathery-winged angel that’s missing a mouth; the angel’s right hand is held out with index finger extended, while the left hand holds a scroll with words in Latin.
Illustrated Vita Christi; England, 1190-1200; Getty Museum, Ms. 101, f. 26r. [getty.edu]
Posted in religion, wordhord book Leave a comment

gītsere

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Hana Videen

gītsere, m.n: covetous, greedy person; a miser. (YEET-seh-ruh / ˈjiːt-sɛ-rə)

Posted in people Leave a comment

basilisca

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Hana Videen

basilisca, m.n: basilisk. (BA-zih-liss-ka / ˈba-zɪ-lis-ka)

Medieval manuscript image of a basilisk — a serpentine creature with bird’s wings and talons wearing a crown — with three lesser snakes paying homage.
Bestiary; England, 1226-1250; Bodleian Library, MS. Bodl. 764, f. 93v. [digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk]
Posted in animals, deorhord book, monsters Leave a comment

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