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by rsolva 45 days ago
Knowing both Norwegian and Dutch, most words here is surprisingly similar to modern words:

hefenricæs = himmelrikes (no)

uerc = werk (nl)

eci = evig (no) / eeuwig (nl)

ærist = eerst (nl)

barnum = barn (no)

sceppend = schepper (nl)

EDIT: Hearing the poem read also gives dutch / germanic vibes: https://gutenberg.org/files/19677/ogg/19677.ogg

2 comments

If it weren't for the Norman invasion, English would probably still have the same levels of semi-mutual-intelligibility as the other Scandinavian languages.
well, if the Normans had simply spoken Norse as one would expect Norsemen to do...

I recently tried some light research (ok, i ddg'ed) recently on this topic as it wasn't that long between the Viking invasions and settling down in claimed territory, "how continuing-to-be-Norse were the Normans?" I was looking at a similar idea to another comment/statement here from a Scandinavian, "would the Normans have maintained enough knowledge of Norse language to have seen connections to Anglo Saxon/Olde Ænglish? (ok, i just wanted to use a ligature)

I didn't find it easy to to find specifics in great detail, but interestingly in William the Conquerer's family tree, his great^n-grandparents and their cohort were frequently marrying French noble women for local connections and prestige, but also having children with their "soulmate" Norsewoman side piece, made more convenient because the Norse marriage practice was more akin to "common law marriage" anyway.

I'm not reading or judging anything into this (what noble of any culture wouldn't pursue extramarital relations, hell the peasants do it too) except from variety of partners they were clearly maintaining connections to their heritage at least as Italian- or Irish-Americans frequently do in the current day.

thanc = tanke (thought)

uuldurfadur = alfader (all-father)

uundra = under (wonder)

halig = hellig (holy)

It's a bit unconnected to all-father. My impression would be that uuldurfadur would be literally "world-father". But it actually means "glory-father"[1]. It's more commonly spelled wuldorfæder. (Also unrelated to the word "wundor" meaning wonder.)

[1]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wuldorf%C3%A6der