The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English

By Hana Videen

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English is a 2021 book by the writer and Old English scholar Hana Videen, first published by Profile Books and in the United States by Princeton University Press, growing out of her popular Old English word-a-day account. Videen gathers weird and wonderful words from the language of Beowulf, from 'laughter-smith' to 'tax-fish,' and uses them to illuminate daily life a thousand years ago, from eating, working and medicine to animals, travel, fate and storytelling, with a glossary closing each chapter.

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• Margaret Atwood: “Right now I have The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English in the bathroom. It’s very soothing.”