Apart from the longboats (yes, this group consisted of phenomenal engineers), the Vikings are responsible for introducing some fascinating words into the English language.
The Vikingsโ language, known as Old Norse, hasn't died. A form of it is still spoken in Iceland. And there are still several words in the English language with Nordic roots. Let us explore a few of these.
- Anger comes from ongr or angr, meaning a strong feeling of annoyance.
- Berserk comes from beserkr, meaning a Viking warrior who entered battle wearing nothing for armour but animal skin. However, today the word berserk means out of control with anger or excitement.
- Slaughter comes from slatra, which means to kill or butcher.
- Cast comes from kasta, meaning to throw.
- Ransack comes from rannsaka, meaning to search a house.
- Knife comes from knifr, meaning a utensil or tool designed for cutting.
- Call comes from kalla, meaning to cry loudly
- Clip comes from klippa, meaning to cut.
Interested in pronouncing Old Norse words? Have a look at this video:
From director Robert Eggers comes an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father's murder. Catch The Northman this Sunday at 20:30 CAT on M-Net 101, or catch up on DStv after the movie airs.
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