UC-NRLF 
 
 SB lib MS2 
 

 Wcord; 
 
 Ami: 
 
 BY 
 
 ALBERT E. EGGE 
 
 Pullman, WasHingtoq,, 
 
 PUBL HE AUSPiGES OF THE WASHIN@TON STATE 
 
 JAN 6 ]r -- -OLOCICAL SOCIETY. 
 
NORSE WORDS IN THE ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE. 
 
 BY ALBERT E. EGGE, PULLMAN, WASHINGTON, 
 
 Read before "the Washington State Philological Society, 
 Walla Walla. May 28, 1898. 
 
 The first notice of Scandinavians touching the coast of England is found in 
 the ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE for the year 787, when three pirate ships made a 
 landing in the South. There were other raids in the North in the years 793 and 
 794. but then little is heard of the pirates for forty, y.eaiT*. -exc< /pt as the V troubled 
 neighboring countries. In the year 835 they agaii'j, JjegAliJto'-hr.rass t-li<- roasN of 
 England, and from now on the Chronicle has cisciiim.stanti'il.iK^icos <>,' lii' ir ir<>\ c- 
 nients. In 8<><> the invaders occupied East Anglm,;J.V,uJ; jn \\t 'fcw.'>;<V-i' s JKe/y were 
 in possession of all England east of a line running from London to Chester, King 
 Alfred retaining only what was west of this line. 
 
 The ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE has come down to us in seven manuscripts of 
 various length and importance, one of which, the Laud Manuscript, runs to the 
 year 1154. about seventy-five years beyond the longest of the others. It therefor*' 
 lias the largest number of Norse words, especially in that part which extends be- 
 yond the time covered by the other manuscripts. It is supposed to have been 
 written between the years 1121 and 1154. at Peterborough in Northamptonshire, 
 where Scandinavians had settled thickly, and in the contemporary speech of that 
 district, and it is therefore a good example of how the Norse speech was beginning 
 to affect the English in that part of England where the Scandinavians were nu- 
 merous. In this manuscript several Norse words are found very early, long be- 
 fore they occur in the other manuscripts and before the Northern pirate invasions 
 are known to have begun. These parts of the manuscript are. however, addi- 
 tions and interpolations not found in the others: hence the late form of the lan- 
 guage in which they are composed. The Laud Manuscript was written in 1121 
 and the following years, being for the most part copied from earlier manuscripts, 
 and the language differs little from that of the others except in the interpolations 
 and the addition extending beyond the time covered by any of the other manu- 
 scripts, that is the period from 1079 to 1154. These parts seem to have been com- 
 posed in the form of English then spoken in that district. In the chronological 
 list I give of Norse words in the ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE I therefore ignore the 
 words found in the early part of the Laud Manuscript, as they represent the 
 language of a much later period. 
 
 In the year 871. the year when Alfred became king, we find for the first time 
 the English word earl (Eoui.) used in the sense of the Norse JARL, the meaning 
 which the word has ever since retained. KOHL (later earl) little by little supplant- 
 ing EALDOKMAX. This is a case of burrowed meaning. The word is very com- 
 mon after 871 and usually in this new sense. In the same year there are two in- 
 stances of the word GEFYLCE. meaning a division of an army, and it occurs again 
 in lor>:. 10(i5. and 1094. It is otherwise a rare word in English, and its use in the 
 Chronicle at such a time may be due to the Norse FYLKI. which was a very com- 
 
 ?S2864 
 
mon word and must have bcon in frequent use by the invaders. In 871) we first 
 meet with the word viking (WICKXGA. gen. pi.), which occurs again in 885 (twice), 
 921 (WICIXGA), and 982. In 1098 is found "out-viking" (uTwiKixGAX.dat.pl.). 
 which has tlie same meaning. The word HOLM, which in Old English meant the 
 sea. was changed by Norse influence to mean an islet. In this sense it is found 
 in 902 and again in 1025. The word HOLD, a title of rank borne by some of the in- 
 vaders, is found in 905, 911, and 921. In the year 959 is the first instance of^the 
 word law 4n the sense in which we still use it. The original word for law in Old 
 English \vt\9 l i)oM or f AKHTM.sf In 963 we find the word first (FYBSTE), which does 
 not occur again tiH '<M:r> (F;JKS;F), 1128 (FIRSTK). and 1132 (ALREFYRST). This 
 word ?$ ijoJ/pHwd.iQJSeiunaji, .exuept as a noun, and the usual form for first in Old 
 EngKsh. l&o tli& tj^rfg$i},j9/VEBET, which in later English becomes less and less 
 common, first taking its place. In the Scandinavian languages first (FYRST. 
 F<EIIST) is the only word used in that sense, and it seems probable that the substi- 
 tution of first for erst in English is due to the common use of that word by the 
 Norse people in England. In 903 is found for the first time also the word FRA, 
 which has ever since remained in the language, having in later English, like other 
 words with long A, assumed the form FRO. GEATAX, to say yea. grant, formed as 
 if from GKA. is a rare 1 word in English, whereas the corresponding Norse .TATA 
 (JATTA) is very common, and the use of GEATAX may be due to the Norse equiva- 
 lent. It is found in 9(53. 1066, and 1087. In 1002 is first found the Norse word 
 GKITII. peace, which at once became common and remained long in the language. 
 From it was formed the verb GRITHIAX, "to make a truce or peace." " to take un- 
 der one's protection," which occurs for the first time in the Chronicle in 1016 and 
 Thenceforth is very common. The word I^TAX. to let. borrowed from the Norse 
 equivalent the meaning "to consider, suppose, think." which is common in Middle 
 English, and of which there are several examples also in the Chronicle. The first 
 is found in the year 1005. Other examples are found in 1052 (D*) and 1076 (D). 
 In 1008 is found the Norse word SCEGTH, SCJBGTH (O. N. SKEITH), " a light swift- 
 sailing ship." In 1012 is found the word busting (HUSTIXGE, C, D; a?, F: A, E; 
 dat. sing.), a meeting, council, which occurs only once in the Chronicle. The En- 
 glish form of the word, which does not appear to have been used, would have 
 been HUSTHIXG. The verb outlaw (UTLAGIAN, GEUTLAGIAX) appears for the first 
 time in 1014, and after that is very common. The noun (UTLAII, O. N. UTLAGI) is 
 first found in 1048. It seems probable that law and outlaw are Norse words, as 
 they are not found in German, nor in English before this time (law from 959). 
 In 1055 occurs the form inlaw (GEIXLAGODE, pret. sing.). In the year 1016 we 
 first find the word fellow (FEOLOGAN, D, pi.), which was formed in imitation of 
 the Old Norse FELAGI. It does not occur again in the Chronicle. SA.MM.KI.K. 
 agreed, united," which is found in 1018 (D, E) and not elsewhere in English, is 
 doubtless derived from the ( )ld Norse SAMMAI.A. which has the same meaning. 
 In 1031 is found the word TAPEK.KX, which may be the same as the Old Norse TA- 
 PAIMKX. The first part of the compound is explained as being Slavonic and mean- 
 ing AXE. The Norse loan-word LITHS.MEN. used in the sense of sailors, is found 
 
 *The letters C, D, E (for Laud), F refer to manuscripts so marked in Earl< 
 and Plummer's Two SAXOX CHRONICLES PARALLEL, Oxford, 1892. 
 
in 103C,. 104<) (IJTSMEX). 1047 (J.ITSMAXXA ). :ind 10">o. LITII. licet, is found in 10.">2. 
 1 ()<)). 1())S. 10(19. and 1071. a very common word. S( IPLITH. a No meaning fleet, is 
 found in tin 1 year 1<).">5. The word ursrARi.. " a member of the king's body- 
 guard." which tirst appears in 103(5 ( 'iirscAKH'M). occurs again in 1041 (urs- 
 CAMI,A). 1().")4 (nrs( AHH*MI. 1065 (HU8KARLA8), and 1070 ( nrscAKLKs). The words 
 HAMULE or HAMELE (HAMULAN, HAMELAN, dati Sing.), found in I03'.i. and HA. 
 found in 1040. and both meaning rowlock, are borrowed from the Old Norse 
 1IAMLA and HAR. HAS.ETA. rower, thole-sitter, which is found In 1052 (HAS^E- 
 TOX. E, pi.), is also borrowed. (Old Norse IIA-S,-;T,. . r lli" word u <;, : herfast 
 ( WEDEKFESTE. pi.), which occurs in 1040 and means v'afh.M-bouiid. is perhaps an 
 imitation of the Norse term for the same idea. \vli?ch is still \\-eath. -r-fust. v ", In 
 1048 are found the words BUXDA and JIUSBUXDA. ho.isi-holdpr. deihed from' the 
 Norse BONDI and HUSBOXDI. In 1049 is found the Norse NI THING, a worthless 
 fellow: UXXITHIXO. not a nithing. "an honest man." occurring in 1087. In 1049 is 
 found also the phrase SCYLODE OF MALE, meaning -paid off. dismissed. " which is 
 an imitation of the Old Norse SKILJA AF MALI, to pay off. In 1050 is found 
 SKTTE OF MALE, which moans the same thing, paid off. In 10."; occurs the 
 phrase ABIDKN HEORA MALES, they "awaited their pay," and in ION- DKOKK TO 
 MALE, "on hard terms." This \\ord MAL, "suit, cause, agreement." is the Norse 
 form of the English MJEL. which we now pronounce meal. In 10.VJ it is found in 
 TH.EK B.ER (JOWVIXK EOHL IT ins MAT., there Earl (lodwin expounded his case. 
 In WITHEKMAL. counter-plea, defence." which is found in the same year (10") 2 I) 
 WITHEIJMALE. dat.). the word is used as the second part of the compound. In this 
 word (MAL; we have an example of a borrowed form and a borrowed meaning. 
 In 10.VJ and !().">() we find WTSKCARL. boatman, also a word brought to England 
 by the p -ople of the North. S:> is perhaps also C'KXKP (KHNKTAS. NKPAS. ace. ])!.). 
 moustache, which is found in 10.">r (('. I)), and may come from Old Norse KAXPH 
 or KAMTH. Th< word FYLCMAN. to marshall troops, as in AXD IH.KI: nis LITJI 
 Fvrx'ADE. and there marshalled his troops, which occurs in KKKi ''. is doubtless a 
 Norse word like (;EFYI.CE mentioned above. In the same year we meet for 1): firsi 
 time in English the word HIT (AXD IIYTTE HI BEGEOXDAX EOFOHWIC. D): it is de- 
 rived from Old Norse IIITTA. Th<> form WYUIJK. worse, which occurs in the same 
 year, instead of the usual WYHSA. is thought to be due to assimilation to the 
 Norse VKKHI. In HM',7. 1070. and 1122. is tound'the word Foiu"i'AX. except, with- 
 out, a combination which reminds one of the Norwegian FOIJTTAX and tlx^ Danish 
 FOKt'DEX. I have, however, not found the word in Old Norse. Crave UHAFIAN). 
 which occurs three times in 1070. may be of Northern origin. It N not found i:i 
 German, nor in English before this time, whereas it is common in all the Scandi- 
 navian languages. The word take (TACAX). which gradually crowded out the 
 old word NIMAX. is anotln r Norse loan-word. It is found for the first time in 
 1072 (TOC) and occurs again in 107:>. 107(5. 1127 (TOC. TACEN). 1132 (TOCAX. TOC). 
 and 1140 (TJECEX. TOC). (JHASCIXXEX. made of gray skins, which occurs in 1<)7:> 
 (GRASCHYXXEXE. I)), is explained as probably coming from Old Norse <;KA-SKIXX. 
 the name of a costly fur. In 107( are found the two Norse words HOFDIXO (HOF- 
 DIXGAS, D), derived from O. N.. IKEFTHIXGI. chieftain, and BHYDI.OP (BKYDLOPE. 
 D, dat.), derived from (). N. BIU'TIILALT. bridal, marriage feast. In los.-) is a sol- 
 itary instance of the Norse STOR. large, which I have not found elsewhere in Old 
 
4. 
 
 English. In 108(5 occMirs CAKLMAX. a male, a man. the first part of which is 
 Norse. The English form was CKOBL, churl. It appears again in 1 137 (CARL.MEX). 
 In 1096 the O. N. word for battle, ORROSTA. appears in the form OBBEST (OBBBSTB, 
 lat.). which is not found elsewhere in the Chronicle. In 1123 is found the plural 
 of SAXDERMAX. messenger, embassador. formed in imitation of O. X. SEXDIMATHR. 
 In 1124 is found the first example in English of the word WRAXG (wrong), which 
 is believed to be borrowed from the, Norse. ROTFEST. root-fast, iirmiy estab- 
 lished, which is found in 1127. may have been made on the model of the (). X. 
 ROT-FA^TR., The word SWKIX. (swain, young man) is first met with in 1128. The 
 verb SCYKTK. in .thr ejxpyes^sicj'M THA SCYRTE THA FLESCMKTE, then there was short- 
 aget>f. fiesU-nwa.t. w.hjch occurs in 1131. reminds one of O. N. SKORTA, which has 
 the r s"a.mj> meaning ;i ml is very common: still tlie English word may be original. 
 In 1137 occur four Norse worus. TIL. which appears again in 1140. BATHE (for the 
 English BEGEX). CARLMEN (mentioned above), and I>RAPEX, the imperfect plural of 
 DREPAX. which is derived from Norse PREPA. to kill. In 1140 is found LAXGFRI- 
 TKKI, Long Friday, that is Good Friday. In the Scandinavian languages the day 
 is still called Long Friday. Other Norse words found in the same year areT.KCEX 
 TOC. FRA. TIL. which have been mentioned above. 
 
 The first unmistakable Norse borrowing in the Chronicle appears in the 
 year 871. But, as remarked above, in parts of the Laud Manuscript which are 
 believed to have been interpolated, and hence to have been written in the lan- 
 guage spoken about Peterborough at or after 1121. there are Norse words long 
 before the pirate invasions began. Of those I have mentioned in chronological 
 order from 871, EORL is found in 656, 675, and 777, FRA in 656, GEATAN in 650 and 
 675. and FIRST in 656 and 675. Besides these is BONDLAND, in 777, in which the 
 first part is perhaps the same as BUXDA, householder; and SEOUETHEXBE. seventh, 
 in 656, the first instance of the introduction of x in the ordinals, which is believed 
 to have been done in imitation of the corresponding Norse forms. Compare O. 
 N. s.iAuxru. Norw. SJAUXDE, SJUNDE, Dan. SYVENDE. 
 
 Many of the proper names brought to England by the Norse settlers were re- 
 tained by their descendants. Of such are found in the Chronicle Eric, Harold, 
 Osborn. Seward. Swain. Thorold, and Thurston. 
 
 Besides the words enumerated above, there are in the Chronicle several oth- 
 ers that may be of Scandinavian origin: but it is very difficult to find conclusive 
 evidence either for or against such derivation, and I have therefore mentioned 
 only those words as to the Norse origin of which there seems to be little or no 
 doubt. 
 
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