Famous helmets of the Vikings

(Though we dare to associate the Vikings with these magnificent hats and helmets the mentioned articles of clothing didn’t belong to them and were worn by the Celts, nevertheless a lot of stories and legends, sagas and myths are coincided with the vikingish horn-helmets in particular).

Some words that were borrowed by the English language from the Scandinavian languages:

Современное английское слово	Перевод
calf	икра (ноги)
leg	нога, голень
skin	кожа
skull	череп
bull	бык
kid	детеныш
reindeer	северный олень
axle	ось
band	связка, ремешок, полоса
bank	насыпь, берег реки
birth	рождение
boon	благо, удобство
crook	крюк
dirt	грязь
down	пух
dregs	осадки, отбросы
egg	яйцо
gait	походка
gap	щель, зазор
hap	судьба, случай
knife	нож
loan	заем, ссуда
race	гонки, скачки
reef	риф (на парусе)
rift	трещина
root	корень
score	счет, задолженность
snare	ловушка
stack	стог, куча
steak	кусок мяса
tidings	известия
awkward	неуклюжий
flat	плоский
happy	счастливый
loose	незакрепленный, свободный
low	низкий
meek	кроткий
odd	случайный, странный
rotten	гнилой
rugged	шершавый, грубый
sly	хитрый
tight	тесный, тугой
ugly	уродливый
to call	звать
to cast	бросать
to clasp	зажимать
to clip	стричь
to crave	страстно желать
to crawl	ползти
to drown	тонуть, топить
to droop	свисать, изнемогать
to flit	мелькать
to gape	зиять, зевать, глазеть
to gasp	задыхаться
to lug	волочить
to nag	ворчать, изводить
to rake	сгребать, ворошить
to skulk	красться, скрываться
to snub	унижать
to thrive	преуспевать

Task V. Match the Scandinavian words with their English derivatives:

 

Deyia – Die

Drit – Dirt

Balkr – Bulk

Geta – Get

Husbondi – Husband

Mugge - Mug

Knifr - Knife

Kalla – Call

Take – Take

Gefta – Gift

Lauss – Loose

Skil - Skill

Skor – Score

Kasta – Cast

Vanta – Want

Rot – Rot

Peir - They

 

Task VI. Match the explanations with the words they denote:

Öfugr = “turned backward” awkward

Klubba = “cudgel”, club

Gaman = “joy, glee” game

Kalla = “cry loudly” call

Oddi = “third number” odd

Mistaka = “miscarry” mistake

Sky = “cloud” sky

Skirra = “to frighten” scare

Uggligr = “dreadful” ugly

Prift = “prosperity” thrift

Blundra = “shut one's eye” Blunder

Skil = “distinction” skill

Skata = “fish” skate

Ski = “snowshoe” ski

Ladd = “young man” lad

Vindauga = “wind-eye” window

Scor = “twenty” score

Task VII. Read the text about the Germanic pantheon of Gods. Do the exercises afterwards.

Germanic Gods

Germanic religion, like most ancient religions, was polytheistic. In early times there were two groups of gods—the Aesir and the Vanir. However, after a war between the rival pantheons (which perhaps reflects a war between two rival tribes), the defeated Vanir were absorbed into the Aesir, and the gods of both were worshiped in a single pantheon. This pantheon, which according to some accounts consisted of 12 principal deities, had Woden (Odin) as its chief god. Other important deities were Tiw (Tyr), Thor (Donar), Balder, Frey, Freia, and Frigg. The gods dwelled in Asgard, where each deity had his or her own particular abode. The most beautiful of the palaces was Valhalla; there Woden, attended by the Valkyries, gave banquets to the dead heroes. The ancient Nordic gods, however, unlike the gods of most religions, were not immortal. They continually renewed their youth by eating the apples of Idun, but they were doomed, like mortals, to eventual extinction.

The gods were opposed by the giants and demons, representing the destructive and irrational forces of the universe. It was prophesied that at ragnarock, the doom of the gods, the forces of evil and darkness led by Loki and his brood of monsters, would attack the gods of Asgard. After a ferocious battle, in which most of the gods and giants would be destroyed, the universe would end in a blaze of fire. However, it was also prophesied that from the ashes of the old world a new cosmos would emerge and a new generation of gods and humans would dwell in harmony.

Scandinavian Gods

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1. Odin – the Mighty God, patron sacred of secret knowledge and wisdom;

2. Loki – not used to be a God, but was welcomed to; patron of fire;

3. Skadi – a gigantic woman, symbol of wild and unbalanced nature; patron of storm and hard frost;

4. Thor – The God of War; the favorite God of the Vikings;

5. Freiya – The Goddess of Hearth, Fertility and Prosperity;

6. Niyord – The God of Kindness and Wealth.

Task VIII. Read the above information and try to compare the Scandinavian Gods with Greek and Roman ones. Find the equivalents in Greek and Roman mythology. Use Block VII. Mythological Items to fulfill the task properly.

Days of the Week
Certain days of the week are named after early Saxon and Scandinavian Gods.

Monandæg (Moon's day - the day of the moon),
Tiwesdæg (Tiw's-day - the day of the Scandinavian sky god Tiw,Tiu or Tig),
Wodnesdæg (Woden's day - the day of the god Woden (Othin)),
Ðunresdæg (Thor's Day - the day of the god Ðunor or Thunor),
Frigedæg (Freyja's day - the day of the goddess Freyja or Frigg, wife to Woden),
Sæternesdæg (Saturn's day - the day of the Roman god Saturn, whose festival "Saturnalia," with its exchange of gifts, has been incorporated into our celebration of Christmas.),
Sunnandæg (Sun's day - the day of the sun).

Task IX. Above you can see the days of the week origin. Find the definite information about 12 months of the year and share it with your group. Make it as a PR action. Use no more that 25-30 sentences. Try to play with your mates by asking them to settle a puzzle. For example:

“Well, now, to illustrate the next month I would like to introduce some pictures of three famous emperors of the Great Roman Empire: Claudius, August and Caesar. The next month was given its name after one of these outstanding personalities.”

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c) Norman borrowings. The Norman period covers the years from 1066 to 1485. William the Conqueror, the Norman duke, brought with his army a huge bulk of lexis, which left a prominent step in the history of etymology of the English language. French words in their vast quality denoted brightly the status, way of life, activities and interests that Norman people possessed: accioun (eng. action), agreeable (eng. agreeable), beautee (eng, beauty), carpentier (eng. carpenter). Simultaneously English absorbed a huge number of French words, which considered to be more delicate and gentle, more polite in comparison with Anglo-Saxon ones. In that very period there appeared a language gap between noble people and peasants who couldn’t speak proper Norman. That is why nowadays we have so called etymological duplets, words that are doubled in the language