The Dictionary - what do the words mean?

[Howitzer]

For people looking how to speak these languages, perhaps look up some guides on how to speak Flemish. These languages have, give or take, the same pronunciation for the e, a, u, i, o et al.

At least, when I asked one of my professors how to speak these old languages, he told me to simply speak the words in Flemish (sans the "special" characters of course), and that's how they would've sounded.

 

[HUtH]

That's an interesting tip

 

[FrisianDude]

I'm having a hard time believing 8th century Anglo-Saxons and Flemish sound remotely similar.

 

[Aethel]

I'm having a hard time believing 8th century Anglo-Saxons and Flemish sound remotely similar.

(1) Well the Saxons originated next to the the Frisians, who were right next to the Flems, and the Frisians were almost identical to the Saxons in some sources.
Some historians even grouped them together. It would make sense that the Flems had some of that influence also.

(2) On a side note, I'm guessing Ridwiga is "mounted" or something or other.
Like "mounted Saxons" or something.

 

[Howitzer]

8th-century Anglo-Saxon doesn't sound anything like modern day Flemish. But if I was to read and speak 8th-century Anglo-Saxon 'as if' it was Flemish, my prof. said it would sound near the same.

 

[Spongly]

(2) On a side note, I'm guessing Ridwiga is "mounted" or something or other.
Like "mounted Saxons" or something.

Mounted warrior. Wig means war, so a wiga is a warrior.

 

[Havokblak]

Hamtun = Hamm tun = Northampton

It was a pretty insignificant place in the time period of this mod but it moved on to greater things as it became an administrative centre for Mercia in the 8th Century. Later, under Norman rule, parliament met here and in the 13th Century the first democratically elected Parliament was housed here (Formed after the "First" Battle of Northampton. The "Second" Battle was one of the bloodiest fights every to take place on British soil).

Sorry about the brief history lesson but I'm kind of proud of my home town

 

[dutch81]

I was wondering if someone could make a list of ranks of nobility for each of the main cultures from king down to various levels of lords in the appropriate language for role-playing purposes??? What would a lord or a major city or castle be called ... a lord of a village etc. maybe just a knight or mercenary even.

 

[Anth]

Ah, so Dena means Danish. It made for some funny moments to see Dena pirates running around when I had no idea what it meant.

Why? Because dena is finnish slang for hobo.

 

[Frisicus]

I'm no big etymologist, but maybe people can chip in - ask questions - and we'll have a nice big list of explanations for the words in the mod.

B

Beadu rinc = battle man (if rinc means man?)

E

Ealdorman = elder man = senator, member of the royal council

G

Gebur = Farmer
Genaet = Companion, high ranking Ceorl
Geoguth = Young/untested warrior
Gesith = Companion, Follower

K

Kotsetla = cot-setla = cottage settler, a free man who owns his own house

T

Theow = Slave, unfree man

These descriptions above provided are not always entirely right. I will try to explain them better below:

Rinc or Rinces = man, though more in a demonstrative poetic sense (the word is used in the Old-English bible translations to demonstrative mean certain male persons).


Ealdorman = man of old/high noble lineage, born to govern over the commoners like an elder governs over his children. In modern Frisian ealman still means nobleman and ealju are nobles.


Gebur = dweller, one who dwells, the word consists of ge-bur, bur/būr means bower (dwelling). Old-German is būan. In Norman England the gebur became the bordar.

It should not to be mistaken with Middle-Dutch term geburen, this term was derived from nēahgebūr (neighbour) who was one of the leading member of the communitas (buurschap: neighbourhood). In Frisian such a person was named a buor (still meaning neighbour in Frisian), the community a buorskip and his homestead a buorkery. It neither is direct related to burgher, burger, a burgher was in the Early Middle Ages a merchantman that participated in the community of a fortified town (Burgh, Burh), later on in the High-Medieval the burghers became the town patricians.


Genaet = Should be written as geneat and means 'one who enjoys' (not meaning fun, but has certain rights being an associate/companion warrior of a household).


Geoguth = (geoguþ) meaning youth (young man, not persé a warrior).


Gesith = companion is right. It means he who sits in/participates in the comitatus/company of the comes (warbandleader, later meaning count/comte)


Kotsetla = kot-setla, a kot is a small farm/cottage. Comparable with Old-Frisian/Saxon Kot-zate meaning small house/shed (barchekot = pigshed, Fiskkot = fisherman shed, koter = cotter); also comparable with Latin casa, a house/shed. In Norman England the kotsetla became the cottar.


Theow = unfree (the word slave would be introduced in the later periods of the Early Middle Ages when Slavic people where often enslaved and sold on West-European markets).

 

[Aethel]

does Fresena mean Frisian? 'Cuz I've been trying to recruit a lot of them for my Frisian character.... 

 

[Adorno]

Yes 

I suppose it should be added to the dictionary.

 

[Aethel]

Speaking of the Frisian units.....
(1) They aren't in the unit upgrade trees...
(2) They make easy-to-get horse units for the Germans... Which has come in handy now that half of my army is now mounted Frisians, and because I'm always clashing with other Germans, my "Riders of the White Horse" are the bane of all my enemies.  (I love that custom party name thing....)

 

[dexm]

Hey my capital's called Still the same nice.

 

[MangoMeerkat]

wild guess here but does Crafu=Cheshire

 

[Quixote]

Figured some would be confused with the term "ap" for Wales in Briton and such.

It pretty much means "son of". For example, Jimmy's father is named Barney, so Jimmy can be referred to as "Jimmy ap Barney".
It works a lot like common era surnames, such as "Hudson" or "Jackson" or "Henderson".

 

[Spongly]

wild guess here but does Crafu=Cheshire

It's the origin of the place name Craven, though not the one in Yorkshire in this case!

 

[Shaxx]

(2) On a side note, I'm guessing Ridwiga is "mounted" or something or other.
Like "mounted Saxons" or something.

Mounted warrior. Wig means war, so a wiga is a warrior.

So why are the Ridwiga's and Riwiga's unmounted in the game and Gesith now have horses? As I recall, it was previously the opposite and made more sense to me. Or did the Ridwiga's only 'ride' to combat and not actually fight mounted?

On another note, what does 'Deaisbard' mean, the Irish Elite Skirmisher?

Edit: Found some information on it here: Dark Age Ireland

 

[Celtichugs]

Just would like to add my 2 cents!

I am from the Highands & I live outside a town called Dingwall, which was founded by the Vikings. It's name comes from Tingvallr, meaning Meeting Place.

 

[Mooncabbage]

(2) On a side note, I'm guessing Ridwiga is "mounted" or something or other.
Like "mounted Saxons" or something.

Mounted warrior. Wig means war, so a wiga is a warrior.

So why are the Ridwiga's and Riwiga's unmounted in the game and Gesith now have horses? As I recall, it was previously the opposite and made more sense to me. Or did the Ridwiga's only 'ride' to combat and not actually fight mounted?

On another note, what does 'Deaisbard' mean, the Irish Elite Skirmisher?

Edit: Found some information on it here: Dark Age Ireland

I want to know about the Ridwiga thing. If Ridwiga were heavy cavalry then Bean du Ric would make sense. As it is they are pretty useless due to a lack of armour. Otherwise why not make all my men geoguth so as to get to the Hearthweru upgrade?