Norrœnt mál Old Norse
Old Norse is the language of the Icelandic sagas, eddic poetry, and a wide range of medieval Scandinavian texts. It’s a rewarding choice if you want to read Norse literature in the original and trace North Germanic history.
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Dictionaries
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- Notes: A very nice, very complete site with both basic and advanced searching.
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- Notes: Search by both English and Icelandic. If you don’t already know some of the grammar, the search results may not make much sense.
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An Icelandic-English Dictionary
- Format: PDF
- Notes: The link goes to a PDF format.
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Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic
- Notes: From the Germanic Lexicon Project.
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- Notes: This is a list of all the base forms used in the Old Norse lessons (see the link in the grammar section below).
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- Notes: All in a single HTML page.
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- Notes: With glossary and other information for particular texts.
Grammars
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- Notes: Grammar and lessons online.
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A Grammar of the Old Norse Tongue
- Notes: Translated from the Swedish. Bite off a chunk of Scandinavia!
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- Notes: By Adolf Gotthard Noreen.
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- Notes: Very easy to navigate.
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- Notes: From Wisconsin’s site, which has many resources.
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- Notes: Grammar and lessons online.
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- Notes: With some cool Viking drawings.
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Complete Icelandic Word Analysis
- Notes: Very, very thorough.
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- Notes: Grammar, notes, and glossary.
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- Notes: Surprisingly comprehensive, this is a very useful tool.
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- Access: Subscription
- Notes: Requires a subscription, but it’s free. Fun to learn.
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Elementary Grammar of Old Norse
- Notes: “Or Icelandic.” Not really the same, but here you go.
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- Notes: Contains notes, grammar, and a glossary.
Charts & Aids
- Old Icelandic Paradigms
- Notes: Clicking on the link will download a .tar.gz file.
Texts
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- Notes: In a very convenient format online.
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- Notes: A beautiful text in a beautiful language.
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- Notes: An absolutely dynamite collection of manuscripts. This site is a true treasure.
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- Notes: A very rich collection of texts online.
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- Notes: Various texts in various forms, some with commentary.
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Saga and Tales in Old Icelandic
- Notes: A number of different texts.
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Saga and Tales in Old Icelandic
- Notes: A number of different texts.
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- Notes: Portions taken from many different sources. Searchable as well.
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- Notes: Google Translate will help you to navigate here. Be sure to check out the translation of Arabian Nights!
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- Notes: From a book in copyright, but these texts are available online.
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- Notes: With notes, grammar, and a glossary.
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- Notes: When the author has a name this Scandinavian, you know you’re dealing with the real thing.
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- Notes: An ancestor of Swedish, obviously.
Other Resources
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- Notes: Many different aspects of Icelandic history and culture.
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- Notes: A very detailed explanation of the relevant patronymics.
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The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia
- Notes: Good information available here.
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Art and Literature of the Viking Age
- Notes: Also a great bibliography of sources on this site.
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Mythology and Religion of the Vikings
- Notes: A number of different topics.
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- Notes: A good resource for getting a feel for the history.
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- Notes: An online journal for comparative religion studies in Scandinavia.
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