The study of medieval Scandinavian society necessarily involves learning Norse language. Its vocabulary should be considered a vestige of the past as much as archaeological artefacts. These words, indeed, allow everyone to establish a direct contact with the medieval civilization of the North. Thus ‘Le Parler Viking’ was born of out a desire to catalogue in a simple and didactic way the key words of medieval Scandinavian society.

 

Scandinavian legends translations are sometimes interspersed with indigenous words that at times leave the reader confused and doubtful about their true meaning. By collecting these words in one place, the author wants to offer a valuable tool towards the discovery of the fascinating ancient and medieval Scandinavian society .

 

Easily accessible, ‘Le Parler Viking’ aims to be as accurate as possible, addressing both students as well as amateurs and historians. The entries, which are deliberately short, have been organised by theme, so to allow the reader to consult only the sections of interest. Therefore, the most varied aspects of this fascinating society are addressed, including both concrete and abstract concepts, such as weapons and tactics or costumes and traditions.

 

Vikings fans will not be disappointed either as also the most popular terms used by the pirates of the ancient North have been included; even if some of these words do not properly belong to the Viking age, they have nonetheless been included as they represent important linguistic milestones for the XII and XIII century Scandinavia.

 

The author Grégory Cattaneo obtained a PhD in medieval history at the Paris VI Sorbonne and Iceland University. He has been living in Iceland since 2005 and has taught at the University of Iceland between 2007 and 2014.