Language of the North

Norse Vocabulary

A reader's guide to the Old Norse words, historical terms, beliefs, and places used in The Eagle of Jomsborg and The Flight of Eagles and the Last Winter.

How to use this guide

From the page to the past

Entries show the spelling used in the novels first. When the historical Old Norse form differs, that form appears beneath the term.

Pronunciations are simple reader guides rather than a full lesson in reconstructed Old Norse.

Society and Leadership

Ranks, roles, and public life in the Norse world.

Jarl: Old Norse: jarl; Say: yarl; A noble ruler or regional leader, close to the later English rank of earl.
Skald: Old Norse: skáld; Say: skahld; A poet who composed and performed verse, often preserving praise, history, and family memory.
Thing: Old Norse: þing; Say: thing; A public assembly where free people heard laws, settled disputes, and made political decisions.
Law-speaker: Old Norse: lǫgsǫgumaðr; The official who recited the law and guided legal proceedings at an assembly.
Thrall: Old Norse: þræll; Say: thrall; An enslaved person in Norse society.

Warriors and Oaths

Words tied to fighting, reputation, and the brotherhood at Jomsborg.

Jomsviking: Old Norse: Jómsvíkingr; A member of the legendary warrior brotherhood associated with the fortress of Jomsborg.
Berserker: Old Norse: berserkr; A warrior associated in saga tradition with a fierce, altered state in battle.
Shield-maiden: Old Norse: skjaldmær; A woman described in Norse legend and saga tradition as taking up arms as a warrior.
SækonungrChronicles ship: Old Norse: sækonungr; Sea-king. In The Eagle of Jomsborg, Sækonungr is Halfdan's lead ship on the mission to establish his ancestral right.

Belief and Sacred Tradition

Gods, ritual, poetry, and those believed to read what lies ahead.

Æsir: Old Norse: Æsir; The principal family of Norse gods, including Odin, Thor, and Tyr.
Blót: Old Norse: blót; Say: bloht; A ritual offering or sacrificial feast made in honor of gods or other sacred powers.
Völur: Old Norse: vǫlur, plural of vǫlva; Seeresses or women associated with prophecy and ritual magic.
Hávamál: Old Norse: Hávamál; Say: HOW-vah-mahl; The Words of the High One, an Old Norse wisdom poem presented as the sayings of Odin.
Odin: Old Norse: Óðinn; A god associated with wisdom, poetry, war, death, and the runes.
Freyja: Old Norse: Freyja; A goddess associated with love, fertility, magic, wealth, war, and the slain.
Thor: Old Norse: Þórr; The thunder god and defender of gods and people, known for wielding the hammer Mjölnir.
Tyr: Old Norse: Týr; A god associated with law, courage, oaths, and war.
Njörðr: Old Norse: Njǫrðr; Say: NYOR-thr; A god of the Vanir associated with the sea, seafaring, wind, and prosperity.

Myth and the Last Winter

Names and ideas drawn from Norse stories of fate, winter, death, and renewal.

Fimbulwinter: Old Norse: Fimbulvetr; The great winter that precedes Ragnarök in Norse myth.
Ragnarök: Old Norse: Ragnarǫk; Say: RAG-nah-roek; The fate or doom of the gods, a final sequence of conflict and destruction followed by renewal.
Valhalla: Old Norse: Valhǫll; Odin's hall, where selected warriors slain in battle prepare for Ragnarök.
Norns: Old Norse: nornir; Female beings who shape fate and the courses of lives.
Valkyrie: Old Norse: valkyrja; A chooser of the slain who selects fallen warriors for Odin.
Göndul: Old Norse: Gǫndul; The name of a valkyrie in Old Norse tradition.
Asgard: Old Norse: Ásgarðr; The fortified home of the Æsir gods.
MimirMythic name: Old Norse: Mímir; A mythic figure associated with wisdom and deep knowledge. The name also appears in the Chronicles.

Places in the Chronicles

Historical and story locations named with Scandinavian forms.

Jomsborg: The legendary Baltic fortress associated with the Jomsvikings. Its exact historical location is debated.
ØrnvikChronicles place: Halfdan's settlement in the Chronicles. The name is formed from Scandinavian words for eagle and bay or inlet.
Hålogaland: A historic region of northern Norway and the setting of Jarl Hakon's hall.
Västergötland: The western part of Götaland in present-day Sweden.
Fýrisvellir: The Fyris plains near Uppsala, remembered as the site of a late tenth-century battle.