Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Sagas (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781953947208)

Viking Language 1, Third Edition is a new method for teaching Old Norse, the language of the Vikings and their runes. This innovative new book takes the reader on a journey through Viking Age Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, and the Baltic lands. From page one, you will read original Old Norse passages about Vikings, Norse mythology, sacral kingship, blood feuds, and daily life. With maps and sections on Viking history, sagas, myths, and runic inscriptions, the reader quickly learns from original Icelandic sagas and runes, the latter from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. A new and innovative word-frequency method eases learning and speeds comprehension. Download MP3 pronunciation albums on the website oldnorse.or as well as answer keys to the exercises in the lessons. Learn two languages at once: Because the grammar of Modern Icelandic has changed little from Old Norse, the learner is well on the way to mastering the modern language as well as the Old Norse of Vikings and runes. One reviewer writes: "Jesse Byock brings learning Old Norse into the 21st century. Reading passages are relatively short and progressively graded, and vocabulary building is chosen to give the reader the most common words to be found in the Old Norse sagas. www.oldnorse.org

One reviewer writes: Rather than masses of paradigm and conjugation tables hurled at the reader at the beginning, they are introduced in stages. Linguistic necessities are explained, so for example when older grammars may speak of "i-umlaut" without further description leading to a "WTF?" reaction from most people, Byock with great clarity takes the reader through the mechanics.