The Deorhord

An Old English Bestiary

Hana Videen

$34.99

Hardback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

English

Profile
23 January 2024

Language: reference & general; Historical & comparative linguistics; History; European history; Early history: c 500 to c 1450&1500; Medieval history

'A dream! I learnt something new and fascinating on every page' - Lucy Mangan

'If you love words, the weird and the wild, I guarantee you'll crouch over this book like a dragon over gold' - Meg Clothier

Many of the animals we encounter in everyday life, from the creatures in our fields to those in our fantasies, have remained the same since medieval times - but the words we use, and the ways we describe them, have often changed beyond recognition...

Old English was spoken over a thousand years ago, when every animal was a deor. In this glittering Old English bestiary we find deors big and small, the ordinary and the extraordinary, the good, the bad and the downright baffling. From walker-weavers (spiders) and grey-cloaked ones (eagles) to moon-heads and teeth-tyrants (historians still don't know!), we discover a world both familiar and strange: where ants could be monsters and panthers could be your friend, where dog-headed men were as real as elephants and where whales were as sneaky as wolves.

From the author of The Wordhord comes another delightful dive into the realm of Old English - words and creatures that will change the way you see the world.

By: Hana Videen
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 136mm, Width: 200mm, Spine: 34mm
Weight: 400g
ISBN: 9781800815797
ISBN 10: 1800815794
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 23 January 2024
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Hana Videen has been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one a day. Now over 28,000 people follow for these daily gems from her wordhord. Following her Old English doctorate at King's College London, she is now a writer and blogger in Canada, translating curiosities of history into engaging narratives. Find her on Twitter at @OEWordhord

Reviews for The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary

Praise for The Wordhord : A marvelous book -- Neil Gaiman Wonderful -- Tom Holland A lovely, lovely read -- Lucy Mangan Splendid -- David Crystal Eminently giftable -- James Marriott * The Times * Entertaining and absolutely fascinating -- Paul Anthony Jones Delightful ... a classy gift to the commonly word-drunk -- Steven Poole * Guardian * A passionate medievalist and a relaxed, lucid writer; the pleasure she takes in her subject is infectious -- Henry Hitchings * Wall Street Journal * A treasure trove ... and beautifully designed -- Marshall Julius A lively linguistic history * BBC History Magazine *