Long before the Normans invaded Britain, the east coast of Yorkshire was subject to numerous invasions by Danes and other Scandinavians. No doubt they were seeking their fortunes, expanding their influence.
The legacy of those Vikings is still with us today - in our landscape, our place names and the very language we speak. My family name is of Viking origin like nearly all names that end with the suffix "-by" and given my family history I am pretty certain that if I had one of those genetic blood tests the result would confirm the strength of my Viking inheritance.
Long ago, I knew an old farming fellow called John. He was born and raised in the village of my childhood and later he died there. We would sometimes chat together in "The Hare and Hounds" and one night he talked about Viking words. He gave the example of the word "yitten" which means scared or frightened, claiming it was peculiar to East Yorkshire. I certainly used it in the school playground.
Decades later I am not certain that John got the source of that word right even though it's not really used in the south or west of England. However, what I do know is that words of undoubted Viking origin are certainly more prevalent on the east coast of Yorkshire than they are in other parts of the country.
They include:-
As one Viking to another, Hej! I had always thought because of my surname, Taylor, that I was English. But I did have a Norwegian/American mother and when I did the DNA test, it showed I was something like 80 percent Norwegian! Now I know why I love lefse.
ReplyDeleteDon thy horned helmet with thy courage and we shall sail to England to ransack, pillage and that other thing.
DeleteDale, gawp, lug and fell I know due to my extensive exposure to Brit lit and shows. My Grieve side has mostly Scottish (of course) but a decent amount of Scandinavian also. If I'm a Viking, why am I so short??
ReplyDeleteYou are not short! You are petite which makes you French!
DeleteEngland had many invaders who lived there and left many things including you. Canada has a larger mix. I wonder what it will look like in a 1000 years from now.
ReplyDeleteIt will look like a shrivelled up old apple.
DeleteWe have dale and lug here and I remember a few people saying gawp a long time ago but it seems to have died out. I like Thor's Day. Being Swedish and Norwegian as well as German (and several others) I like to think I have some Viking in me.
ReplyDeleteOnly on a Saturday night.
DeleteYork of course being the city from which the Vikings ruled, apparently it was a very smelly place ;) When I lived in Normanby, the North man who owned all the lands round us was father to several sons. But one day hearing his sons arguing as to what land they were going to inherit, he got into an absolute rage. Picked up his drinking horn, rode to York and gave his land to the bishops there. The drinking horn was his solemn oath I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI bet his sons were none too happy about that and probably spurned him in his old age.
DeleteAs you may imagine, there is a significant Viking influence here too. A few years ago there was a study carried out where DNA testing was done on males with traditional Island surnames. I seem to remember that many were of Viking descent.
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising that they let you and Lord Perry reside there.
DeleteLug is the only word from your list that I actually use but I understood most of the others.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was Norwegian but there's not much Viking-like about me
Ask your children to buy you a horned helmet for your next birthday.
DeleteMy birthday is just gone, I'll never remember!
DeleteWrite it on your calendar Kylie.
DeleteThere's a Viking who plays for Manchester City. He's a modern day Dixie Dean.
ReplyDeleteThat guy is from a comic book. What an amazing centre forward! Let's hope he avoids serious injury.
DeletePlease boggle our minds some more. I love language and its origins.
ReplyDeleteI think I will make this a regular feature of "Yorkshire Pudding". Words are endlessly fascinating.
DeleteTesting your DNA for "Viking" heritage is a huge misconception. None on the market that I'm aware of do that for a variety of scientific reasons. At best they tell you if you are Scandinavian and only 10% of Scandinavians have Viking ancestry.
ReplyDeleteTo me Scandinavian means Viking.
DeleteFrom the first time I came to Yorkshire (now more than 20 years ago), I noticed how Danish many words looked - Thirsk, Scathaborg (Scarborough, founded by a Viking named Eric de Røde) p, all the -bys, and many more. My aunt lives on the Danish island of Bornholm, which is why I know a few Danish words.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad‘s side of the family are from Northern Germany, not far from the border with Denmark. I don‘t know how much Viking blood a DNA test for me would show, but probably a small percentage.
Obviously many of the early invaders came from what we now know as Germany - including Saxony.
DeleteViking ancestors! Wow!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to ask you......is your last name pronounced with a "th" sound at the beginning or a "t" sound? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tell Marco that it's a "th" sound as in "thunder".
DeleteLugs also = ears.
ReplyDeleteTell me more. I'm all ears.
DeleteFun with words.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a new TV show.
DeletePretty sure Mr. Moon would test the same. His people are from Norway and Denmark. I think. Norway for sure. And yes, invaders leave far more than their genes behind, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI can imagine Mr Moon wearing one of those horned helmets.
DeleteI would use "lug" in that sense, as would many Americans. Perhaps it made its way to our country via Yorkshire colonists? And although I wouldn't use "dale," in America the word "dell" is often used to mean a valley or hollow. (As in the child's song, "The Farmer in the Dell," or the Wisconsin Dells.)
ReplyDeleteI know "gawp" from Monty Python!
Once I met an American guy in Ohio and he insisted that he did not speak English - he spoke American. I am glad he did not have a gun on him because he was getting quite annoyed with my insistence. And yes - "lug" is surely from this island though it arrived with here via the Vikings.
DeleteI didn't know that about "Thorsday" and "Thursday". Interesting!
ReplyDeleteNow my mind is stuck on the Minnesota Vikings but I cannot think of a funny quip to add to this comment... ;)
Wednesday and Friday were also named after Norse gods.
DeleteIsn't Keld a Scandinavian word meaning spring....as in water....
ReplyDeleteI will take your word for it. I assume that you were thinking of the village of Keld in Swaledale.
Delete