How do Vikings say "I love you"?
Hey friend! Have you ever wondered how the iconic Vikings of ancient Scandinavia expressed feelings of love and devotion to their cherished ones? As a historian of all things gaming, I love finding connections between modern themes in video games and movies and their roots in ancient cultures. Let‘s dive into the linguistic and symbolic ways the Vikings shared intimate bonds – ways that might seem surprisingly familiar today!
Evolution of the Ancient Norse Language of Love
The Vikings spoke Old Norse, a language that developed from Proto-Norse several centuries before the Viking Age between 800-1066 AD. Can you imagine playing a fantasy game where you select “Proto-Norse” as your character’s language?
Old Norse gradually evolved across Scandinavia into different dialects like Old Icelandic, Old Swedish, Old Danish, and Old Norwegian. I wonder if a Viking from different tribes could understand each other? Reminds me of times in online games when players from across the world have to find ways to communicate and work together towards shared goals, despite language barriers.
Unlike modern Scandinavian languages, Old Norse had three grammatical genders – masculine, feminine, and neuter. The Vikings used distinct words expressing love and affection depending on whether the subject was a male, female, or gender-neutral. Kind of like how romance subplots play out differently for male or female player characters in RPGs.
Diverse Old Norse Terms for Love and Passion
Old Norse had many poetic words describing devoted, romantic love – quite a few more terms than we have in English today! Check out this table of some key Old Norse words and phrases expressing love and passion:
| Old Norse | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Elska | To love |
| Elskan | My love |
| Mín elskan | My darling |
| Astin mín | My darling (more intimate) |
| Fris | Sudden love |
| Ást | Affection |
| Strengja | To attach oneself to |
| Fýsa | To desire |
There are so many nuanced ways the Vikings could articulate their feelings! Like when dialogue options in dating sims allow you to fine-tune the right phrase to woo your love interest.
Adding "mín" (my) to the end of terms likes "elskan" intensified the meaning to "my darling", similar to how we might say “my dear” or “my sweetheart” today.
Runic Love Letters
Along with Old Norse vocabulary, Vikings also expressed affection through Runic writing. Runes served as the alphabet in ancient Germanic languages. The word "rune" comes from the Old Norse rún, meaning mystery or secret.
Some runes held symbolic meaning for Vikings, almost like emojis that convey deeper concepts and emotions! Here are few of the main runes associated with love and relationships:
- Fehu – Passion, attraction
- Ehwaz – Partnership, companionship
- Berkana – Fertility, family
- Gebo – Love, union
- Wunjo – Joy, harmony
- Mannaz – Relationships, togetherness
Vikings would creatively combine these runes into bindrunes to represent complex ideas. For example, a combination of Ehwaz, Gebo and Mannaz might mean “renewed relationship”. If I was making a Viking themed game, I could see using runes as part of romantic quest puzzles!
They also carved runes into gifts and everyday objects to symbolize affection. Picture a Viking warrior intricately carving runes associated with love onto a piece of jewelry or weapon to give his wife…that makes a sweet symbolic gift in any age!
Passionate Viking Poems
Skaldic poetry was also important in Viking culture as a way to commemorate epic tales and express sentimental themes like love. For example, the famous 10th century Icelandic skald, Kormakr, supposedly composed this verse to woo his paramour Steingerd:
My thoughts of you wound around my heart
Entwine it just as bark round a tree.
That Kormakr really knew how to twist poetic metaphor to convey longing and devotion! Not exactly “roses are red, violets are blue” by today’s standards.
Some Viking poems celebrated the magical passion between the Vanir goddess Freyja and her human lover. Others recited intoxicating tales of romance like the saga of Gunnlaug Snake-Tongue who vied for the affections of Helga the Fair.
Legends and Symbols of Viking Romance
Vikings saw the giving and receiving of rings as symbols of committed union and loyalty. Reminds me of our modern tradition of exchanging wedding rings.
The Norse goddess Frigg represented matrimonial bonds and fidelity. Friday (Frjádagr in Old Norse) was named in her honor. Makes sense that Friday continues to be seen as a romantic night for dates today!
The Valknut symbol – three interconnected triangles – appears frequently in Viking artifacts dealing with love and marriage. Archaeologists found Valknut carvings on a Viking age picture stone from Gotland depicting a woman receiving a drinking horn from a man, interpreted as an image of matrimonial wooing!
Lasting Concepts of Love and Devotion
While they didn‘t have an exact equivalent for “I love you”, the Vikings used endearing words, evocative runes, and symbolic poetry to capture emotional experiences familiar to us across ages. The Norse people valued concepts like passion, companionship, intimacy and commitment in their relationships. Regardless of language and culture, these are universally human themes that continue to inspire romance today!
So next time you’re playing a heart-racing RPG or choosing quest rewards with your guildmates, think about how you might be carrying on modes of expressing affection that trace back to ancient Viking roots!