A small person I know likes to go hunting for bugs in the garden. How would she fare back in Anglo-Saxon times?
Here's a short Old English bug list. I've given the definite articles so you can point at things and say "the bee!" or "the earthworm"
se bitela - the beetle [say bee-tell-a]
seo beo - the bee [say-oh bay-oh]
se eorðmata - the earthworm [say ey-orth-mat-a]
se fléa - the flea [say flay-a]
seo nihtbuttorfléoge - probably a moth; literally a 'night butterfly' [say-oh niXt-butt-or-flay-oh-guh]
se tordwifel - the dung beetle [say tord-wiff-ul]
se wibba - the beetle or crawling thing [say wibb-uh]
se wyrm - Dragon!!! Panic!!! Flee!!! Hide! [say weerm]
I omitted some of the more gruesome ones like 'tooth-worm' and 'intestinal worm'. You might find those on an Anglo-Saxon bug hunt, but they were too manky for a bit of lunchtime fun.
Here's a short Old English bug list. I've given the definite articles so you can point at things and say "the bee!" or "the earthworm"
se bitela - the beetle [say bee-tell-a]
seo beo - the bee [say-oh bay-oh]
se eorðmata - the earthworm [say ey-orth-mat-a]
se fléa - the flea [say flay-a]
seo nihtbuttorfléoge - probably a moth; literally a 'night butterfly' [say-oh niXt-butt-or-flay-oh-guh]
se tordwifel - the dung beetle [say tord-wiff-ul]
se wibba - the beetle or crawling thing [say wibb-uh]
se wyrm - Dragon!!! Panic!!! Flee!!! Hide! [say weerm]
I omitted some of the more gruesome ones like 'tooth-worm' and 'intestinal worm'. You might find those on an Anglo-Saxon bug hunt, but they were too manky for a bit of lunchtime fun.
Comments