r/OldEnglish

I'm looking for "Hƿæt ƿe ᵹardena in ᵹeardaᵹum"

All of the transcriptions of Beowulf I can find change the all the wynn "ƿ" characters to the modern but thoroughly anachronistic "w", and a lot of them, going back to Thorkelin change all the eth ð and thorn þ characters to just the thorn "þ". All of them drop the long s "ſ" entirely. And none of them reproduce the shorthand macrons.

If I wanted a digitization of Beowulf (or really any good-sized corpus of Old English text) that was character-by-character failthful to the (extrapolated) original, maybe even with the insular g ᵹ and insular s ꞅ, is there any such thing? Or would I have to create it myself?

My end goal is to create for myself a version of Osweald Bera that would be Oſƿeald Bera just so that I can really feel immersed in the period while I'm learning it. I was going to use the transcribed historical text to get some data on how often they write syððan/siþðan/syðþan/syþðan etc. so I can do it halfway idiomatically.

Hello!

Please, help me to understand the meaning of these words:

"healdeþ trēowa wel wiþ æþelingas".

Supports faith in noble people well?

Preserves loyalty among noble people well?

Keeps the word, given to noble people well?

Thanks!

Does anyone have any update on the status of the supplemental materials, namely the audiobook and grammar, that are said to be in the works for Ōsweald Bera? Gorrie's Substack last indicated that as of February, the audiobook was coming soon, and the last mention I can find of the grammar indicated that it would be coming in 2025. Anyone have more recent information?

(Full text of the February update: "The audiobook is actively in production as of February 2026. All the narration is recorded, as are most of the characters’ dialogue.

We still need to record the parts for two more actors, so we don't have a firm release date just yet. I'll post an update here as soon as I have any news. Thank you for your patience. It's going to be worth the wait!")

Freondas, romanan, landþéod, þíne ēaran méċ lǣn;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. Cume tó byrǵenne Caesar, ne tó hærienne hine,

se yfel se þe weran deþ, æftan hire lifþ;

se gód mid hire bánas oft mæncǵde;

Swá béo hit mid caesare. Se æþela Brutus 

þéć hæfþ tealde Caesar dóm-georn wæs:

ond swá wære, hit wæs þroht culpa,

Ond in-cúðlíce hæbbe Caesar hit andswárode.

hér, under leáfan Brutuses and se rest--

For Brutus feorhtne wer is; 

So are they all, all honourable men– Swá ealle hie beon, ealle feorhte weras 

Cume tó sprécenne in þegnunge Caesares, 

Hé mínne friend wæs, ǵeleaf-fullne ond feorhtlicne to mé:

Ac Brutus ǵesæǵde hé dóm-georn;

And Brutus feorhtne wer biþ.

Hæfþ ǵe-brohte manǵe hæftlingas hám tó Rome. 

Þara þe ǵeþing-sćeates þa generale cofferan dyde fillan:

Dyde þeos in Caesare þyncð dóm-georn?

Hwænne sé wǽdlan hæfþ ġewōpen, Caesar hæfþ ġewōpen:

mǽgþ sćólde beon ǵemácodon strangrre þinga

Ǵiet Brutus ǵesǽǵde hé wæs dóm-georn;

And Brutus feorhtne wer biþ.

Ǵe ealle dyde ǵeseon on þæm Lupercale. 

Ić þriwa hine cyninglíć bǽh ge-ond-weardode

Hwić hé dyde þriwa for-weornde: Wæs þis mǽgþ?

Ǵiet Brutus ǵesǽǵde hé dóm-georn;

And súr, hé feorhtne wer biþ.

Ne spréce tó ge-unsóþienne hwæt Brutus ǵesprác,

Ac hér beo tó sprécenne hwæt íć dó cnáwan

Ǵé ealle dydon hine lufian, ná wið-útan cause

Hwæt cause wið-holdaþ ǵé þonne, tó heófienne for him?

O Dóm! Þú eart ǵefleáh tó brtuisćum deórum,

And menn hæbbað losode hier sceádwísness. Beare be mé;

mín heort in cyste þær bé Caesar, 

And íć moste pausan ǽr hit cymþ bæcc tó mé. 

Wesaþ ġē hāl!

Recently, I grew very curious about Old English and pondered whether there is a way to get myself more familiar with it. Now, I know it is quite an old language and, perhaps, there is no way to just 'learn' it via some courses as one would do with Spanish/German/ et cetera. Yet maybe there are some blogs/books/online meetings or courses where one could simply learn more about the grammar, structure, and etymology of Old English? At least bits of vocabulary? Readings of texts like Beowulf in the original?

Ic eom þē bliðe for þīnum fēohtinge! Many thanks to every kind lady and gentleman^^

This is a poem I wrote called 'The Ravens' about 25 years ago when I was reading a lot of Tolkien and battling depression. I'm not going to include the original for reasons but here is my Old English translation:

Þā hræfnas on birċan bōge and elmes

Þǣr maniġ forloren guma forþfērde

Heorwes fealles oþþe helmes abidon

Fǣġe weres flǣsċ hīe begangan sċulon

Þonne seo sunne ofer hylle is, and munte

And song-fuglas þe glīdaþ hēalīċ on flihte

Mid clǣne drēame singaþ, swa swa springe

Þā hræfnas þone alibbend wierġaþ, and þæt lēoht