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Norse Translator
Translate into Old Norse, the language of Vikings and Norse sagas
Translation
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Examples
Input:
Welcome, traveler
Output:
Velkominn, ferðamaðr
Input:
The gods watch over us
Output:
Goðin vakta yfir okkr
Input:
I seek glory in battle
Output:
Ek sœki dýrð í bardaga
Input:
May Odin guide you
Output:
Megi Óðinn leiða þik
About Old Norse
So Old Norse is basically THE Viking language - like when you think of Thor, Odin, Valhalla, epic sagas about heroes and dragons, this is the language all that stuff was originally written in. We're talking roughly 800-1300 AD across Scandinavia, back when Vikings were sailing around raiding (and trading, they weren't JUST raiders) everywhere from Russia to North America.
What's really cool is Old Norse is the ancestor of modern Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. But here's the fun fact: modern Icelandic is actually super similar to Old Norse! Like, an Icelander today can read the old sagas without too much trouble. That's because Iceland was isolated and the language just... didn't change as much.
The grammar is pretty complex - you've got four cases (like Latin), three genders, and words change their endings constantly depending on how you're using them. Plus there's all this amazing poetic tradition with complicated meters and kennings (those cool metaphorical compound phrases like "battle-sweat" for blood).
Perfect for: Viking reenactments (obviously!), Norse mythology enthusiasts, understanding the Eddas and Icelandic sagas in their original form, fantasy RPGs, connecting with Scandinavian heritage, or just wanting to sound like a badass Viking warrior!