THE HIES OPEN LIBRARY

Language & Dictionaries

OLD NORSE LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR & LEXICOGRAPHY

About This Collection

The Language & Dictionaries collection brings together introductory language resources, dictionaries, and historical reference works for the study and reading of Old Norse and Old Icelandic texts.

These resources support the development of grammar, vocabulary, reading, translation, and textual-research skills needed for direct engagement with Eddic poetry, saga literature, and related medieval sources. Individual resource pages provide information about each work, its edition, its use at HIES, and access to the available online text.

Current Holdings

An Icelandic Primer

Henry Sweet • Second Edition, 1895

REFERENCE

An introductory guide to Old Icelandic grammar combining language instruction with readings, notes, vocabulary, and a glossary for beginning students.

A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic

Geir T. Zoëga • 1910

REFERENCE

A practical Old Icelandic-English dictionary for students reading Eddic, saga, and other medieval Icelandic texts.

An Icelandic-English Dictionary

Richard Cleasby & Guðbrandur Vigfússon • 1874

ADVANCED REFERENCE

A comprehensive historical dictionary providing extensive vocabulary, definitions, textual references, and linguistic information for advanced Old Norse and Old Icelandic study.

Collection Scope

The Language & Dictionaries collection will continue to develop as suitable public-domain grammars, dictionaries, linguistic studies, textual aids, and responsibly licensed language resources are identified and reviewed for inclusion.

Resources are selected to support both introductory language study and increasingly advanced engagement with Old Norse and Old Icelandic primary texts. Historical language resources are used with awareness that terminology, grammatical description, and linguistic scholarship have continued to develop since their publication.

Inclusion in the Open Library does not mean that every resource is required reading within the Bachelor of Eddic Studies program.

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