Old Norse is a term used broadly to refer to languages and dialects of Viking Age and Medieval Scandinavia, and sometimes more specifically to refer to Old Icelandic, the form of the language used in Medieval Iceland. It was in Old Icelandic that largest pre-modern Scandinavian literature was written, including the prose sagas and a wealth of mythological and legendary poetry. This course begins with a focus on Old Icelandic grammar, with the immediate aim of helping students develop basic reading abilities in the language, though also highlighting connections to other Germanic languages as a gateway to Germanic philology. In the second half of the course, students start to use this linguistic and grammatical knowledge to begin reading from a selection of Old Icelandic prose and poetic texts, as well as, in conclusion, to look beyond Old Icelandic to selected Viking Age runic texts.

This course contains all 24 lectures in the course pack.