'Midgard' and 'Middle-Earth'
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- The history behind the Norse word, and its connection to Tolkien's world.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit jacksonwcrawfo... (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
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Just to give a "heads up". Dr. Crawford's series for "The Great Courses" program is now available. So give yourselves & everyone else a great Yule/Christmas gift!!
Thanks for the heads up! I haven't logged in for a few weeks, so I didn't even know it was up.
Just got it from Audible!
We actually know the exact poem he got it from - Cynewolf's 'Crist I.' He read it in Bibliothek der angelsächsischen Poesie, and the line "Eala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended" (Hail Earendil, brightest of angels / sent over middle-earth/yard to men) inspired him: "[I]...felt a curious thrill as if something had stirred in me.....There was something very remote and strange and beautiful behind those words, if I could grasp it, far beyond the ancient English."
From it we get eventually both Middle-Earth as well as the character of Earendil the Mariner and that moment was essentially the origin point for the entire legendarium, which is pretty wild.
The line is also partially recited by frodo and Sam in Quenya to invoke the power of Earendil and his silmaril - "Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!" (Hail Earendil, brightest of stars)
@@TheAlaskansandman yes, Éarendel in the context of Crist I is referring to the star as prophetic of either John the Baptist or Christ himself (I have read both)
I'd love to hear more about the connections between old Norse and Tolkien!
They are legion. Tolkien and CS Lewis first met and became friends as members of the Kolbitar association. A group of Oxford dons who would gather at
You can read Tolkien's letters compiled by Christopher Tolkien. There are lengthy explanations and references there, specially related to languages, both existing and created.
Here's a small tidbit for you: The name Gandalf and many of the Dwarven names in The Hobbit are actual names of Dwarves mentioned in Old Norse texts.
I could compile you a short reading list fairly easily or write a long essay of the highlights of Tolkien's influences by history and linguistics of the Viking and Anglo-saxon cultures.
I'm sure it's a popular topic to search anyhow, so it's probably not very hard. Kinda where I started deciding and switching between majors 20 some years ago.... Which is how I ended up doing construction instead and have had the rest of the time to research for fun, which is probably more pleasurable.
The freaking rock eroding was priceless. Thank you for not editing it out.
Very interesting! I've never considered the link between *Yard* and *Earth* before. Got me thinking about the modern scandinavian cognates, *Gård* and *Jord.*
There are also instances in Old English poetry of the phrase "Middle-Earth" (See "The Wanderer" and "Crist I") both of which influenced Tolkien.
Thank you for mentioning a bit about the Old Saxon “Heliand,” which I very much love! There is a great translation with introduction and notes, into modern English by G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. Professor of German at Georgetown University. “The ‘Heliand” has a unique aura in the history of world literature. Its contemplative integration of Northern-European magic, sooth-saying, wizardry, fatalistic warrior virtues, personal mysticism, and the Christian gospel story give it a compelling power and charm. The “Heliand” was written in Old Saxon over a thousand years ago in the first half of the ninth century by an author whose mysterious identity has remained unknown. Whoever he was, he was an enormously gifted religious poet capable of profound intercultural communication. He rewrote and reimagined the events and words of the gospel as if they had taken place and been spoken in his own country and time, in the chieftain society of a defeated people, forcibly Christianized by Charlemagne: the Saxons. By the power of his imagination the Unknown poet-monk (perhaps ex-warrior) created a unique cultural synthesis between Christianity and Germanic warrior-society-a synthesis that would ultimately lead to the culture of knighthood and become the foundation of medieval Europe.” (Murphy, G. Ronald S.J., (1992) Heliand Xiii Oxford University Press.
Murphy's a great guy, but his translation is seriously flawed. I always recommend people just start learning Old Saxon and approach it in the original. Not as easy, but it circumvents the issues in the translation. At some point, I need to get around to doing my own English translation of the text.
Love the uncut content. Things happen and when the camera slips you just roll with it.
Thanks for this… I’ve been an avid Tolkien fan since I was a boy - more of the books, than the film adaptations. I shall watch this with great interest!
Always wonder why Snorri’s cosmology gains so much popularity, rather than Grimnismal. This outline of nine realms contradicts the old poem, in Grimnismal Alfheim is just one of the estates in Asgard, and Midgard is not placed in the middle of Yggdrasil, it’s at the bottom and on the roots together with Hel and Jotunheim. Wonder what group and with what intention proposed Snorri’s version so much.
Because it makes sense when you look at the way fantasy works. The idea that they are otherworlds workes well when the christian afterlives and celtic otherworld are considered. There's also probably Tolkein's versions of dwarves and elves that Alfheim is considered a "plane" in its own right. Heck Marvel splits Svartalfheim and Niðavellir, and merges Jåtunheim and Niflheim.
I gotta say, the background this time is especially striking!
Garðr means garden as well , I'm pretty sure yard and garden in english are etymologically related
You are certainly very very well read on Norse Mythology and linguistics. And I say that as a Scandinavian descendant of these people, with a very keen interest on the subject.
damn it. we are synchronized. I'm writing a song with this theme that brings up precisely this question. What I found from research so far was far from what I'm looking for. Thanks Jackson
From beautiful South Carolina on the hunt, wish you all the best Mr. Crawford.
Totally off topic, but great reactions and catch when that rock eroded!
Thumps up for the fast reflex, good Sire
All the best to you sir!
Likewise to both of you ☺
That immediately raises the question how the Norse referred to the known planets. Did they have names?
A good brief description of what I have been thinking about...in regards to some sharings done by others on the " Tube"!
Thanks for explaining n describing the relationship in reference to Tolkien....
C ya on the next
video!!
🤙🐺🧙♂️🦊👍
I noticed after taking German and reading Tolkien that other Germanic term were used in his works that helped create even more parallels to Norse/English myths. Arda is synonymous with the German word Erde, while middle earth was the name for the continental mass the majority of the story took place in, and like in the Norse sources Tolkien’s gods and monsters existed on separate planes yet it’s structured to match a global stylistic world.
Swedish pronunciation is kind of like Meed-goord, like "gore". ( In case anyone wanted to know how we say it. :P ) Gård means yard but jord is the word we use today, meaning earth ( or soil ) .
Perfect timing! I was just looking at this connection for a book!
And the earliest attestation is Gutisk Midjungards in Wulfila's Bible translation.
Thanks for describing how "geard" in Anglo-saxon (and other saxon langues) becomes "earth". I was unaware a middle english pronunciation change influenced "geard" becoming " 'eard". The words "geard" (yard) and "eorđ"/"eard" are so close in pronunciation, as well as in meaning, that I had assumed Tolkien simply chose to translate "middan-geard" as "Middle Earth" out of aesthetic preference. "Middle Yard" just doesn't have the same 'ring' to it (no pun intended).
I have noticed "middan-geard" in multiple AS texts, including Beowulf and The Panther. It's quite a common term, as you say.
Thanks the great information Sir🍺
Wyoming Stonehenge *___*
Interesting and informative.
Great to hear a jew's harp on several occasions in your video!
Do you know when the instrument arrived in scandinavia and where it did come from?
It's part of the cultural heritage of the provinces Setesdal and Telemark in southern norway to this day - and I noticed that the very specific norwegian technique of clamping a jew's harp's tongue with a wedge is used only in galicia/spain and sicily as well.
Interestingly both regions had been visited/ravaged/settled by/trading with the norse, so I wonder whether they took the instrument's concept from the rus were they had close contact with turkic and uralic ethnicities - in the latter cultures jew's harps had been wide spread and culturally important, so maybe it was brought to scandinavia from the east, adapted or developed into a specific scandinavian style, and getting spread further by norse expeditions to the mediterranean..
Of cause that's mere speculation on my part, after all I'm only a jew's harp nerd, not an expert. 😅
I would love to know - the norwegian jew's harp tradition is particularly interesting - some makers are still doing it the old way, forging the harp into shape from a cubus of raw iron with hammer, fire and bellows, and the instrument is still used to play old folk tunes and dances in a very melodic way in Telemark and Setesdal.
Just a quick heads up, I know Crawford doesn't specialize in OE and has talked in the past about his pronunciation not being perfect, but geard is pronounced very similarly to Modern English yard: /jæ͜ɑrd/. You can think of it like yard but with the vowel of "yeah" coming just before the "ard" and then gliding together. Or you can think of it as a southern drawl, just imagine an old white dude from Mississippi saying yard
Yard vs. Garden. Neat connection there.
Also not unrelated Mediterranean (middle terrain)
Random info: "mellangärde" in Swedish means diaphragm
Thanks for this great clarification about Midgard and all the variations! The Middle English usage is certainly understandable.
Fascinating.
Indeed, another manifestation of "middle Earth" would be for example "the Mediterranean", around which most of the Western cultures that were the model for Tolkien (and much of fantasy) resided. Technically, "Middle Earth" in Tolkien's legendarium refers to the main continent the stories are set in (as opposed to Valinor, semi-mythical land in the uttermost West), the name of the planet itself is Arda (which is obviously inspired by "-gardr", in fact the Quendian root is "garda", meaning "a region", ie Tolkien back-formed it to fit a similar linguistic place to "Earth"), though you won't see that used in any of the stories I think, because just like in real world history as you note the characters in the stories probably didn't have a conception of such a thing.
Mmmm, great vid, love the setting :)
I'm looking at the word fall or fallen currently and seems norse and semetic languages have a similar word for fall or fallen. Possibly a more universal word used before men disbursed unto their own nations from a time where there was one language. No matter how far removed from one another their is still a root source of all languages, the language of the angels
From the face of it I would have thought Heliand translated to "Holy Spirit".
Let me guess, you're from Scandinavia? 😉
The word is related to German "Heiland" which translates to saviour (usually in a Christian context) and comes from MHG "heilen" to heal
@@yogummler we actually have a norwegian equivalent in "å hele", which literally means "to heal". "Hel", or "heil" in certain dialects of norwegian, means "whole". So our word for it basically means "to make whole".
I bought you're book, the wondering havamal...I have to say, I do love it
Class act sir.
Thanks for bringing in the Hêliand! Seriously the coolest early Germanic text.
"Heiland" is what we use in Afrikaans for saviour as well.
Excellent discussion!
Just found your channel I really appreciate you and the radiation belt outside the Milky Way Voyager 1 I think it was was the one that recorded it
Looks more like Utah or New Mexico than Colorado or Wyoming
Beautiful background! Thanks for the great content
I find equating middle earth with "Europe 1930s" much more salient - The Shire/Eriador is of course rural England, Mordor is Germany, Orkh-language=German. Rohan=France Aragorn=Spain - "Gondor" I am not sure, something s/w of German etc - lands west of Germany.
the "Channel" is not water but a chain of mountains.. and so on. Of course the parallels are not 100%.
The ring of midgard sounds a lot like the Icelandic regions and Iberia plus Canada. Especially since muspelllheim was an icy place above and helheim was a hot place below. As in, how the sun and northern circle would look from deciduous latitudes
@IceLuxray
Muspelheim was an icy place!?
Helheim was a hot place!?
…. 🤔 you sure about those?
erd sounds pretty similar to the german word Erde (earth/soil)
Badass vest, tbh
Funny you should make a video on it right now, as i just about it a week ago thought about this when i was coming up with my new username. heh
Hopi mythology says this is the 4th world
I enjoyed that one the best out of all the vids so far. Don't know why. The rock, the info, who knows.
A super interesting fun fact
What if there was once a single landmass like Pangea, but centered around the North Pole? From the perspective of the North pole, the stars in the sky all rotate around the earth's axis, creating the appearance of a tunnel. One could easily imagine themselves staring up through the trunk of a giant cosmic tree. The south pole then would be entirely ocean, where jormungandr dwells. Brings to mind the image of the ourboros as well
I didn't know my copies of the Poetic Edda and Völsunga Saga were translated by a cowboy.
While I was reading the Hêliad in its English translation, I saw where some of where the lamentable anti-Semitism was reinforced. Where the Gospels refer to the Pharisees and the priests, the Hêliad just called all of Jesus’ enemies as “The Jews” and obscured the fact that Jesus and his disciples were also Jews.
The mentioning of Ásgarðr possibly being on top of a mountain would make sense with the gods living on Mt. Olympus in Greek mythology
00:33 groundhog go boing
There is a story I heard once although I have never checked to see if its true. The story goes that Tolkien governess was Icelandic. So when she was reading norse mythology for his children he would sit with them and listen to the stories of norse mythology and then incorporated it into his writing.
I am fairly certain that is not true.
Tolkien had talked about his pleasure-reading and love of mythologies as an early influence, but it was his passion for linguistics that exposed him to much more.
Tolkien was an Oxford university academic who spent decades researching and lecturing in Germanic/European language and literature , including Old English and Old Norse, so the truth is a lot less romantic, in that he effectively knew the mythology inside-out from studying medieval sources in his day job and then incorporated the elements which appealed to him.
The first historic language which actually turned him onto philology was apparently the Gothic bible.
it's true that he had Icelandic au pairs, but I think he would have overheard Icelandic folk tales rather than Norse mythology. Maybe some of them influenced The Hobbit?
Mmmm, this isn't the case. The Tolkien's were too poor to afford a governess, and they're unlikely to have got one from so far away even so. Tolkien read all the Norse stuff when he was a child - there was certainly a huge amount available to young boys at that period! - and fell in love with it then,. He was well versed in all those stories by the time his children came along.
Is it fair to say that the use of the term 'mediterranean' comes from a similar philosophical viewpoint as the use of 'Midgard' or, more literally, 'middle earth'?
My culture calls Earth "The hot mud ball floating in the void", but my culture is dying, there is only one of me left.
Would Middangeard correspond to the Greek Οικουμενη;
So am I understanding this correctly: That "Yard" in English from the same base as "Jörð" in Icelandic. So does Jörð actually mean "enclosure" and not "dirt" as I have been lead to believe ?
Or am I getting this wrong ?
No, the English letter [y] (the sound /j/) corresponds to [g] in Icelandic and the other Germanic languages. Yard corresponds to Icelandic garđur (that should be an eth but I don't have that letter on my phone).
Jörđ (again, that's an eth), corresponds to the word earth. The letter [j] is intrusive, resulting from a breaking of the vowel historically from an earlier /e/ to a /ja/, and then umlaut gives jörđ. Compare German pronoun ich, Old English ic, to Old Norse jak, Faroese jek, Swedish jag, etc. The initial j in Icelandic and other Norse languages corresponds more often to an initial vowel, like "jörđ" and "earth". A word like yard, when it corresponds to a German word beginning with [g] will have [g] in Icelandic. But confusingly, if it is a word that corresponds to a [j] in German, like English year and German Jahr, the Icelandic counterpoint will not have a [j] at all, like Icelandic ár.
Mr Crawford, do you know how the Vikings or Gods honoured a fallen soldier/s after a battle? Or did they at all?
The Road to Hel by HR Ellis has tons of info about Norse funerary practices
@@sleepywoodelf thank you!
I had interpreted Midgard as our observable univers as the speed of light creates a fence around us. The gods exist outside that but Earth is the center
the idea of earth being a "planet" is actually relatively new. even the word planet means "wandering star"
Real life indiana jones