Did you know that English and Viking speak (a.k.a. Old Norse) are basically language siblings?
That’s right—English comes from the West Germanic language family, and Old Norse, spoken by the Vikings, comes from the North Germanic side.
Two branches from the same tree. So, they’re not total strangers—they’re long-lost cousins with a lot in common, especially in vocabulary.
Starting in the late 8th century, the Viking Age kicked off with some serious raids, trade, and eventually, settlement.
These Scandinavian invaders didn’t just bring swords and ships—they brought their language with them.
And when Old Norse collided with Old English on the British Isles, it wasn’t just a battle—it was a linguistic fusion.
As the Norse settlers dug in, their language blended with Old English in surprisingly deep ways.
From grammar shifts to everyday vocabulary, the influence was massive.
In fact, many words we use today—like sky, egg, take, and they—all came from Old Norse.
So in this episode, we’re diving into the dramatic and often overlooked story of how English got a Norse makeover.
Let’s uncover how this epic mash-up helped shape the English we speak today—and why you probably speak more “Viking” than you realize.
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Long before the Viking longships ever hit English shores, the Anglo-Saxon warriors were already spinning wild tales in their ancient, badass language—stories about epic heroes, terrifying monsters, and fate itself.
In this episode, we’re diving into the legendary Beowulf—one of the oldest and most complete epic poems from the Anglo-Saxon era. Written around the 8th century (with the surviving manuscript in a 10th-century West Saxon dialect), it’s packed with larger-than-life battles, loyalty, courage, and a fascinating mix of pagan beliefs and Christian faith.
From the monstrous Danish beast Grendel to the fire-breathing dragon, from battlefield glory to deep reflections on destiny, get ready to step back into a world full of swords, spells, dragons, and devotion.

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Ever tried learning German and thought, “Whoa, why so many weird endings?!” Meanwhile, English feels like the chill cousin who ditched all that drama.
Well, English and German? They’re actually super close family — like first cousins in the language world, both from the Indo-European Germanic crew.
But here’s the kicker: English used to be just as complicated as German, with all those crazy word endings and grammar rules. Then it went all “new me” and dropped most of that, becoming the smooth-talking language you know today.
Everyone knows about that grammar glow-up, but what they don’t talk about is how German kept sneaking in cool words and fresh ideas into English — stuff from science, tech, philosophy, politics, and even the everyday words you say without thinking.
In this episode, we’re spilling the tea on how German’s been low-key bossing English around — the secret family influence you never saw coming!

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