Fin Gall:
Book I of the Norsemen Saga
Dubh-linn:
Book II of the Norsemen Saga
Glossary
Ægir – Norse god of the sea. In Norse mythology he was also the host of great feasts for the gods.
Asgard - the dwelling place of the Norse gods and goddesses, essentially the Norse heaven.
athwartships – at a right angle to the centerline of a vessel.
beitass- a wooden pole, or spar, secured to the side of a ship on the after end and leading forward to which the corner, or clew, of a sail could be secured.
berserkir - a Viking warrior able to work himself up into a frenzy of blood-lust before a battle. The berserkirs, near psychopathic killers in battle, were the fiercest of the Viking soldiers. The word berserkir comes from the Norse for “bear shirt” and is the origin of the modern English “berserk”.
boss - the round, iron centerpiece of a wooden shield. The boss formed and iron cup protruding from the front of the shield, providing a hollow in the back across which ran the hand grip.
bothach – Gaelic term for poor tenant farmers, serfs
brace - line used for hauling a yard side to side on a horizontal plane. Used to adjust the angle of the sail to the wind.
brat – a rectangular cloth worn in various configurations as an outer garment over a leine.
bride-price - money paid by the family of the groom to the family of the bride.
byrdingr - A smaller ocean-going cargo vessel used by the Norsemen for trade and transportation. Generally about 40 feet in length, the byrdingr was a smaller version of the more well-known knarr.
curach - a boat, unique to Ireland, made of a wood frame covered in hide. They ranged in size, the largest propelled by sail and capable of carrying several tons. The most common sea-going craft of mediaeval Ireland. Curach was the Gaelic word for boat which later became the word curragh.
derbfine – In Irish law, a family of four generations, including a man, his sons, grandsons and great grandsons.
dragon ship - the largest of the Viking warships, upwards of 160 feet long and able to carry as many as 300 men. Dragon ships were the flagships of the fleet, the ships of kings.
dubh gall - Gaelic term for Vikings of Danish descent. It means Black Strangers, a reference to the mail armor they wore, made dark by the oil used to preserve it. See fin gall.
ell – a unit of length, a little more than a yard.
eyrir – Scandinavian unit of measurement, approximately an ounce.
félag – a fellowship of men who owed each other a mutual obligation, such as multiple owners of a ship, or a band or warriors who had sworn allegiance to one another.
fin gall - Gaelic term for Vikings of Norwegian descent. It means White Strangers. See dubh gall.
Freya - Norse goddess of beauty and love, she was also associated with warriors, as many of the Norse deity were. Freya often led the Valkyrie to the battlefield.
halyard - a line by which a sail or a yard is raised.
gallows – tall, T-shaped posts on the ship’s centerline, forward of the mast, on which the oars and yard were stored when not in use.
gunnel – the upper edge of a ship’s side.
Hel - in Norse mythology, the daughter of Loki and the ruler of the underworld where those who are not raised up to Valhalla are sent to suffer. The same name, Hel, is given to the realm over which she rules, the Norse hell.
hird - an elite corps of Viking warriors hired and maintained by a king or powerful
jarl. Unlike most Viking warrior groups, which would assemble and disperse at will, the hird was retained as a semi-permanent force which formed the core of a Viking army.
hirdsman - a warrior who is a member of the hird.
housecarl - member of the elite bodyguard of a Danish or English king or nobleman, not unlike the Norse hird. The term dates from the latter part of the Old English period
jarl - title given to a man of high rank. A jarl might be an independent ruler or subordinate to a king. Jarl is the origin of the English word earl.
knarr - a Norse merchant vessel. Smaller, wider and more sturdy than the longship, knarrs were the workhorse of Norse trade, carrying cargo and settlers where ever the Norsemen traveled.
leine – a long, loose-fitting smock worn by men and women under other clothing. Similar to the shift of a later period.
levies - conscripted soldiers of 9th century warfare.
Loki - Norse god of fire and free spirits. Loki was mischievous and his tricks caused great trouble for the gods, for which he was punished.
luff – the shivering of a sail when its edge is pointed into the wind and the wind strikes it on both sides
longphort - literally, a ship fortress. A small, fortified port to protect shipping and serve as a center of commerce and a launching off point for raiding.
luchrupán – middle Irish word that became the modern-day Leprechaun.
Odin - foremost of the Norse gods. Odin was the god of wisdom and war, protector of both chieftains and poets.
perch - a unit of measure equal to 16½ feet. The same as a rod.
Ragnarok - the mythical final battle when most humans and gods would be killed by the forces of evil and the earth destroyed, only to rise again, purified.
ringfort - common Irish homestead, consisting of houses protected by circular earthwork and palisade walls.
rí túaithe – Gaelic term for a minor king, who would owe allegiance to a high king.
rí ruirech – Gaelic term for a supreme or provincial king, to whom the rí túaithe owe allegiance.
sheer strake – the uppermost plank, or strake, of a boat or ship’s hull. On a Viking ship the sheer strake would form the upper edge of the ship’s hull.
shieldwall - a defensive wall formed by soldiers standing in line with shields overlapping.
shroud – a heavy rope stretching from the top of the mast to the ship’s side that prevents the mast from falling sideways.
skald - a Viking-era poet, generally one attached to a royal court. The skalds wrote a very stylized type of verse particular to the medieval Scandinavians. Poetry was an important part of Viking culture and the ability to write it a highly-regarded skill.
sling - the center portion of the yard.
spar – generic term used for any of the masts or yards that are part of a ship’s rig.
strake – one of the wooden planks that make up the hull of a ship. The construction technique, used by the Norsemen, in which one strake overlaps the one below it is called lapstrake construction.
swine array - a viking battle formation consisting of a wedge-shaped arrangement of men used to attack a shield wall or other defensive position.
tánaise ríg – Gaelic term for heir apparent, the man assumed to be next in line for a kingship.
thing - a communal assembly
Thor - Norse god of storms and wind, but also the protector of humans and the other gods. Thor’s chosen weapon was a hammer. Hammer amulets were popular with Norsemen in the same way that crosses are popular with Christians.
thrall - Norse term for a slave. Origin of the English word “enthrall”.
thwart - a rower’s seat in a boat. From the old Norse term meaning “across”.
Ulfberht – a particular make of sword crafted in the Germanic countries and inscribed with the name Ulfberht or some variant. Though it is not clear who Ulfberht was, the swords that bore his name were of the highest quality and much prized.
Valhalla - a great hall in Asgard where slain warriors would go to feast, drink and fight until the coming of Ragnarok.
Valkyries - female spirits of Norse mythology who gathered the spirits of the dead from the battle field and escorted them to Valhalla. They were the Choosers of the Slain, and though later romantically portrayed as Odin’s warrior handmaidens, they were originally viewed more demonically, as spirits who devoured the corpses of the dead.
vantnale – a wooden leve
r attached to the lower end of a shroud and used to make the shroud fast and to tension it.
Vik - An area of Norway south of modern-day Oslo. The name is possibly the origin of the term Viking.
wattle and daub - common medieval technique for building walls. Small sticks were woven through larger uprights to form the wattle, and the structure was plastered with mud or plaster, the daub.
yard - a long, tapered timber from which a sail was suspended. When a Viking ship was not under sail, the yard was turned lengthwise and lowered to near the deck with the sail lashed to it.
Acknowledgements
As is always the case, thanks are due to a great many people, this being more of a team effort than most writers like to admit. Thanks once again to Steve Cromwell for his continued excellent work on the covers of these books. Thanks as well to photographer Alistair Corbett for the use of his magnificent, moody image which so perfectly sets the tone. Thanks to Nicole Spiridakis for her careful and insightful editing and thanks to David Bellows for his on-going help in that department. Thanks as well to the good people at Maine Coast Book Shop and Maine Maritime Museum who are so kind about getting my books in the hands of readers. Thanks to my mother, Selma, and sister Stephanie for all their love and support, and to my kiddos, Elizabeth, Nathaniel, Jonathan and Abbey.
And, as ever, to Lisa, my shield-maiden.
Other Books by James L. Nelson:
Fiction:
The Norsemen Saga - Novels of Viking Age Ireland:
Fin Gall
Dubh-linn
The Brethren of the Coast - Piracy in Colonial America
The Guardship
The Blackbirder
The Pirate Round
The Revolution at Sea Saga – Naval Action of the American Revolution
By Force of Arms
The Maddest Idea
The Continental Risque
Lords of the Ocean
All the Brave Fellows
The Samuel Bowater Novels - Stories of the Confederate Navy
Glory in the Name
Thieves of Mercy
The Only Life that Mattered – The Short and Merry Lives of Ann Bonny, Mary Read and Calico Jack Rackham
Nonfiction:
Reign of Iron: the Story of the First Battling Ironclads, the Monitor and Merrimack
Benedict Arnold’s Navy: How a Rag Tag Fleet Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain and Won the American Revolution
George Washington’s Secret Navy: How the American Revolution Went to Sea
George Washington’s Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle that Won the American Revolution
With Fire and Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American
Revolution
The Lord of Vik-lo: A Novel of Viking Age Ireland (The Norsemen Saga Book 3) Page 39
