What question did this study set out to answer?

To analyze the usage and meaning of specific Old English verbs in historical texts.

April 24, 2026

Studies in the Diction of LA 3 Amon's Brut

Key Points

To analyze the usage and meaning of specific Old English verbs in historical texts.
Examined verb forms in excerpts from the OE Bede, Orosius, and Alfred's Laws.
Compared different editions and their interpretations of the verb 'ærnen'.
Reviewed relevant passages for contextual understanding.
Found that 'ærnen' appears rarely and its meanings are often ambiguous.
Contrasted uses of similar verbs, enhancing understanding of Old English verb dynamics.
Confirmed readings by most editors except a few, showcasing editorial differences.

Abstract

Ærnen intrans., wk. ‘to ride, go on horseback; go, pass’, etc. OE ærnan intrans. and trans. (See also irnen, eornen below.) The verb is rare in OE, and its precise sense is hardly determinable from the two passages, from the OE Bede and Orosius respectively, cited in Bosworth-Toller. Madden, however, Glossarial Remarks 3.470, cites an illuminating passage from Alfred's Laws: gif hie fah mon geierne oþþe geærne ‘reach (a church) by running or by riding’ (see Alfred's English Laws, Cap. 5). This passage where the two verbs are contrasted, the latter being here transitive, is also quoted by Toller in the Supplement. With this cp. the quotations from La amon in (ii) below. The verb, in the Pret. Pl., occurs also in the Battle of Maldon, where it is transcribed ærdon by Hearne. All editors except Thorpe, Müller, Grein, and Wülcker agree in reading ærndon.

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