A Beginner's Guide to Old English, the Language of Anglo-Saxon England

Old English, also known as Anglo-Saxon, was spoken in England from about 450 to 1150 AD and is the ancestor of modern English. Its grammar differs considerably, featuring grammatical gender and case endings similar to German, as shown by comparing a modern sentence with its Old English equivalent. The article explains special letters such as thorn, eth, ash, and wynn, and notes that Anglo-Saxons also used the Futhorc runic alphabet before Latin letters became dominant. It introduces a free online translation tool for converting modern English into Old English, but cautions that automatic translation of a dead language is approximate. The author advises consulting a scholar or a dictionary such as Bosworth-Toller before using any translation permanently, such as in a tattoo.