In the coffered riches of grammar and declensions, I found Banhous, its fire, benches,

wattle and rafters, where the soul fluttered a while in the roof space. There was a small crock for the brain and a

cauldron of generations swung at the center. Love Den, Blood Holt, Dream Bower.

It's time for another words, words, and we've hit bedrock in our excavation project as we dig back in time through the sedimentary layers of the English

language. We started by talking about modern English and how it was formed and the

history of it. Then we went back and read some late middle English or early modern English with the

mort d'Artur and Mallory we did some Chaucer some really high middle English

some Gaoane now it's time to turn our attention to the earliest roots of the English language.

So then I say we're hitting bedrock.

We're really coming up against the oldest forms of English that we know and have.

And they come, as I've said now several times throughout the series

from our Germanic past from these tribes that first conquered in the post-Roman era first conquered England and Britain and after whom England is named.

Another word for Old English is Anglais Saxon.

And the poem that I read at the beginning is a selection from a poem not by an old English

poet but by a very contemporary poet somebody who just died recently and that's

Seamus Heaney was one of our great living poets while he lived and he's one of the best people to read and explore if you are trying to get a feel for what old English can do for you.

You know, I've been suggesting sort of throughout this series

that a reason to care about all this fun etymology nerd stuff

is that not only is it fascinating and not only does English have this unique history

that we could stand to appreciate and take pride in, but it will also make you a more effective

wielder of this tool that you use every day, because unless you understand how much

richness there is in the history of some of these words, you will just toss them off and

...