Glossary

Glossary

Ceorl: Also known as Freemen, they owned their own land and were allowed to bear weapons.

Danegeld: A land tax levied by the crown, used to pay off Viking invaders in exchange for peace.

Danelaw: A code of laws established by Viking invaders in Britain.

Ealdorman: Title given to a man of high status in Anglo-Saxon England. Forerunner of the title "earl."

Folkmoot: A general meeting of the people in a town, district, or shire in Medieval Britain.

Fyrd: A local militia in an Anglo-Saxon shire, headed by the shire's ealdorman and comprised of all freemen.

Mail Byrnie: A short chain mail shirt that covered from the upper arms to the upper thighs.

Mummers: Medieval actors, often associated with masked mime.

Pottage: Thick soup or stew.

Scop: Medieval bard or poet.

Shield Boss: The round conical or convex center of a shield. Usually made of metal.

Thegn: Anglo-Saxon nobility.