Mr. Worsaae informs us in his Introduction that the following pages were not written solely for the learned. They were designed as a popular contribution to a branch of historical and antiquarian knowledge, which, though highly interesting both to Scandinavians and Englishmen, has been hitherto very imperfectly investigated. The English reader will find in Mr. Worsaae’s work not only many facts concerning the early history of this country that are either entirely new to him, or placed at least in a wholly novel light, but he will also meet with many names whose form may appear foreign and unfamiliar. It may, therefore, be desirable that on the English reader’s introduction to a more intimate acquaintance with that Scandinavian race which has more claims than he had, perhaps, imagined, not only to be regarded as the founders of some of his native customs and institutions, but even to be reckoned among his forefathers, he should be enabled to pronounce their principal names correctly. With this view the following brief remarks are subjoined;—

The double a (aa), frequently occurring in proper names, must be sounded like the English diphthong aw, as in Blaatand, Haarfager.

The Ö, or oe, is pronounced like the French diphthong eu.

The u, as in German and Italian, is equivalent to oo in the English words cool, troop, &c.; as in Ulf, Huskarl, &c.

C has invariably the sound of k (with which, indeed, it is frequently interchanged). The names of Cetel, Oscytel, &c., are to be pronounced Ketel, Oskytel. Where c or k precedes another consonant, it retains, as in German, its distinct and proper power. In order to represent this power, Latin and English writers have sometimes substituted the syllable ca for the initial c or k; as, for instance, in the name of Canute (Dan., Cnut or Knud). This has led to the very common error of pronouncing the name as if it consisted of two syllables, with an accent upon the first; as CÁn-ute, instead of CanÚte.

J has the sound of the English y; as in Jarl (Yarl, earl), Jorvik (Yor-vik, York).

The consonants th (the Icelandic Þ^[1]) are pronounced like a single t. The word Thing (assizes, &c.), which the reader will so frequently meet, is sounded like Ting. The proper pronunciation is preserved in the word Hus-ting, but by altering the spelling. Thus, Thor, Thorkil, &c., must be pronounced Tor, Torkil.

Lastly, the Vikings (Isl., Vikingr, a sea-rover, pirate), who played so great a part during the Danish conquests, were not VÍ-kings, but Vik-ings (VeÉk-ings); so called either from the Icelandic Vik (Dan., Vig), a bay of the sea, or from Vig, battle, slaughter.

London, Dec. 15th, 1851.