Phase 1 of the project has involved the creation of a relational database containing the following linked items:

• headwords in Runic Swedish and Old West Norse, with simple translations of each into English;
• a full list of occurrences (spellings) for each headword (grouped into word-forms);
• grammatical information for headwords and for each word-form;
• inscription information and links to on-line photographs (where available).

The database can be searched by headword, word-form or spelling, and the search will return a list of inscriptions.

We are currently working on:

• expanding the database by providing fuller, discursive definitions in English for the headwords, along with appropriate bibliographical references;
• designing a web interface to enable searches of the dictionary database.

Summary of Phase 1:

• currently based on the Swedish Viking Age corpus;
• users will search the dictionary by headword in either Runic Swedish or Old West Norse;
• results will show all variant word-forms, all known spellings and all occurrences in the inscriptions;
• definitions will explain the headword's meaning in more detail, discussing alternative interpretations, and giving bibliographical references (including cross-references to other dictionaries).

The future:

The database already contains all runic inscriptions found in Samnordisk runtextdatabas, and will be expanded to provide all of the above information for the words found in non-Swedish Viking Age inscriptions. New headwords, word-forms and occurrences can be added to the underlying database as and when new finds of inscriptions are published.

Page last updated:
23 March 2006

Site maintained by:
Sheila.Jones