Description

‘Invaluable – and hugely entertaining … It is an absolute romp and a must-have for history and fantasy enthusiasts alike’ – Eleanor Janega

‘Endlessly fascinating’- the Spectator

Old English was spoken over a thousand years ago, when every animal was a deor. In this glittering collection of words and animals we find deors big and small, ordinary, extraordinary and delightfully baffling. From walker-weavers (spiders) and grey-cloaked ones (eagles) to moon-heads and teeth-tyrants (historians still don’t know!), we discover a world both familiar and strange: where ants could be monsters and panthers could be your friend, where dog-headed men were as real as elephants and where whales were as sneaky as wolves.

From the author of The Wordhord comes another delightful dive into the realm of Old English: words and creatures that will change the way you see the world, and the strangest creatures of all – us!

Publisher Review

Endlessly fascinating * Spectator * A dream! I learnt something new and fascinating on every page -- Lucy Mangan Wonderful -- Victoria Finlay, author * Colour * If you love words, the weird and the wild, I guarantee you'll crouch over this book like a dragon over gold -- Meg Clothier A treasure trove. -- Caspar Henderson, author * The Book of Barely Imagined Beings * Will set hearts fizzing with joy. -- John Wright, author * The Forager's Calendar * A beautifully written reminder of the magical and the mystical -- Rebecca Lee, author * How Words Get Good * A treasure trove that the lexicographer Susie Dent might be tempted to plunder * Country Life * An invaluable - and hugely entertaining - insight into the medieval imagination. The Deorhord illuminates the ways that language influences how animals have been conceptualised and discussed, and introduces a bit of magic to our own world by association. It is an absolute romp and a must-have for history and fantasy enthusiasts alike. -- Eleanor Janega, author * The Once and Future Sex * A wonderful way into Old English, opening windows on a lost world that shaped ours and still lives within it. -- Ronald Wright, author * A Short History of Progress * Praise for The Wordhord : A marvelous book -- Neil Gaiman Wonderful -- Tom Holland A lovely, lovely read -- Lucy Mangan Splendid -- David Crystal Eminently giftable -- James Marriott * The Times * Entertaining and absolutely fascinating -- Paul Anthony Jones Delightful ... a classy gift to the commonly word-drunk -- Steven Poole * Guardian * A passionate medievalist and a relaxed, lucid writer; the pleasure she takes in her subject is infectious -- Henry Hitchings * Wall Street Journal * A treasure trove ... and beautifully designed -- Marshall Julius A lively linguistic history * BBC History Magazine *