Daniel Telcontar,
You have the word
offermod in your language? That is fascinating! Do you speak Danish or another Scandinavian language? Can you tell me if it is used (ie, is important to the meaning) in any of the old myths and legends of your language? How old is the word? What did it mean a thousand years ago?
The word
ofermod that I referred to comes from the poem
The Battle of Maldon;it does not exist in modern English. It comes from Old English (the language Tolkien taught at Oxford). Translating it has long been a topic for discussion. It isn't really honourable because the man who speaks it blames the hero, Beorhtnoth, for causing the deaths of so many men and making the decision which lost the battle out of personal vanity or chivalry rather than out of the warrior code.
Here's the translation Tolkien provides:
Quote:
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then the eorl in his overmastering pride actualy yeilded ground to the enemy, as he should not have done.
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I would be really intrigued to know if that word is used in other early heroic literature.
Bethberry