Allfather
Say it AWL-fah-ther
A name for Odin, the chief of the Norse gods. Two ravens flew the world each day and told him what they saw.
In Islejarl Only in the stories. There are no gods in the game.
Viking and Norse terms
The words used in Islejarl, a Viking island strategy game that is coming soon. Each entry gives a plain meaning, an English guide to saying it, and how the word is used in the game.
Pronunciations are approximate guides for English speakers. Norwegian and Icelandic speakers may say them differently, and the Old Norse forms are long gone from everyday speech. Islejarl uses the Scandinavian reading throughout: "jarl" rhymes with "snarl", not "carl".
Apprentice
Say it uh-PREN-tiss
Someone learning a trade under a master, not yet fully skilled.
In Islejarl The second stage of Fosterage. You can trade and raid small targets, but only jarls close to your own size can touch you.
Arm-ring
Say it ARM-ring
A silver ring worn on the upper arm and given by a lord to a follower he trusted.
In Islejarl The honors handed out each day.
Beacon Fort
Say it BEE-kun fort
A fire lit on a hilltop to warn of danger, and the fortified place built to hold one.
In Islejarl A fixed shore defense at the harbor mouth. It never moves and can't be sold or given away.
Bog iron
Say it BOG EYE-urn
Iron ore that forms in wet marshland. Norse smiths dug it and smelted it.
In Islejarl Steady, dependable income.
Captain
Say it KAP-tin
The officer who leads a body of soldiers or a ship.
In Islejarl The reason a Longhouse Isle gives you Command points. A fleet on the move is named for the Captain leading it.
Command points
Say it kuh-MAND points
A cap on how much one leader can personally direct at once.
In Islejarl What limits how big a fleet you can send out at one time, supplied by your Longhouse Isles.
Contraband
Say it KON-truh-band
Goods that are illegal to own, sell, or carry.
In Islejarl Banned weapons sold only by secret dealers. Comes in three kinds: Fire, Blight, and Dread. Using any of them costs Renown at once, in public.
Counting House
Say it COUNT-ing house
An old term for the office where a business kept its financial records.
In Islejarl The bank. Deposit gold for interest, borrow against your jarldom, or buy a Harbor Bond.
Dormant
Say it DOR-mant
Sleeping, or shut down for a while.
In Islejarl An isle that's producing nothing, either because its upkeep went unpaid or because it was just captured. It stays yours, but it earns nothing until you pay to wake it back up.
Drekar
Say it DRAY-kar
Dragon ships: large longships with a carved dragon head on the prow. In Old Norse drekar is the plural, and one ship is a dreki.
In Islejarl Your flagship. Each jarldom can have one.
Faering
Say it FAIR-ing
A small, light rowing boat from Norway.
In Islejarl Small boats used for shore work and quick landings.
Felag
Say it FAY-lag
A partnership or company. It is the root of the English word fellow.
In Islejarl A small company of jarls who work together.
Fosterage
Say it FOSS-ter-ij
The old custom of a child being raised in another household, which also tied the two families together.
In Islejarl The protected first days of every new jarl.
Hacksilver
Say it HAK-sil-ver
Silver cut into pieces, from coins or jewellery, and weighed out as money.
In Islejarl The money of Islejarl.
Harbor Authority
Say it HAR-ber uh-THOR-ih-tee
The body that keeps order over a harbor and its trade.
In Islejarl The referee of the game. It keeps the law, runs the market, and never takes a secret action against a jarl.
Harbor Exchange
Say it HAR-ber ex-CHAYNJ
A place where goods are bought and sold at a harbor.
In Islejarl The market where every good is bought and sold, priced by supply and demand, never by who you are.
Harbor Levy
Say it HAR-ber LEV-ee
A levy is a tax or toll collected by an authority.
In Islejarl The Harbor Authority's cut of any goods or gold you send another jarl.
High Seat
Say it HIGH seat
The carved seat of honor in a chieftain's hall. Sitting in it showed who held the hall.
In Islejarl The prize each season. It carries honor, not extra power.
Housecarl
Say it HOWS-karl
A full-time household warrior sworn to a lord. The word means house man.
In Islejarl Your core soldiers, who cost silver to keep.
Informant
Say it in-FOR-mant
Someone who secretly supplies information, often to an authority.
In Islejarl Your spy staff, housed on Longhouse Isles. They run covert missions against rivals and defend you from everyone else's.
Islejarl
Say it EYE-l-yarl
The name of the game: isle plus jarl, an island chieftain.
In Islejarl The title of the player, and the name of the game.
Jarl
Say it YARL
A high-ranking chieftain of the Viking Age who ruled a territory, usually for a king. It is related to the English word earl.
In Islejarl You. A jarl holds isles in the name of a king who was lost at sea.
Jarldom
Say it YARL-dum
Everything one jarl rules. It is built the way kingdom is built from king.
In Islejarl Your isles, your people, your ships and your stores.
Knarr
Say it k-NARR (the k is sounded in Norse; many English speakers say NARR)
A broad, deep cargo ship of the Viking Age. It carried goods, people and livestock on long sea voyages.
In Islejarl Cargo ships that carry Housecarls and Faerings across the water.
Lawspeaker
Say it LAW-speaker
The official who recited the law aloud from memory at the assembly.
In Islejarl The voice of the Harbor Authority and the keeper of the record.
Longhouse
Say it LONG-hows
The long timber hall where a chieftain's household lived, worked and feasted.
In Islejarl The seat of a jarl and the home screen of the game.
Longship
Say it LONG-ship
The long, narrow, shallow-draft warship of the Vikings, moved by oars and a sail.
In Islejarl Your warships.
Maelstrom
Say it MAYL-strum
A powerful whirlpool or tidal race. The English word comes from Dutch, and the most famous one lies off the Lofoten islands in Norway.
In Islejarl A named danger of the sea lanes.
Moot
Say it MOOT
A public assembly where free people met to settle disputes and make decisions.
In Islejarl The gathering that ends each season and names the winner.
Naust
Say it NOWST
A boathouse where ships were kept, often built into the shoreline.
In Islejarl An isle of boathouses that builds ships and Housecarls.
Oath
Say it OHTH
A solemn promise, sworn out loud.
In Islejarl A binding deal between two jarls. Five kinds exist, from a simple truce to a full mutual-defense pact.
Outlaw
Say it OWT-law
A person outside the protection of the law. The English word comes from the Norse.
In Islejarl The raider crews who live on the skerries.
Renown
Say it ri-NOWN
Fame or good reputation, widely known.
In Islejarl Your public standing. It rises and falls with how you play, tracked by the Harbor Authority for everyone to see.
Season
Say it SEE-zun
One of the natural divisions of the year; also, one full round of a competition.
In Islejarl One full round of the game, 28 days long, ending at the Moot.
Sheltered
Say it SHEL-terd
Protected from harm or bad weather.
In Islejarl The first stage of Fosterage. Nobody can attack, spy on, or raid you, but you can't touch anyone else either.
Skerry
Say it SKER-ee
A small, bare rock or reef in the sea. Too small for people to live on.
In Islejarl The unpeopled rocks between the isles, where salvage lies and outlaws hide.
Stockfish
Say it STOCK-fish (Norwegian: TUR-fisk)
Cod dried on wooden racks in the cold air, without salt. Northern Norway has traded it for centuries.
In Islejarl The main food and the main export.
Strandhogg
Say it STRAHND-hog (roughly)
A raid from the sea on the coast: land, take what you can carry, and leave.
In Islejarl A quick raid that can take goods but never an isle.