Join Ōsweald the talking bear on his adventures through Anglo-Saxon England, as he makes friends (and enemies), gets involved in royal intrigue, and learns all about the world.
This book will teach you all the main points of Old English grammar and a large portion of its most essential vocabulary. But it will teach you these things in a rather strange way: simply by telling a story. Come to implicit knowledge of Old English—the same way you learned your first language.
Praise for Osweald Bera
“Ōsweald is a wonderful blend of good, sensible language instruction and genuine literary pleasure. There is a real need in teaching Old English for a graded reader, beginning very simply, and progressing to a full-fledged literary prose style, and it is a wonderful stroke of luck that this need has been met in a tale that is as engaging and even moving as this one. I hope that students enjoy the adventures of Ōsweald, Æþelstān, and Cūþberht as much as I did. If they do, they should absorb a very great deal of Old English along the way, in a pleasant and painless fashion.”
– Dr. Nelson Goering, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo
“The story you hold in your hands is the first of its kind: Ōsweald Bera teaches you to be a fluent reader of Old English. With it, Colin Gorrie demonstrates that the most important key to success in acquiring a language — modern, mediaeval, or ancient — is in telling an entertaining story. Gorrie transports us to the mild forests of Middle Ages England and into the life of a docile but powerful bear, whose ambition to learn about the human world will carry him across the whole island. The friends (and enemies!) he makes along the way are the stuff of instant legend. For those who have profited by this magnificent book, Ōsweald has entered and ever shall remain in our hearts, and with him a strong grasp of the Old English language.”
– Luke Ranieri, Ancient Greek & Latin Fellow, Ancient Language Institute
“Ōsweald Bera is an exceptional resource for all learners of Old English. It has greatly accelerated language comprehension in class – students are able to rapidly internalise grammar and vocabulary in an intuitive and enjoyable way. ”
– Dr. Daniel Orton, Junior Fellow of Medieval Languages and Literature, New Saint Andrews College
“More immersive and engaging than any traditional Old English textbook could ever be – it would be a good read even if it were just a normal storybook!”
– Simon Roper
About the Author
Colin Gorrie is the Dean of Students at the Ancient Language Institute, where he also teaches Latin and Old English. He received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Arizona in 2014.
