Rainbows have fascinated humans for millennia. In Old English, as in other older languages, there were several poetic words used to describe the vibrant arcs of color that appear after rainfall. Tracing the origins and meanings of these ancient terms provides a window into how our linguistic ancestors experienced and made sense of the natural world around them. This article will explore some of the key Old English vocabulary for rainbows.
Old English Language and Culture
Old English is the earliest form of the English language, used in England from around the 5th to 11th century AD. It developed out of the Anglo-Saxon language spoken by the Germanic tribes that migrated to and conquered much of England after the fall of the Roman empire.
As a result, Old English shows heavy Germanic influence in its vocabulary, grammar and syntax. The Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they first arrived in England. Many Old English words related to nature therefore have their roots in Germanic pagan cosmology and mythology.
Old English poetry often expresses a sense of wonder and mystery at natural phenomena like the rainbow. This is evident in the vivid, imaginative language used to describe them. Let’s look at some key Old English terms for rainbows and their backstories.
heofonboga
One of the most common Old English words for a rainbow was heofonboga. This compound word combines heofon meaning “heaven” and boga meaning “bow” or “arch”. So the literal meaning is “heaven’s bow” or “heaven’s arch”.
This reflects the early Germanic belief that the rainbow was quite literally a bow wielded by a sky god. The Old Norse god Thor was said to generate lightning and thunder by throwing his hammer Mjolnir. And rainbows were understood in similar terms, as a bow loosed across the heavens.
The word heofonboga appears in a number of Old English poems, including the 8th century epic Beowulf:
ond syððan wæs Hroðgares
heofonboga hornum trum,
se ðone welan ond þæs woruldgesceaft
wideferhþ wereda cynig.
Roughly translated: “and afterwards arching over Hroðgar’s helm was the rainbow, that wellbeing and worldly craft widely guards, king of hosts”.
Here the rainbow becomes a guardian bow over the helm of the Danish king Hroðgar, symbolizing protection and good fortune. This reflects the dual role of the sky god in Germanic mythology as both a force of destruction with the storm-hammer but also a bringer of providence with the rainbow-bow.
regnboga
A related Old English term for rainbow is regnboga, combining regn meaning “rain” and boga again for “bow” or “arch”. So this can be translated as “rainbow” or “rain arch”.
While heofonboga emphasizes the celestial abode of the rainbow, regnboga focuses more directly on the association with rainfall. This neatly encapsulates the changing understanding of rainbows – from a sign of the gods to a natural phenomenon linked with weather.
The term regnboga appears in the Old English translation of the biblical Book of Genesis, which was originally written in Hebrew:
Ic sette minne boge on þam wolcnum; se byð regnboga betwyx me and eow.
In Modern English: “I set my bow in the clouds; it shall be a rainbow between me and you.”
So here the biblical tradition assimilates the rainbow as a symbol of God’s covenant with Noah after the Flood. But the Old English vocabulary preserves an echo of the older pagan mythology of the rainbow as a divine weapon.
wonboga
This more mystical Old English term incorporates won meaning “joy” or “delight”. So wonboga implies a rainbow is something joyful and wondrous, evoking happiness and awe.
This reflects a key feature of Old English poetry – using inventive kennings to create vivid, celebratory descriptions of nature. The brief candle-lit life of a butterfly becomes “bold adornment of summer, hue of the air” and the sea is “whale-road” and “swan-road”.
In this spirit, the rainbow becomes “joy bow” – a shining symbol of beauty. This sense of wonder at the natural world is also evident in the Old English poem Christ by Cynewulf. It describes “the most beauteous wonboga” heralding a radiant dawn.
faegerbowe
Similar to wonboga, this Old English term incorporates faeger meaning “fair” or “beautiful”. So faegerbowe captures a sense of the rainbow’s aesthetic splendor and brilliance.
It appears in the Old English translation of the poetry of Boethius, a 6th century Roman philosopher. His work was translated into Old English by King Alfred the Great as he revived English culture during the 9th century:
Se sunnan beorht and se mona glaed,
ealle oþre steorran and faegerbowe
In Modern English: “The brightness of the sun and gleam of the moon, all the other stars and beautiful rainbow.”
Here the rainbow takes its place alongside other celestial marvels like sun and moon, as part of the pageantry of creation. The Old English vocabulary reflects both a fear of the unknown and a celebration of nature’s sublime beauty.
Common Themes in Old English Rainbow Words
We can draw out some key themes that emerge from the origins of these Old English rainbow terms:
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Divine bow | A sign from the gods like Thor’s storm-hammer |
| Weather phenomenon | An arch formed by rain and sunlight |
| Covenant symbol | God’s promise after the Flood in Genesis |
| Joy and beauty | Wondrous splendor inspiring awe and delight |
The rainbow encapsulates mankind’s evolving relationship with the natural world – from mysterious divine portent to observable scientific phenomena; from symbol of destruction to covenant of hope. These varied facets are all crystallized in the vocabulary of Old English.
Bridging from Ancient to Modern
While Old English is now a dead language, we can see echoes of its ancient words in our modern vocabulary. The root boga for “bow” or “arc” survives in terms like elbow and bowstring describing curved or jointed objects. Regn appears in regnal for a monarch’s reign or period of rule.
And heofon transformed into heaven, retaining a sense of the skies and firmament. Tracing these linguistic relics gives insight into the long evolution of ideas that shaped English culture. The Germanic taste for word-play and riddling kennings also influenced later literary traditions.
Modern English retains its own rich vocabulary for rainbows, with loan words like iridescent from Latin and nuanced terms like prismatic, spectral, and chromatic. But the foundations were laid in Old English, combining myth and metaphor to capture mankind’s wonder beneath the multi-hued arch of a rainbow.
Conclusion
The vocabulary of Old English reveals much about early Anglo-Saxon customs, beliefs and creativity. Their words for rainbows synthesise mythology, religion and poetry with astute observation of the natural world. Tracing the lineage of these terms gives insight into the origins and evolution of the English language. And exploring this linguistic legacy can also remind us to keep cultivating a spirit of joy and curiosity towards life’s colorful mysteries.
