Old Norse Grammar

Learning Old Norse grammar is undeniably tough for modern English speakers, due to it being a highly inflected language with a much greater number of inflectional endings (and a less rigid order of words in a sentence). However, there are lots of resources available to help with learning Old Norse grammar, and we present a number of them below.

Old Norse-Icelandic Grammar: A basic course

Old Norse-Icelandic Grammar: A Basic Course

(c) Judith Jesch and Jayne Carroll

Old Norse-Icelandic Grammar: A Basic Course


This course book, produced by Jayne Carroll and Judith Jesch, is used by students of Old Norse at the University of Nottingham, and provides an excellent introduction to the subject for undergraduates and postgraduates coming to the language for the first time. It includes a short introduction to the language, its sources, written conventions and pronunciation, and includes useful colour-coding of inflection patterns.  

Alaric's Magic Sheet of Old Norse Paradigms (Hyperlink)

Magic Sheet of Old Norse Paradigms

(c) Alaric Hall

Alaric's Old Norse Magic Sheet


One of the most useful references for Old Norse grammar and paradigms is Alaric Hall's Old Norse Magic Sheet, which can be downloaded from his website here. Learning the grammar of an inflected language can be tough, so it is very handy to have the most important grammar represented on a single sheet for consultation when translating. Alaric has also produced several YouTube videos structured around the magic sheet, and effectively introducting the basics of Old Norse grammar.

Lecture Slides: Introduction to Old Norse (Language)

Introduction to Old Norse Slides

Anonymous Contribution

Introduction to Old Norse


The World-Tree Project was very grateful to receive this contribution: a series of lecture slides on Old Norse language produced for a course the contributor had run in the past. There are three lectures in total, dealing with Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives; Numerals, Adverbs, and Verbs; and Prepositions and Conjunctions, followed by a translation exercise.

A New Introduction to Old Norse (Grammar, Reader and Glossary) (Hyperlink)

A New Introduction to Old Norse

(c) Michael Barnes / VSNR

'A New Introduction to Old Norse: Part 1 - Grammar'


A New Introduction to Old Norse is a three volume series incorporating a Grammar by Michael Barnes (linked to here), a Reader and a Glossary. A New Introduction is published by the Viking Society for Norther Research, which leads the way in making its well-respected publications freely available online. The Grammar is one of the most comprehensive accounts of the language published to date, and though not as accessible as some of the resources in this list, is an excellent reference book for students and for instructors.