21 Astonishing Insults from the Viking Age

Since the dawn of language, humans have wielded words as weapons. From the biting insults hurled in Roman orations to the fiery exchanges in today’s political arenas, offensive language has a vibrant and storied past. This was especially true in Viking-age Scandinavia, where verbal sparring reached an art form.

The Vikings communicated in Old Norse, an ancient Northern Germanic language closely related to English. This language originated in Scandinavia approximately a millennium ago, aligning with the Viking Age’s onset, and later spread across Norse-dominated regions. It reached as far as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, the British Isles, Ireland, and parts of coastal France. Old Norse was a multifaceted language with diverse dialects and a rich literary tradition, preserved in numerous prose and poetic works. Within these texts, scholars have discovered a fascinating array of Viking-era insults, some of which are highlighted here.

1. Amlóði

Amlóði essentially referred to a fool in Norse—or, more precisely, someone too feeble or inept to fulfill their duties. This term also gave rise to the Norse name Amleth, which, according to one theory, evolved into the name Hamlet. Some even speculate that Shakespeare drew inspiration from a Scandinavian legend about a prince named Amleth, who feigned madness to avenge his uncle’s treachery.

2. Argr

In Old Norse, argr functioned as an adjective meaning “weak” or “effeminate,” but it also became a noun describing a cowardly or despicable individual.

3. Eldhús-fífl

The term eldhús referred to a kitchen, banquet hall, or any sizable room with a fireplace. Thus, an eldhús-fífl was essentially a “fireside fool”—someone who wasted their days idly sitting by the fire.

4. Frunti

Likely connected to the Scots word frunty, meaning “bold,” a frunti in Viking terms described someone who was impolite and overly forward.

5. Geit

In Old Norse, geit was the term for a female goat, but it also served as an insult for someone lacking courage or strength.

6. Grybba 

A derogatory term aimed at women, meaning “ugly hag.”

7., 8., and 9. Hórbarn, Hórkarl, and Hórkerling

The Viking term hór is thought to share roots with its English counterpart, making hórbarn a child born out of adultery. Similarly, hórkarl referred to an unfaithful man, while hórkerling was defined as “a promiscuous woman.”

10. Hrímaldi

Hrím in Old Norse described both frost and the soot that gathers on kettles. Thus, Hrímaldi was used to describe a lazy individual—someone who preferred lounging by the fire over being productive.

11. Hrísungr

Originating from a Norse term for scrubland or undergrowth, hrísungr served both as a legal designation for an illegitimate child and as a general insult for someone of questionable lineage.

12. Hrotti 

Hrotti originally meant a sword in Old Norse, but the Vikings repurposed it as an insult to describe a rough or uncouth man. The term persists in modern Icelandic as a word for a brutish person.

13. Mátviss

Using mátviss to describe someone suggested they were greedy or overly eager for gain—literally translating to “meat-scenting.”

14. Níðingr

Níðingr (related to the old English term nithing, meaning “a despicable person”) was a Viking term for a dishonorable rogue. It stems from níð, which means “slander” or “shame.”

15. Sauðbítr

A general insult meaning “sheep-biter,” referring to a dog that harasses sheep.

16. Skröggsligr

Related to the English word scraggy, the Norse term skröggr was a nickname for a fox. This led to the adjective skröggsligr, meaning “scrag-like,” used to describe someone or something that looked “thin, bony, and unattractive.”

17. Slyðra

The term slyðra in Norse described a soggy, messy lump of something—or was used as an insult for someone who appeared disheveled and unkempt.

18. Snápr

Related to the modern term snob, snápr was a Viking word for either a fool or a fraud—essentially, someone who was foolish or unreliable.

19. Trolshamber

The term trolshamber was a distinctly female insult in Old Norse, literally meaning “someone disguised as a hobgoblin.”

20. Tuddi

The word tuddi, which literally means “a bull,” was also used by early Norse Icelanders to describe someone who was cruel or miserly.

21. Vargdropi 

In Old Norse, vargdropi was a general insult but specifically referred to a child born during its father’s outlawry (literally meaning “wolf droppings”). Such a child was also called a rishofþe, or “scrubling,” likely alluding to being conceived in the wild on a bed of scrubland.