Neorxnawang facts for kids
Neorxnawang (sometimes spelled Neorxenawang or Neorxnawong) is an old word from Old English. This language was spoken in England many centuries ago. The word was used to describe a place similar to what Christians call paradise. It's thought to mean a "heavenly meadow" or a place where there are no worries or hard work.
What is Neorxnawang?
Neorxnawang was a way for people in Anglo-Saxon literature to talk about a perfect, happy place. Scholars believe this idea might have come from Germanic mythology. This is a collection of old stories and beliefs from Germanic peoples. In these stories, Neorxnawang was a beautiful, peaceful land. It was a place where people didn't have to work hard or feel stressed.
Where Does the Word Come From?
The word Neorxnawang has two main parts. The second part, -wang, is pretty clear. It means 'field' or 'meadow'. You can see a similar word, waggs, used for 'paradise' in the Gothic language.
However, the first part of the word, neorxena-, is a bit of a mystery! Experts have tried many times to figure out what it means, but they haven't all agreed.
What Scholars Think
Some scholars, like Rudolf Simek, think Neorxnawang might have been an old Proto-Germanic word. This means it could be from a very early form of Germanic languages. He suggests it might have meant something like 'Asgard' or 'Other World'. This is because even the Christian writers who used the word seemed a little unsure about its exact meaning.
It also sounds a bit like other special places in North Germanic languages. For example, Iðavöllr might mean 'field of activity' or 'the continually renewing field'. Another similar place is Glæsisvellir, which means 'the shining fields'. These are all ideas of wonderful, mythical places.
In the late 1800s, a scholar named James Bright had a different idea. He thought neorxena- might come from the Old English phrase ne wyrcan. This phrase means 'no working'. This would fit well with the idea of a place without toil or worries.
More recently, in 2012, Joseph S. Hopkins and Haukur Þorgeirsson suggested a link to the Old Norse word Fólkvangr. This is an afterlife location in Norse mythology watched over by the goddess Freyja. They believe many Germanic words for the afterlife, including Neorxnawang, might come from an old idea of a '*wangaz* of the dead' in ancient Germanic myths. This suggests a common idea of a special 'field' or 'meadow' where people went after life.
See also
- Muspilli, an Old High German poem that mixes old pagan ideas with Christian ones
- Þrúðvangr, a field connected to the god Thor in Norse mythology
