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afro-elf
12-06-2002, 12:10 AM
Check out this Old English poem and see if you guess what it has become today. The answer is at the bottom

Incipit gestis Rudolphi rangifer tarandus

Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor --
Næfde þæt nieten unsciende næsðyrlas!
Glitenode and gladode godlice nosgrisele.
Ða hofberendas mid huscwordum hine gehefigodon;
Nolden þa geneatas Hrodulf næftig
To gomene hraniscum geador ætsomne.
Þa in Cristesmæsseæfne stormigum clommum,
Halga Claus þæt gemunde to him maðelode:
"Neahfreond nihteage nosubeorhtende!
Min hroden hrædwæn gelæd ðu, Hrodulf!"
Ða gelufodon hira laddeor þa lyftflogan --
Wæs glædnes and gliwdream; hornede sum gegieddode
"Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor,
Brad springð þin blæd: breme eart þu!"


Hrodulf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Modern English translation)
Here begins the deeds of Rudolph, Tundra-Wanderer

Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer --
That beast didn't have unshiny nostrils!
The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed.
The hoof-bearers taunted him with proud words;
The comrades wouldn't allow wretched Hrodulf
To join the reindeer games.
Then, on Christmas Eve bound in storms
Santa Claus remembered that, spoke formally to him:
"Dear night-sighted friend, nose-bright one!
You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
Then the sky-flyers praised their lead-deer --
There was gladness and music; one of the horned ones sang
"Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer,
Your fame spreads broadly, you are renowned!"

and as we know it today
Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer

Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer
used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rudolf
play in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say:
"Rudolf with your nose so bright,
won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him
as they shouted out with glee:
"Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer,
you'll go down in history!"
Nibs
12-06-2002, 12:38 AM
Whoah. Flashback.

First grade, little green tights... a dark crimson and forest-green day with bells and sugar cookies in the life of this Elf Lord.

Luckily, I don't think any pictures exist of the incident. You didn't read this post.
Nibs
12-06-2002, 01:05 AM
Besides that, it is interesting... did you get it at first, afro-elf? I didn't, and I feel like banging my head on the keyboard after missing "Rudolphi" and other giveaways.
Elf.Freak
12-06-2002, 12:34 PM
i agree, that IS old!
Khamûl
12-06-2002, 05:48 PM
I got it, but I think that's a (rather good) hoax. According to various sources, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written in 1949 by Johnny Marks. Someone sure took a lot of time to figure all that out in Old English.
Elfhelm
12-06-2002, 05:56 PM
Happy Hagla Claus Day! Hwaet!

Not sure but it looks more like pidgin OE.
afro-elf
12-06-2002, 10:16 PM
Originally posted by Khamûl
I got it, but I think that's a (rather good) hoax. According to various sources, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written in 1949 by Johnny Marks. Someone sure took a lot of time to figure all that out in Old English.


The SONG that we sing is from 49 but the tale is older
BeardofPants
12-06-2002, 11:50 PM
So where are your sources then, A-E? I'm rather doubtful myself.
Shadowfax
12-07-2002, 12:21 PM
Yeah, let's see some proof that the story's that old...I personally doubt it but, hey...
Blackboar
12-07-2002, 05:56 PM
um wow

I don't know what to say!
galadriel
12-07-2002, 11:14 PM
Cute....

Unfortunately, my head is full of useless information. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written in the 20th century as a department store advertisement, I think.
Nibs
12-07-2002, 11:30 PM
A couple of interesting sites from a quick search:

http://clemsonews.clemson.edu/WWW_releases/1997/november1997/Fakelore_or_Folklore.html

http://www.christmaspast.info/stories/realstory/rudolf.html

And by "interesting", I mean freakin' weird... where do they get the time for this? Then again, where do I get the time for this?
afro-elf
12-08-2002, 12:56 AM
Recant

It was an Old English translation similar to the Latin for All occasions
Nibs
12-08-2002, 01:17 AM
Originally posted by afro-elf
It was an Old English translation similar to the Latin for All occasions
...meaning...?
Nibs
12-08-2002, 10:42 AM
It's not real? Well, I still like the line

"You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
afro-elf
12-08-2002, 07:07 PM
Yeah, someone just translated it into O.E.
jerseydevil
12-09-2002, 12:03 PM
Originally posted by afro-elf
Yeah, someone just translated it into O.E.
I was going to say - considering that it mentions Santa Claus and he wasn't around back then either.

I got it from the Old English title - "Incipit gestis Rudolphi rangifer tarandus"
afro-elf
12-09-2002, 07:34 PM
was going to say - considering that it mentions Santa Claus and he wasn't around back then either.

I was thinking that they just used Santa Claus instead of saint Nicholas.
Khamûl
12-09-2002, 11:16 PM
Originally posted by afro-elf
Hwæt, Isn't that the first word of Beowulf in Old English?
jerseydevil
12-11-2002, 10:49 PM
Originally posted by afro-elf
I was thinking that they just used Santa Claus instead of saint Nicholas.

But even Saint Nicholas doesn't fall in Old English timeframe. -

I guess he was around at that time - there are so many Saint Nicholas' in the Catholic Church - Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (http://www.saint-nick.com/santa/santa01.html). He was around in 280AD. It's still way before the north pole, gift giving and all that got associated with his name though.

The gift giving is associated with this saint - Saint Nicholas, Gift-Bearer to Europeans (http://www.saint-nick.com/santa/santa02.html)

During the years between my death and the twelfth century I was loved by many Europeans, but not as the gift-bearer that I have become. I was hailed as a "Miracle Maker", as the Russians called me. It was not until the 1300s in France that I began giving gifts. It was then that the modern myths about me began.
afro-elf
12-11-2002, 11:56 PM
Thanks for the info

my point was valid but unsound.

In the sense that since he PRE-dated the Rohrrim..err Anglo-Saxons that his legend COULD have fit the time frame.

But as stated the info you provided cleared up the issue.
jerseydevil
12-12-2002, 12:02 AM
Originally posted by afro-elf
Thanks for the info

my point was valid but unsound.

In the sense that since he PRE-dated the Rohrrim..err Anglo-Saxons that his legend COULD have fit the time frame.

But as stated the info you provided cleared up the issue.
It was valid - just my computer logic was coming out.