Some starting points for new learners...

http://notendur.hi.is/haukurth/norse/ - A wonderful free online beginner's course.

http://hem.passagen.se/peter9/gram/ - Very valuable for grammar and vocabulary.

http://www.snerpa.is/net/ - Many original Old Norse texts.

http://www.alarichall.org.uk/teaching/Alaric%27s%20magic%20sheet.pdf - Most useful for grammar.

http://www.wiktionary.org/ - Useful for finding modern Icelandic/Faroese/Norwegian words.


Anyone who knows more useful sites, feel free to share.

I have a better site for finding Faroese words. Wiktionary can only show you how to use them. It won't translate words.

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Faroese/

you can look up english words here in Faroese (and probably Icelandic and such) quite well. Then, if you are unsure how to use them, check on wiktionary.

There was the ultimate source for learning Old Norse... Zoega's dictionary... unfortunately the website I found it on took it down...

But I found it again on Google Books!

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lIeDbGjNrtwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=concise+dictionary+of+old+icelandic&hl=en&ei=FbNdTJuJPNmQ4gaJ3tGgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

"Search in this book" it says... and indeed you can... looking up words in both old norse and english (but bear in mind it is an Old Norse to English dictionary... so it's not as easy to find what you're looking for if you're trying to go English to Norse.

However, I am fixing that... as I have undertaken the mammoth task of writing an English to New Old Norse dictionary.
With black entries for words that are indeed Old Norse... and red entries for those modern words that I have put in myself. The words you wouldn't find in any sagas. Words for 'car' 'personal computer' 'MILF' etc.

Wish me luck... I've done 442 entries already!

Sveinn wrote:

There was the ultimate source for learning Old Norse... Zoega's dictionary... unfortunately the website I found it on took it down...

But I found it again on Google Books!

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lIeDbGjNrtwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=concise+dictionary+of+old+icelandic&hl=en&ei=FbNdTJuJPNmQ4gaJ3tGgBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

"Search in this book" it says... and indeed you can... looking up words in both old norse and english (but bear in mind it is an Old Norse to English dictionary... so it's not as easy to find what you're looking for if you're trying to go English to Norse.

However, I am fixing that... as I have undertaken the mammoth task of writing an English to New Old Norse dictionary.
With black entries for words that are indeed Old Norse... and red entries for those modern words that I have put in myself. The words you wouldn't find in any sagas. Words for 'car' 'personal computer' 'MILF' etc.

Wish me luck... I've done 442 entries already!

I have managed to get a word document of the zoega dictionary... it's not perfect but it is still your best alternative to actually having the book in your hands with the added help of being able to search through it automatically. It can possibly serve as an English - Old Norse dictionary if you search for English words. Just to keep you going until I finish my English to Old Norse dictionary. If anyone wants a copy just give me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you.

Here are some of the sources I found helpful:

Zoega's Dictionary-
http://norse.ulver.com/dct/zoega/index.html
However, when Zoega offers no help, Cleasby's can be invaluable:
http://norse.ulver.com/dct/cleasby/index.html
If you browse through that site, you'll find plenty of sagas in Old Norse and, from the looks of it, Russian (maybe Old Norse with Cyrillic letters? I can't tell.)

Heimskringla has plenty of Old Norse texts, along with some in Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, and Swedish:
http://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Main_Page

Often when there is a difficult conjugation to a word, a glossary will help me decipher it:
http://fornrit.net/vs/vsglos.htm

And, if you've either knowledge of Danish, or access to a very good Danish-English dictionary, this is invaluable for poetry:
http://www.septentrionalia.net/lex/index.php

That's absolutely great Bergrisi, thank you.

I have recently found a good online Zoëga that isn't in Russian.

http://www.alfaleith.org/reading/zoega/index002.php
http://www.alfaleith.org/reading/vigfusson/index002.php