The greeting above is in a Germanic tongue that is about 1,000 years old, but no Angle, Saxon, Jute, etc, would have been found using it. It is Yiddish, mame-loshen, the language of East-European Jewry. Why Godwinson? Astrid's 21st century alter ego lives on the Kent coast. Just a few miles out to sea lie the notorious Goodwin Sands, a series of shoals and sandbanks that has claimed many lives and ships. In the summer they run trips out to the sands, and people picnic and play cricket there until the tide rises (nowt so queer as folk). 'Twas not ever thus. These were not always barren sands. They are named for Earl Godwin (aha!) who used to pasture his sheep on the island of Lomea that once rose green and fertile (presumably, or the sheep wouldn't have been kept there) from the briny deep. One day late in the eleventh century, in a catastrophe to rival the drowning of Atlantis, the island disappeared forever beneath the waves, and the price of lamb and mutton went up. Incidentally, my forename is not Anglo-Saxon but Earl Godwin was a great supporter of the Danish king Knud (or Canute). My interests are linguistic: I've dabbled in Old English/Anglo-Saxon, and have just started learning Finnish; mythological; literary (isn't Beowulf the greatest?); historical. In other words this site will be something of a mish mash (as we say in a later Germanic tongue *S*). I suppose 'eclectic' might be the best word to describe these halls. I know the 'interests' bit is supposed to go in my Library, but I have't unpacked in there or decorated yet. It's a real mess — please don't go in there. As you wander through my house you will discover places that serve as my homebase for certain activities. In the Courtyard I conduct my social activities here at AncientWorlds and in Germania. My Library is for my historical and academic pursuits. Finally, in my Study you will find my game playing scores, statistics and artifacts. Thanks for visiting my home! Free script for neon letters provided by JavaScript Kit