15.12.2008.

Apollonius of Tyre
fringa r ode in s cynges iunge dohtor ond cyste hyre fder ond ymbsittendan. ho becm to Apollonio, gewnde ho ongan t hire fder ond cw: gda cyningc ond mn se lofosta fder, hwt is es iunga man e ongan on sw wurlcum setle sit mid srlcum andwlitan? Nt ic hwt he besorga. cw se cyningc: Lofe dohtor, es iunga man is forliden; ond h gecwmde m manna betst on m plegan, form ic hine gelaode t ysum rum geborscipe. Nt ic hwt he is ne hwanon h is; ac gif wille witan hwt h s , axsa hine, form gedafena t wite. ode t mden t Apollonio ond mid forwandigendre sprce cw: ah stille s ond unrt, ah ic ine elborennese on geso. N onne, gif t hefig ne ince, sege me ne naman ond n gelymp rece m. cw Apollonius: Gif for neode xsast after mnum naman, ic secge ic hine forlas on s ; gif wilt mine elborennese witan, wite t ic hig forlt on Tharsum. t mden cw: Sege m gewislcor, t ic hit mge understandan. Apollonius slce hyre rehte ealle his gelymp, ond t re spr ce ende him follon taras of m egum. Midye s cingc t geseah, h bewnde hine t re dohtor ond cw: Lofe dohtor, ht feccan ne hearpan, ond gecg t ne fr nd, ond firsa fram am iungan his srnesse. Then suddenly there went in kings young daughter and kissed her father and people sitting around. Then she approached to Apollonius, then she turned towards her father, and said: "You good king, and my dearest father, who is this young man, who sits opposite to you on such honourable seat, with such a sad expression? I do not know what he worries about." Then said the king: "Dear daughter, this young man has been shipwrecked, and he of all men pleased me best at the party (tournament), therefore I invited him to our party of honour. I dont know who he is, nor where he is from; but if you would like to know who he is, ask him, because it is appropriate for you to know." Then the girl approached Apollonius, and said respectfully: "Although you are quiet and sad, I still see your nobility in you. Now, then, if it doesnt seem too difficult to you, tell me your name and tell me about your misfortune." Then said Apollonius: "If you have a need to know my name, I tell you that I lost it at sea; if you want to know about my noble origin, you should know that I lost it at Tharsus." The girl said, "Tell me more honestly (truthfully/clearly), so that I could understand." Then Apollonius told her truthfully all about his misfortune, and at the end of this speech he began to cry (tears fell from his eyes). As soon as the king saw that, he turned towards his daughter and said: Dear daughter, have your heart fetched and join your friend and remove the sadness from this young man.

In most versions, the eponymous hero is hunted and persecuted after he reveals a king's incestuous relationship with his daughter. After many travels and adventures, in which Apollonius loses both his wife and his daughter and thinks them both dead, he is eventually reunited with his family through unlikely circumstances or intercession by gods. The major themes are the punishment of inappropriate lustthe incestuous king invariably comes to a bad endand the ultimate rewards of love and fidelity.

16.12.2008. The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan

Ohthere sde his hlforde, lfrede cyninge, t h ealra Normonna normest bde. H cw t h bde on m lande norweardum wi Wests. H sde ah t land se swe lang nor onan; ac hit is eal wste, bton on fawum stwum styccem lum wcia Finnas, on huntoe on wintra, ond on sumera on fiscae be re s. H sde t h t sumum cirre wolde fandian h longe t land noryhte l ge, oe hwer nig mon be noran m wstenne bde. Ohthere said to his lord, Alfred the king, that he lived furthest to the north of the Northsmen. He said that he dwelt northward on the land by the west sea. He said that the land is very long to the north from that point. But, it is all wasteland, except at a few places where here and there lived Finns, hunting in winter and fishing in summer by the sea. He said that he sometimes wanted to find out how long that land laid to the north, or whether anyone lived to the north of that wasteland.