When we think of expressing love in the modern sense – the direct, unambiguous “I love you” – our minds rarely drift back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Old English literature, often characterized by its tales of heroic warriors, epic battles, and profound melancholy, might seem an unlikely place to find tender sentiments. Some might even argue that the concept of “romance” as we know it was largely absent. Yet, while a single, universally applicable phrase equivalent to “I love you” might not readily leap from the surviving texts, the Anglo-Saxons certainly possessed and expressed deep feelings of love, loyalty, and longing. To understand how love was conveyed in this ancient tongue is to delve into the heart of their society, relationships, and poetic landscape.
Instead of a simple declaration, expressing affection in Old English was often woven into descriptions of relationships, loyalty, shared bonds, and profound emotions like longað (longing). The closest and most fundamental term related to love in Old English is leof. It translates broadly to “dear,” “beloved,” or “valued.” One could address someone as leof (dear one) or describe them as leof to them, indicating they were cherished. This term underlies the very word “love” itself, which derives from the Old English lufu.
Beyond leof, the Anglo-Saxons had various ways to refer to cherished individuals and express deep connection. Terms of endearment, though not always used in contexts we’d consider purely romantic today, existed. From the poem Juliana, though spoken by unsavoury characters trying to manipulate the heroine, we find phrases like seo dyreste ond seo sweteste in sefan minum (‘the dearest and the sweetest in my soul’), minra eagna leoht (‘light of my eyes’), and min se swetesta sunnan scima (‘my sweetest sunbeam’). While the speakers’ intentions were questionable, the phrases themselves offer a glimpse into potential ways of describing a beloved person.
Describing a person’s admirable qualities could also serve as a form of expressing affection or deep respect. The heroine of Judith is famously called gleaw on geðonce, ides ælfscinu (‘clever in thought, a woman beautiful as an elf’). The term ides ælfscinu (‘elf-shining woman’) is a potent compliment, evoking otherworldly beauty. Other descriptive terms included fæger (‘fair’) and wlitig (‘beautiful’), applicable to both men and women, suggesting admiration for physical appearance or inherent radiance.
Terms denoting closeness and companionship were also significant. In poems like The Wife’s Lament and Waldere, the speaker refers to her husband or beloved as min freond or min wine. While translating literally to ‘my friend’, in the context of these poems, these terms clearly carried much deeper, more intimate connotations than the modern word “friend” might suggest.
Perhaps one of the most striking Old English endearments, found in a sermon where God addresses the Virgin Mary, is min meregrot… min eorclanstan (‘my pearl, my precious jewel’). This evokes immense value and cherishedness. Someone deeply loved could be described as lufsum (‘lovesome, lovable’) or dyre (‘dear, precious’), even potentially a deorling (‘darling’), though this latter term could sometimes carry less positive weight.
Beyond simple terms, Old English poetry and prose describe the state of love and affection through powerful imagery and emotional states. One of the most prominent is longað, a deep, often painful longing or yearning for a beloved, particularly when separated. The Wife’s Lament poignantly captures this:
Wa bið þam þe sceal
of langoþe leofes abidan.
(Grief it is for the one who must wait in longing for the beloved.)
This sense of yearning demonstrates the depth of the bond. Similarly, Beowulf describes King Hrothgar’s overwhelming affection for Beowulf as a dyrne langað (‘hidden longing’) burning intensely:
Wæs him se man to þon leof
þæt he þone breostwylm forberan ne mehte,
ac him on hreþre hygebendum fæst
æfter deorum men dyrne langað
beorn wið blode.
(To him that man was so beloved that he could not restrain the surging of his breast; in his heart, fast in the mind’s bonds, a hidden longing for the dear man burned in the blood.)
This portrays love as a powerful, almost physical force. The idea of love being fervent is echoed in terms like treowlufu, hat æt heortan (‘true love, hot in the heart’) from Christ II. These descriptions, focusing on intense internal states and physical reactions, paint a vivid picture of profound emotional attachment. Exploring these feelings can lead us to understand short deep love poems from any era.
Actions and promises were perhaps more significant expressions of love and commitment than verbal declarations. Fidelity, or treowe, was a cornerstone of many relationships, including those we might categorize as loving. In The Wife’s Lament, the speaker recalls the solemn vows exchanged:
Ful oft wit beotedan
þæt unc ne gedælde nemne deað ana,
owiht elles.
(Very often we two vowed that we would not be parted except by death alone, nothing else.)
Such vows of unwavering loyalty represent a deep and enduring love poems reflect this kind of steadfast commitment across centuries and cultures. The concept of keeping faith (wære gehealdan) was crucial, as seen in the portrait of the sailor’s wife waiting faithfully for her leof in Maxims I.
Physical tokens and gestures also played a part. Beowulf mentions a luftacen (‘token of affection’). The common pairing of verbs clyppen and cyssan (‘to embrace and to kiss’) appears frequently, describing physical expressions of closeness and affection. While the modern “hug” may be a later import, the act of embracing was certainly part of Anglo-Saxon expressions of warmth and connection.
Writing could serve as a means to declare hidden feelings, as illustrated in the prose romance Apollonius of Tyre. When Princess Arcestrate falls in love, she writes a letter expressing what she felt too much shame to say aloud, declaring it “through wax, which does not know shame.” This highlights that deep feelings existed, even if cultural norms made direct verbal expression difficult for some.
The pain caused by a loved one’s absence or inconsistent presence is also a recurring theme. In Wulf and Eadwacer, the speaker describes her “hopes of you” and “your rare visits” making her seoce (‘sick’), indicating love’s power to affect one’s physical and emotional well-being. This speaks to the intensity of these connections.
Anglo-Saxon calendar page for February, illustrating the inclusion of St Valentine's feast in the historical period.While the Anglo-Saxons recognized St. Valentine’s feast, their literature doesn’t suggest it was celebrated with the romantic traditions of later periods. Their expressions of love were perhaps less focused on courtly romance and more on fundamental bonds, loyalty, and the profound emotional impact of connection and separation. Even simple phrases or the acknowledgment of someone as leof could carry significant weight.
So, while you won’t find a simple phrase that neatly translates to “Old English I Love You” in the modern dating sense, you can find profound and varied ways the Anglo-Saxons articulated love, longing, and deep affection. From calling someone your “light of my eyes” or “precious jewel” to vowing eternal fidelity or describing the burning ache of absence, Old English literature offers rich, complex, and often moving insights into the emotional lives of our linguistic ancestors. These expressions remind us that while language and customs change, the core human experience of loving and being loved remains a timeless theme, explored beautifully, if differently, in this ancient tongue. Exploring these ancient texts provides a unique perspective on what constitutes a poem of love. The depths of human emotion, whether expressed through ancient laments or later iconic works like the raven poem in simple english, continue to resonate.
In conclusion, expressing love in Old English wasn’t about a single catchy phrase but about weaving emotion into the fabric of language, loyalty, and shared life. It relied on terms of endearment, descriptions of value and beauty, vows of fidelity, acknowledgments of deep longing, and simple descriptors like leof. Understanding this offers a more nuanced appreciation of Anglo-Saxon literature and the enduring human capacity for profound affection. If you’re looking for unique ways to express admiration, perhaps adopting an Old English endearment could be a charming approach for short poems for her or him.