h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very interesting.

I wonder whether places and regions on the continent where Anglo-Saxon languages/dialects came from could be described more precisely.

What is the oldest text written in Anglo-Saxon? Where is it found?

The Angles and Saxons appear to have come from the area in modern Germany called Schleswig. This is just south of Denmark. The Jutes probably came from Jutland which is the mainland part of Denmark. So all three tribes came from a very small area on the Danish/German border.

I think the oldest prose text is something written for King Alfred, who collected a lot of manuscripts in Latin and Greek. This is the first line of something called "Otheres voyages" which was an account of the journeys round the north by a seaman called (?) Arthur: "Othere taelde his hlaforde Aelfred kyning thaet he of ealle menne tha northmost bude" The only word not existing in modern English is the last - the past tense of bide (to live).
Some poetry is supposedly older. (?) The tale of Cadmon, and I much prefer The Battle of Maldon to Beowulf.

It was Star's inclusion of that sentence in a conversation we were having that persuaded me to study Anglo-Saxon and to write this entry.

I love languages and I think it's great that people keep these old languages going. I like to understand how words are made up, what their origins are, etc. and it helps to learn other languages as well.

I have the 'Riming Poem' in Old English,
I would very much like to find a translation
in Modern English. Can anyone help, please.

I probably don't know enough Anglo-Saxon to translate it myself. I suggest you:

1) post the text of the Riming Poem here. It should be out of copyright by now!

2) post a message on Anhaga's page asking him to have a look. I know he has studied Anglo-Saxon.

It is possibly that the Angles also reached up into southern Sweden as the Danes are newer tribe comprised of older tribes.

Reference: 'Barbarian Europe' by Philip Dixon. Brilliant book.

"Me lifes onlah
ond þæt torhte geteoh,
Glæd wæs ic gliwum,
blissa bleoum,
se þis leoht onwrah,
tillice onwrah.
glenged hiwum, blostma hiwum."

Best I can do is:

"My(?) life permit(?)
and that bright matter,
Glad was I playing (? Gliw = play, gliwian = make merry),
bliss (happiness) forms,
this light onwrah(?),
lice (tillic - lice) onwrah.
Splended forms, blossom forms."