Skol!

We are using Viking words daily and didn’t even know it: 12 examples

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The English language has adopted words from multiple other languages into its daily lexicon, and Norse is not an exception. Many terms that we use every day come from very similar-sounding counterparts from our Scandinavian friends. The following 12 examples range from the obvious to the surprising ones. Which ones did you already know about?

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Once you see this one, it becomes almost impossible to unsee it: the word used to define the fourth day of the work week, Thursday, has a Norse origin, meaning "Thor’s day."

Image: REGINE THOLEN

In today's world, we usually associate the word "club" with more civilized instruments, like a golf club. But in its origin, the word was associated with heavy things used as beating weapons, a Viking specialty. The word club came from the Old Norse word of the same meaning, "klubba".

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Unsurprisingly, another word that the Vikings gave us is the one used to describe the action of going through a place, stealing things, and causing damage: ransack. This word originates from the Old Norse term "rannsaka".

Image: Luke Jones

A common geographical landscape in England and Scandinavian countries is that shallow water bog with vegetation on its shores. The English word for mire comes from the Old Norse word "myrr".

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The action of throwing an object into the distance is as old as mankind, but the word that the English language uses to describe it stems from the Old Norse word "kasta".

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The word used to describe the action of clipping something, usually with scissors, also has a Norse origin in the word "klippa".

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Violent words are not the only word legacy from the Vikings: the word glitter, used to describe those shiny particles ubiquitous at parties everywhere, comes from the old Norse word "glitra".

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Bags have been around for quite a long time now, but still, the word that the English language has settled on comes from the Old Norse word "baggin".

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While the cakes from centuries past were probably not as decadent and spectacular as their modern equivalents, they still existed. The English word cake originated from the Old Norse word of the same meaning, "kaka".

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A fellow is a person in the same position, involved in the same activity, or otherwise associated with another individual. This household word comes from the Old Norse word "felagi".

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Whether it is justified or not, anger is a feeling that is easy to associate with Vikings, especially because of their cultural depictions and stereotypes. The word anger itself can be traced to the Old Norse word "angr".

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The last entry on our list is the one that describes a married man considered in relation to his spouse. This word originated in a very similar-sounding Norse word: "husbondi".

Stick to the beat

"Every breath you take" and 12 other songs that can save lives

When someone needs CPR, rhythm matters. A steady beat between 100 and 120 BPM (beats per minute) helps keep compressions at the right pace. Many people remember that the Bee Gees’ hit "Stayin’ Alive" is one of those anthems that lives in that sweet BPM spot. But here is a list of 11 songs that are iconic, catchy, and, yes, can help save a life.

This is the CPR anthem for a reason. Not only does the beat sit perfectly in the recommended range per the American Heart Association (100-120 bpm), but the song actually became part of CPR training after doctors realized its tempo matched ideal compressions per minute.

Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb wrote "Stayin' Alive" in a matter of days. The song was written in 1977 specifically for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and the Bee Gees wrote a total of four tracks for the film. It hit number one around the world and has never really left. But its second life as a CPR tool may be its greatest legacy.

This 80s anthem became one of the most played songs in radio history. Its minimalist guitar pattern and calm, deliberate tempo make it especially easy to follow during CPR; steady, predictable, unhurried.

Author Sting, who composed it while on holiday in Jamaica in 1982, says that he woke up one night with the first three lines in his mind and sat down at the piano to write it; half an hour later, the best-selling single of 1983 was finished. It has been called "the most played song in radio history."

"Respect" was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, released in 1965 as a single.

When Aretha Franklin reimagined it, she showed up at the New York studio with the arrangement worked out in her head, including the iconic spelling of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, which she developed with her sisters Carolyn and Erma.

When her version was released in 1967, it was a statement of independence. It topped the Billboard charts and won Franklin two Grammy Awards. But perhaps its biggest pride was being ranked number one in the 2021 Rolling Stone list of "Greatest Songs of All Time."

A beat that can save lives, or at the very least have everyone nodding along. Bassist John Deacon came up with that iconic bass line after getting inspired by funk and disco, especially the band Chic’s "Good Times." The groove was so good that Michael Jackson approached Queen and said to them, "You guys are mad if you don't release it as a single." The band wasn’t convinced, but followed the advice.

Michael Jackson was right. The song became Queen's best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies, and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for almost a year. Silvester Stallone, creator and star of Rocky, wanted to use the song in the first installment of the boxer’s movie. The band declined, and he turned to Survivor, who created "Eye of the Tiger."

When Gloria Gaynor recorded this anthem, she was wearing a back brace from her hips to her underarms. She had suffered a serious fall on stage in New York, had undergone spinal surgery, and was recovering.

But producers Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris insisted that this new song be recorded. It was released in 1978 and quickly became people’s favorite. Gaynor later said that when she sang "I will survive," she was thinking about surviving her surgery. This song is a universal anthem of resilience and empowerment; It’s only proper that we should remember that it can help others survive, too!

In 1982, Queen rejected Sylvester Stallone’s request to use "Another One Bites the Dust" for Rocky III. So the star called Survivor’s songwriters Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan, who sat down to record a demo for him.

Stallone liked the demo very much that he used that very version in the film, without waiting for the studio re-recording. This song is now synonymous with motivation and dedication. That punchy opening guitar riff is one of the most famous intros in rock.

Michael Jackson didn't write this one. It was written by singer Siedah Garrett and composer Glen Ballard, after Quincy Jones invited a group of songwriters to his home and told them simply: "I just want hits."

It peaked at No. 1 in 1988 and remains one of Jackson’s most socially conscious recordings. The slow and steady tempo is right at the bottom of CPR’s rhythm sweet spot.

You can dance, you can jive… And, yes, you can use it to keep your tempo. ABBA’s only No. 1 hit in the United States, and arguably the happiest three minutes in ’70s pop. The group reportedly knew it was special the moment they recorded it.

"Dancing Queen" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who originally titled it "Boogaloo." ABBA performed the song in 1976 in a televised gala celebrating the wedding of the Swedish King and Queen, the night before their actual wedding. It very quickly became the group’s biggest international hit.

Fun fact: this was originally written by a Philadelphia musician named Robert Hazard in 1979. So, it was sung from a male perspective, explaining to his parents why girls just wanted to have fun.

When producers brought the song to Cindy Lauper, however, she found the original lyrics unacceptable: she agreed to rewrite it into a feminist party anthem. The result became one of the defining songs of the 1980s. Today, Cindy Lauper’s classic is high-energy, bright, and reliable, another well-known song to give CPR to, right at the top of the ideal range at 120 BPM.

This song was born as a direct response to Neil Young's songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama," which Ronnie Van Zant felt unfairly painted the entire South as racist. It was published in 1974 and became the band’s highest-charting single. Young later said that he respected the shot the band had thrown at him, because he later found his own song "Alabama" condescending and accusatory.

Through the years, "Sweet Home Alabama" became a stadium staple, a movie soundtrack regular, and a symbol of classic Southern rock. Plus, now you know that that strong mid-tempo groove is a CPR metronome in disguise.

Craig Reid, who wrote the song in the 80s, said about it, "I knew it was a good song, maybe even a single, but I had no idea how popular it would become." For some years, it had modest success in the UK. Then, it appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 Johnny Depp film Benny & Joon, which skyrocketed its fame.

The march-like beat at 116 BPM is practically designed to keep you on pace, which, when you're performing CPR, is exactly what you need.