Guild Wars 2

Hey all! One thing that I found during my trip to the Durmand Priory, that I thought I would share/speculate on you all… namely, that one Norn NPC speaks of a unique Norn language.

In one of the idle banters in the Durmand Priory instance, a Norn scholar decries the usage of Krytan script; ‘too flowing’, in her words. On being explained that the humans argue of Krytan being a universal language, the Norn promptly responds by deriding it… and mentioning that it only has one word for ‘hunt’.

This leads me to two (albeit small) conclusions from her words:

1) That there is another language spoken by the Norn, with multiple words for hunt.

2) This language has a more blocky script than the current Krytan alphabet.

To further support this, I point to the runes evident on Norn signs in GW1, which we had no idea as to the true origin of until this point:

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Do tell!

So far I have yet to see anything like this in GW2. Although I believe they may have a writing system of their own in addition to their version of New Krytan, I also believe much of their storytelling is done orally and so the writing system is not extensively used by most norn.

I assume that prior to the Durmand Priory creating the Krytan alphabet and making a universal language, that each of the respective races had their own language/writing systems.

I also assume that they put that bit of lore in to make some things in-game easier. That’s just a guess, though.

The norn language is basically just the human language, only bigger.

The Norn epigraphy is based on the Northern European cultural form of inscription, also known as runes.

Dissatisfaction with a flowing language is likely the product of Norn psychology, which is shaped by a prolonged pattern of life. The Norn are hunters, warriors, and conquerors of the harshest elements. Their way of life is conducive to that of a bear’s: prolonged state of waiting, or hibernation, followed by sudden action, or, in this case, hunting. Consider hunting, itself: It is a process of patience followed by decisive action.

That the Norn have more than one word for hunt is no surprise! The climate of the homeland of the Norns is not conducive to farming on any scale. The entire Norn culture has, presumably, hunted and consumed game, animal flesh, for thousands of years. This would explain the large and durable Norn physique, as well as their honed combative instincts.

The problem with this is that game is eventually hunted to extinction, and, like the Northern Europeans, settling arable land will become a priority as the Norn population is no longer supported by the game of the frozen lands.

A real world example of this natural process is encapsulated in the aurochs.

If the Lore of Tyria follows the lessons of the history of our own world, part of the Norn will one day merge with a race inhabiting arable land, likely the Humans. It is also possible that the Norn population never reaches the critical point wherein hunting is no longer able to support the population; this may occur due to a population decline, such as from war, famine, or other catastrophe.

Hyena.7963:

The norn language is basically just the human language, only bigger.

Lol

Branwin.4609:

I assume that prior to the Durmand Priory creating the Krytan alphabet and making a universal language, that each of the respective races had their own language/writing systems.

That actually is the case. Each major race around had their own language prior to New Krytan – though it’s more of ideograms for charr writings – and New Krytan has been in use ever since. The only groups known to use non-New Krytan text are asura, who use the older asuran script still, and certain Ascalonians who use, obviously, the Ascalonian alphabet.

Chances are that the old GW1 signposts were indeed norn, however they’re not seen in GW2 as far as I know.

Well, to come back to this topic, the key problem I find is that they say there are multiple words for hunt, implying that in the Norn language has that. So it doesn’t appear to be like the difference between Ascalonian and Krytan, where they share a language but different alphabets. It appears to be more compatible to the difference between Ascalonian and Old Canthan.

What intrigues me is, given how long-lived the Norn are (with lifespans exceeding 100 years), is that no traces of the language remain. We don’t see the Norn conversant in the language of their grandfathers, even when legend and history are so important to them. It just strikes me as rather odd, and I’m curious as to what this Norn language might have been.