Ern

/ɜːrn/ noun

Definition

An eagle, especially the white-tailed sea eagle; an archaic or poetic term.

Etymology

From Old English 'earn,' related to Old Norse 'orn' and German 'Aar.' The word is primarily found in Scottish and Northern English dialects and historical literature.

Kelly Says

This is the kind of word that makes fantasy novels feel magical—'ern' and 'eagle' mean the same thing, but 'ern' sounds ancient and powerful, so Tolkien used it to make Middle-earth feel more real.

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