The Lord's Prayer in Gothic
This is a very old relative of English. Wulfila translated the Bible into Gothic in the fourth century, centuries before anything survives in Old English, and this prayer is among the most famous passages to come down to us. It begins βAtta unsarβ, βour fatherβ.
Learn to read this in Gothic
No account needed. Your first line takes about three minutes.
The text and translation
π°πππ° πΏπ½ππ°π πΈπΏ πΉπ½ π·πΉπΌπΉπ½π°πΌ π π΄πΉπ·π½π°πΉ π½π°πΌπ πΈπ΄πΉπ½
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Word by word
- π°πππ°
- father
- πΏπ½ππ°π
- our
- πΈπΏ
- you (thou)
- πΉπ½
- in
- π·πΉπΌπΉπ½π°πΌ
- heavens
- π π΄πΉπ·π½π°πΉ
- may be hallowed
- π½π°πΌπ
- name
- πΈπ΄πΉπ½
- your (thy)
π΅πΉπΌπ°πΉ πΈπΉπΏπ³πΉπ½π°πππΏπ πΈπ΄πΉπ½π
Thy kingdom come.
Word by word
- π΅πΉπΌπ°πΉ
- may come
- πΈπΉπΏπ³πΉπ½π°πππΏπ
- kingdom
- πΈπ΄πΉπ½π
- your (thy)
π π°πΉππΈπ°πΉ π πΉπ»πΎπ° πΈπ΄πΉπ½π ππ π΄ πΉπ½ π·πΉπΌπΉπ½π° πΎπ°π· π°π½π° π°πΉππΈπ°πΉ
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
Word by word
- π π°πΉππΈπ°πΉ
- may be done
- π πΉπ»πΎπ°
- will
- πΈπ΄πΉπ½π
- your (thy)
- ππ π΄
- as
- πΉπ½
- in
- π·πΉπΌπΉπ½π°
- heaven
- πΎπ°π·
- also
- π°π½π°
- on
- π°πΉππΈπ°πΉ
- earth
π·π»π°πΉπ πΏπ½ππ°ππ°π½π° πΈπ°π½π° ππΉπ½ππ΄πΉπ½π°π½ π²πΉπ πΏπ½π π·πΉπΌπΌπ° π³π°π²π°
Give us this day our daily bread.
Word by word
- π·π»π°πΉπ
- bread, loaf
- πΏπ½ππ°ππ°π½π°
- our
- πΈπ°π½π°
- the
- ππΉπ½ππ΄πΉπ½π°π½
- daily
- π²πΉπ
- give
- πΏπ½π
- us
- π·πΉπΌπΌπ°
- this
- π³π°π²π°
- day
πΎπ°π· π°ππ»π΄π πΏπ½π πΈπ°ππ΄πΉ ππΊπΏπ»π°π½π ππΉπΎπ°πΉπΌπ° ππ π°ππ π΄ πΎπ°π· π π΄πΉπ π°ππ»π΄ππ°πΌ πΈπ°πΉπΌ ππΊπΏπ»π°πΌ πΏπ½ππ°ππ°πΉπΌ
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Word by word
- πΎπ°π·
- and
- π°ππ»π΄π
- forgive
- πΏπ½π
- us
- πΈπ°ππ΄πΉ
- that which
- ππΊπΏπ»π°π½π
- debtors
- ππΉπΎπ°πΉπΌπ°
- we may be
- ππ π°ππ π΄
- just as
- πΎπ°π·
- also
- π π΄πΉπ
- we
- π°ππ»π΄ππ°πΌ
- forgive
- πΈπ°πΉπΌ
- the, those
- ππΊπΏπ»π°πΌ
- debtors
- πΏπ½ππ°ππ°πΉπΌ
- our
πΎπ°π· π½πΉ π±ππΉπ²π²π°πΉπ πΏπ½π πΉπ½ πππ°πΉπππΏπ±π½πΎπ°πΉ π°πΊ π»π°πΏππ΄πΉ πΏπ½π π°π πΈπ°πΌπΌπ° πΏπ±πΉπ»πΉπ½
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Word by word
- πΎπ°π·
- and
- π½πΉ
- not
- π±ππΉπ²π²π°πΉπ
- may you bring
- πΏπ½π
- us
- πΉπ½
- into
- πππ°πΉπππΏπ±π½πΎπ°πΉ
- temptation
- π°πΊ
- but
- π»π°πΏππ΄πΉ
- free, deliver
- πΏπ½π
- us
- π°π
- from
- πΈπ°πΌπΌπ°
- the
- πΏπ±πΉπ»πΉπ½
- evil (one)
πΏπ½ππ΄ πΈπ΄πΉπ½π° πΉππ πΈπΉπΏπ³π°π½π²π°ππ³πΉ πΎπ°π· πΌπ°π·ππ πΎπ°π· π πΏπ»πΈπΏπ πΉπ½ π°πΉπ πΉπ½π
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.
Word by word
- πΏπ½ππ΄
- for, because
- πΈπ΄πΉπ½π°
- yours
- πΉππ
- is
- πΈπΉπΏπ³π°π½π²π°ππ³πΉ
- kingdom
- πΎπ°π·
- and
- πΌπ°π·ππ
- power, might
- πΎπ°π·
- and
- π πΏπ»πΈπΏπ
- glory
- πΉπ½
- into
- π°πΉπ πΉπ½π
- ages (for ever)
What to notice
- π°πππ° πΏπ½ππ°π is atta unsar, βour fatherβ. Unsar is related to βourβ. Atta is a different word from father, and the name Attila may come from it, meaning βlittle fatherβ.
- π·π»π°πΉπ is hlaif, βbreadβ, the same word as English loaf. Old English had hlΔf, and βlordβ began as a compound of it meaning βloaf-keeperβ.
- πΈπΉπΏπ³πΉπ½π°πππΏπ is thiudinassus, βkingdomβ. The alphabet looks strange at first, but Wulfila built it largely from Greek, and many letters are easy to guess.
Read it yourself
Urling teaches the words in this text first, so that when you reach it you can read it in Gothic. It uses short lessons, and nothing has to be memorised from a list.
Learn to read this in Gothic
No account needed. Your first line takes about three minutes.
Sources
Gothic Bible (Codex Argenteus), Matthew 6:9β13, ed. Streitberg, Die gotische Bibel I (1908). Public domain.
Text licence: Public domain.
Language pack licence: Text public domain; annotation CC BY-SA 4.0.
Text: the Gothic Bible of Wulfila (Codex Argenteus; public domain). The Lord's Prayer as given in Wikipedia's 'Gothic language' article; the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and the two Matthew passages from Streitberg, Die gotische Bibel (1908/1910), read from two archive.org OCRs. English: King James Version (1611). Tagging and glosses: Claude (AI), checked against Wiktionary; not yet reviewed by a person.
The introduction and notes on this page were written by Claude (AI). Word glosses are AI-assisted, and so is the English unless the source above names another translator.