hnefatafl

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse hnefatafl (“board game of the fist”), made of hnefi (“fist, the king piece of the hnefatafl game”) and tafl (“a table, a board game”). The historical Norse coined this term to differentiate it from other board games, such as skáktafl (“chess”), kvatrutafl (“tables”), and halatafl (“fox games”).

Noun

hnefatafl (uncountable)

  1. (historical) An ancient Norse board game.
    • 1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 115:
      The Saxon game of Hnefatafl came from Denmark, a game which was played there about A.D. 400 and brought by them to Iceland and Britain. An English manuscript written during the reign of King Athelstan, 925-40, contains a diagram of this game.
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