Bæddel and bædling

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/b-ddel-and-b-dling

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the linguistic origin?Old English (Anglo-Saxon)
2. What is the primary textual evidence?Five medieval glossaries and penitentials
3. What does the word "bæddel" mean in old English?It was used to talk about people who were seen as having both male and female parts or being a mix of sexes.
4. What does "bædling" mean and who might it describe?It described someone who acted in a gentle or feminine way, maybe a man who behaved like a woman or liked other men.

Penitentials: Medieval books of ecclesiastical law outlining sins and their prescribed penances.
Gender Binary: The classification of sex and gender into two distinct, opposite, and disconnected forms: male and female.
Intersex: An umbrella term for people born with variations in sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.
Etymology: The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.