What is the Old English term for fate?

• A. Beot
• B. Wyrd
• C. Wergild
• D. Blood feud

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is the Old English word that means fate and destiny. The term wyrd embodies that idea as an impersonal force that shapes a person’s life, often described in poetry as weaving a life’s pattern or threading events together. In Anglo-Saxon literature, characters confront wyrd with a mix of courage and resignation, recognizing that no one fully escapes its pull even as they strive to act bravely.

Beot refers to a boast or vow about future deeds, a social ritual among warriors. Wergild is the system of monetary compensation for injury or death, a legal remedy. Blood feud describes a cycle of retaliatory violence between families or clans. Each of these words belongs to a different aspect of culture—boasting, law, and vengeance—where wyrd specifically names fate.