hnefatafl

The story

1. Old Norse · borrowed fromhnefatafl“board game of the fist”
2. English todayhnefatafl

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”).