So, following on from my last post about using authentic words, I've decided I'll only use words that still have modern day relevance and will otherwise translate. (For those that haven't read the last post, the book is set in ancient Rome, so I'll sometimes use latin that is still used today). The latin swearwords I've found so far don't tick that box.
My research suggests the Romans swore a lot, and some of those I'm writing about probably swore more than most. From what I could tell the swear words centred around body parts and sex, surprise surprise, so in my mind a lot of current swearwords cover these bases. But when I did add a fuck, and shared the chapter with a few people the word was questioned. For some reason it felt modern to some, though as far as I know it isn't.
I'm a bit stumped. I feel swearing is needed, but I don't want readers feeling the language is wrong.
Does anyone know any good swear words that sound suitably old?
My research suggests the Romans swore a lot, and some of those I'm writing about probably swore more than most. From what I could tell the swear words centred around body parts and sex, surprise surprise, so in my mind a lot of current swearwords cover these bases. But when I did add a fuck, and shared the chapter with a few people the word was questioned. For some reason it felt modern to some, though as far as I know it isn't.
I'm a bit stumped. I feel swearing is needed, but I don't want readers feeling the language is wrong.
Does anyone know any good swear words that sound suitably old?