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‘Falseness Reigns in Every Flock’: Literacy and Eschatological Discourse in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

Medievalists.net — Sun, 30 Nov 2014 22:27:15 +0000

The literature of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, a miscellany of fourteenth-century poetry and prose penned before, during, and after the insurrection, often stresses the importance of literacy to the nonaristocratic population of England.

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The Viking Language of the Highlands and Islands: Reconstructing the Norn Language from Old Norse

Medievalists.net — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 22:57:32 +0000

The Orkney and Shetland islands of Scotland were at one time colonized by Vikings and belonged firmly within the field of Scandinavian cultural influence. During this time the people of these archipelagos spoke a unique language known as Norn which evolved from the Old Norse language.

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Race, Periodicity, and the (Neo-) Middle Ages

Medievalists.net — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 06:54:07 +0000

My goal is to intervene in ongoing discussions of race and periodicity, particularly vis-à-vis medieval culture, in order to investigate the informing role of the medieval and more particularly of medievalisms in the construction, representation, and perpetuation of modern racisms.

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‘That melodious linguist’: Birds in Medieval Christian and Islamic Cosmography

Medievalists.net — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 15:32:01 +0000

“Birds,” writes Albertus Magnus, “generally call more than other animals. This is due to the lightness of their spirits.”

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Island Words, Island Worlds: The Origins and Meanings of Words for ‘Islands’ in North-West Europe

Medievalists.net — Mon, 05 May 2014 16:57:14 +0000

This paper proposes the notion that words mirror ideas, perspectives and world- views. Etymologies and meanings of general words for ‘islands’ in a number of languages in North and West Europe are then discussed.

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The Anglo-Saxon Name for the s-Rune: Sigel, a Precious Jewel

Medievalists.net — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 23:36:24 +0000

The Anglo-Saxon rune-name sigel has been interpreted as meaning ‘sun’. In some contexts Old English sigel does refer to the sun, in others it means ‘clasp’, ‘brooch’, or ‘jewel’. All these meanings, however, are difficult to reconcile with the maritime imagery of the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem’s sigel stanza.

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Did King Alfred write anything?

Medievalists.net — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 22:52:34 +0000

The author investigates the question of whether King Alfred translated Latin texts into English. According to the author, modern scholarship seems to conclude that Alfred did compose the extant translations of a number of texts, although there are questions about Alfred's linguistic and intellectual skills.

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Is the Author Really Better than his Scribes? Problems of Editing Pre-Carolingian Latin Texts

Medievalists.net — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 21:16:10 +0000

Latin texts composed after ca. 600 and before the Carolingian writing re- forms that began in the late eighth century present problems that editors rarely have to face when working on classical texts (including most writings of late antiquity), or texts written after ca. 800.

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The King’s Table: A Semiotic Analysis of a Medieval Noble Banquet

Medievalists.net — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:03:02 +0000

During the Middle Ages, aristocratic banquets were common and often grandiose affairs. The function of a banquet went beyond mere celebration of an event or holiday and became a tool for demonstrating a person's wealth, influence, piety, and generosity.

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When Latin gets sick: mocking medical language in macaronic poetry

Medievalists.net — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:15:46 +0000

Since, at the time of the rise of macaronic poetry, Latin was the language of learn- ing, including medicine, it is expected that an analysis of the Latin in macaronic poetry and its interaction with other linguistic varieties in the same, can reveal changes in the relative social position of various groups.

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