Created in 1990 by the Lithuanian Animated Film Studio, this film tells the mythological tale of the founding of Medieval Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Celtic Mythology in the Arthurian Legend
October 31, 2015 By
The aim of this thesis is to find out whether there are some aspects, themes or symbols of the pagan Celtic mythology that appear in the Arthurian legend and if so, what role they play there and to what extent they influence the legend.
The Arrow of Sherwood by Lauren Johnson
August 16, 2015 By
My book review of Robin Hood tale, Arrow of Sherwood by Lauren Johnson.
Rich and Powerful: The Image of the Female Deity in Migration Age Scandinavia
July 25, 2015 By
I believe serious blunders have been made concerning the identification of males and females. It
is simply inadmissable to interpret any figure with open, shoulder-length hair as female when all the evidence for the centuries in question shows females have only been depicted with long hair tied in the Irish ribbon knot.
Philippa Langley: The End of Richard III and the Beginning of Henry I
March 27, 2015 By
Amidst all the excitement, and the whirlwind that was Richard III’s reburial in Leicester, I managed to catch up with one of the world’s most famous Ricardians, ‘the Kingfinder’, Philippa Langley.
The Anglo Saxons and their gods (still) among us
February 28, 2015 By
In this paper, I want to consider the arrival of Saxon culture in Britain, a culture which appeared before the Romans departed from Britain and continued after the arrival of Christianity which appropriated some Saxon traditions and practices.
Choosing Heaven: The Religion of the Vikings
February 15, 2015 By
The Viking-age gods stemmed from two races – Aesir and Vanir.
A Quick Guide to Norse Gods
January 28, 2015 By
The Norse pantheon includes some very interesting characters. This is a little guide to get you started about learning who these gods and goddesses were.
Trolls in the Middle Ages
January 6, 2015 By
Where did trolls come from? What did medieval and early modern people think of trolls? How did the concept of the modern day troll evolve?
‘De civitatis utriusque, terrenae scilicet et caelestis’: Foundation Narratives and the Epic Portrayal of the First Crusade
December 5, 2014 By
My summary of a paper given at the Institute of Historical research on the accounts of Antioch and Jerusalem during the First Crusade.
Nourishment for the Soul – Nourishment for the Body: Animal Remains in Early Medieval Pomeranian Cemeteries
November 25, 2014 By
Late medieval sources clearly refer to souls, which in traditional folk beliefs were periodically returning to feed and warm themselves by the fires made by the living. This kind of conception can be merged with Slavic eschatology. There is multiple evidence to confirm that belief some form of spirit or soul was spreading amongst the people, who in the early medieval period, bordered directly with Pomerania.
Þur sarriþu þursa trutin: Monster-Fighting and Medicine in Early Medieval Scandinavia
October 30, 2014 By
This paper seeks evidence among our extensive Scandinavian mythological texts for an area which they seldom discuss explicitly: the conceptualisation and handling of illness and healing.
The Goddess Frig: Reassessing an Anglo-Saxon Deity
October 25, 2014 By
The world of the Anglo-Saxon gods will forever remain a mystery to us, existing just beyond the reach of written history.
Can you solve Odin’s Riddles?
October 9, 2014 By
Here are 14 riddles that the Norse god Odin says to King Heidrek. Can you solve them?
ARTICLES: The Deflation of the Medieval in Joyce’s Ulysses
September 23, 2014 By
For James Joyce, Irish nationalism, with its appeal to patriotic emotionality and promotion of interest in the archaic and medieval Irish past, was suspect.
Holy Islands and the Otherworld: Places Beyond Water
September 1, 2014 By
In this article I attempt to demonstrate that there is a connection between holy islands and notions of an Otherworld beyond water. I believe that the essence of holy islands is their location on the other side of water.
Æcerbot and Wassail: Blessing the Fields and Orchards
August 24, 2014 By
During the autumn season when imagery of the harvest is all around, it can be easy to forget that the cornucopia of produce yielded is the product of year round effort.
Yggdrasill and the divine ‘food chain’
August 10, 2014 By
One of the better-known images Old Norse mythology has passed down to us is, without a doubt, that of the ash Yggdrasill: the holy place of the gods. There, as High said to Gangleri, each day the Nordic deities held their courts.
Of Fire and Water: The Old Norse Mythical Worldview in an Eco-Mythological Perspective
August 3, 2014 By
How do the actions of the gods in these narratives express man’s mythical notions of his relationship with the land and sea in the Scandinavian and North Atlantic ecosystems?
The ‘Viking Apocalypse’ of 22nd February 2014: An Analysis of the Jorvik Viking Centre’s Ragnarǫk and Its Media Reception
July 29, 2014 By
If one signed on to a social media site, checked a news website or, in some cases, even watched one’s local evening news during mid- to late February 2014, one may have encountered some surprising news
Top 10 Medieval Places That Don’t Exist
July 24, 2014 By
Based on medieval legends, fictional stories, or somewhat less than useful geographic reports, here is our list of ten medieval places you won’t be able to visit!
Creation and Food in Old Norse Mythology
July 23, 2014 By
Not surprisingly, as we can ascertain by reading the Bible and many other religious and mythological texts of the past, also in Norse beliefs food and fecundity were central elements in the origin of all things
Which Norse God Are You?
July 3, 2014 By
Thor and his fellow Norse Gods are surrounded by a rich, ancient mythology. Which medieval Norse Deity are you most like?
The Apple in Early Irish Narrative Tradition: A Thoroughly Christian Symbol?
June 15, 2014 By
The tensions which existed between the indigenous pagan tradition and the nascent Christian Church in Ireland are evident in this tale. We are faced with ‘the opposition of two philosophies, the first being the native, the druidic, the doomed… The other embodies a prophecy of the coming of Christianity’.
Staging Medievalisms: Touching the Middle Ages through Contemporary Performance
May 13, 2014 By
Examining the Middle Ages through modern eyes: movies, TV, stage, tourism and books. How do we perform the Middle Ages?
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