In its ability to produce sons, the maternal body offered one of the few means for women to attain power and influence in the medieval world. However, it is constantly depicted as being broken down in Old Norse legendary literature, a loose generic distinction taken here to encompass principally the poems of the Poetic Edda and the prosimetric narratives of the fornaldarsögur.
Medieval people’s obsession with crystals: an interview with Marisa Galvez
August 13, 2018 by
Stanford medievalist Marisa Galvez is examining the origins of people’s fascination with crystals. She finds that crystals inspired the writing and poetry of some medieval authors in unexpected ways.
Sumptuary Legislation and Conduct Literature in Late Medieval England
August 8, 2018 by
This study is an examination of attempts to control dress in late medieval England.
From Civilitas to Civility: Codes of Manners in Medieval and Early Modern England
July 6, 2018 by
Argues that to see the contrasts between late medieval ‘courtesy books’ and early modern manuals of manners as markers of changing ideas of social conduct in England is an interpretation too narrowly based on works written in English.
Intermarriage in fifteenth-century Ireland: the English and Irish in the ‘four obedient shires’
June 12, 2018 by
This paper explores the interaction between these two groups through the curiously understudied phenomenon of intermarriage, and centres on the ‘four obedient counties’ of Dublin, Meath, Louth, and Kildare in the fifteenth century.
Genetic origins of Iceland’s first settlers revealed
June 5, 2018 by
“It’s like having a time machine. Now it is possible to study the actual people who participated in the founding of Iceland.”
Sex Tips from Late Medieval France
May 22, 2018 by
In his book The Ship of Virtuous Ladies, Symphorien Champier offers sex and conception tips to keep everyone healthy. There are a lot of do nots!
“I will never consent to be wedded with you!”: Coerced Marriage in the Courts of Medieval England
May 18, 2018 by
What happened when it was not the parents, but an overly zealous suitor who coerced a marriage?
Lost but not yet Found: Medieval Foundlings and their Care in Northern France, 1200-1500
May 8, 2018 by
The High Middle Ages was an important period of transition in the care of France’s “miserable persons,” that is, the poor, sick, widows, orphans, aged, and infirm.
Tattooed Vikings? A look at medieval body art
May 6, 2018 by
If you have ever watched Vikings or other TV shows or films that dwell on similar time periods and regions, chances are that you have seen a lot of characters heavily tattooed on face and body. Is it historically accurate?
Historical and Technical Notes on Aqueducts from Prehistoric to Medieval Times
February 12, 2018 by
The aim of this paper is to present the evolution of aqueduct technologies through the millennia, from prehistoric to medieval times.
The Medieval Love Letters of H and a lady
February 11, 2018 by
The story of a remarkable set of three letters written in verse, preserved in a 12th century manuscript, which tells of love between a woman and a man.
The Medieval Vegetarian
January 21, 2018 by
The idea that it was wrong to meat in the Middle Ages was certainly not widely held. Most people would consume meat from cattle, sheep and other animals without any vexation. However, one well-known 11th century poet was not only a vegetarian, but also a practicing vegan.
A Medieval Man’s New Year’s Resolutions
December 29, 2017 by
In the diary of Gregorio Dati, an Italian merchant born in the fourteenth century, we can see resolutions tied to this urge to face a new year as a better man in an entry dated January 1, 1404.
The Knighting Ceremony: From Squire to Sir
November 30, 2017 by
Danièle Cybulskie takes a look at the ceremony in which a squire was knighted.
The Twelve Types of Drunkenness
October 7, 2017 by
Oswald von Wolkenstein gives us twelve examples of what happens to drunk people.
How Weather Ruled the Vikings
September 30, 2017 by
By Danielle Turner When the weather determines most happenings in a person’s life, what kind of cultural changes emerge as a direct result of their particular climate? The world of the Northmen in the Middle Ages rapidly expanded with trading, raiding, and emigration. It is generally accepted that the Viking Age started in 793 AD […]
Should I get married or become a writer? A medieval answer
September 17, 2017 by
And so, my Alessandra, you are uncertain whether to dedicate yourself to the Muses of to a Man?
The Roots of Persecution: a comparison of leprosy and madness in late medieval thought and society
September 6, 2017 by
In light of the similar moral and spiritual content of leprosy and madness as concepts, this comparison indicates that a morally condemned or stigmatized condition was not sufficient to generate persecution, or to produce a persecuted social identity.
Cloth as Currency: Clothing and the Naked in Old Frisian Law
August 21, 2017 by
The present article will discuss an economic meaning given to clothing and nakedness that similarly relates clothing to economic means and nakedness to poverty, but is informed differently still.
Game on: medieval players and their texts
June 21, 2017 by
Medieval games, I argue, do not always fit neatly into traditional or modern theoretical game models, and modern blanket definitions of ‘game’—often stemming from the study of digital games—provide an anachronistic understanding of how medieval people imagined their games and game-worlds.
Justice Served or Justice Subverted? Two Muslim Women Sue a Local Mudéjar Official in Thirteenth-Century Aragon
June 5, 2017 by
In 1300 two Muslim women sued a local aljama official in Daroca, claiming he had unlawfully evicted them from their houses, and physically mistreated them, all without due legal process.
The Place of the Evil: Infant Abandonment in Old Norse Society
June 5, 2017 by
This study examines the issue by focusing on one aspect of it: the special case of exposing deformed infants as prescribed in Old Norse laws.
Cross-Border Representations of Revolt in the Later Middle Ages: France and England During the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)
June 3, 2017 by
Combing through more than eighty chronicles from the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century, we have only been able to find some fifteen examples of popular revolt in England and France being reported by authors from the other side of the channel.
Getting High in the Middle Ages: Hashish in Medieval Egypt
April 19, 2017 by
In recent years, there has been a contentious debate on how should society deal with drugs like marijuana. Should it be legalized and accepted? What is the harm or benefits of these drugs? The same questions were being raised in medieval Egypt.
How you can Follow Us!