This Friday evening will mark the fourteenth edition of “Old English Fun Time Online” – the superb monthly event of the Facebook group “Old English Enthusiasts” (yup, indeed, one of the two groups that served as a model for Japan Fans). The theme will be “Holidays” and that made me realise that I never wrote a blog about my wonderful (holi)days in Winchester. So here goes!
Continue reading “Travel blog Winchester”
In various pieces of fan fiction #KingAlfred, a mysterious creature makes its appearance: the wyrm. Intrigued by this secretive being, I was inspired to research its earlier appearances. During Old English Fun Time Online, I shared my findings in a short presentation, and it seemed nice to me to further process my rambling/braindump ehm… ‘research notes’ into a blog post. So, for Paulo and other people that have asked me about it: here are some of my thoughts on the mysterious wyrm! 🙂 All comments & suggestions are very welcome, as always.
In answer to my feminist friends, I researched three inspiring Warrior Queens: Hua Mulan (4th to 6th century AD), Æthelflæd (c. 870-918), and Lakshmibai (1828-1858). An abridged version of this post was also published here, in the “Representation Matters” category of Geek Girl Authority.
Continue reading “Three Warrior Queens”
Special interests are one of the most common characteristics of people with autism*, and in my experience, they often come as a surprise. While watching Netflix’ series Vikings to examine the portrayal of King Alfred, a new “fixation” stroke me like lightning. Since her first appearance in Vikings, I became utterly obsessed with fascinated by princess Gisla. So, I did as I always do – googling & reading – and below are the results. An abridged version of this post is also published in the Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Amidst the corona virus pandemic, there is considerable evidence pointing towards the existence of a second century woman, who came to be believed to be the patron saint against plagues and epidemics. Her name? Saint Corona. This blog post explores some of the traces of this intriguing female saint.
Continue reading “Holy Corona?”
Of course I had heard some tales about Canterbury – a pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages, surrounded by Ancient walls (originally built by the Romans), that encircle its medieval center of cobbled streets and timber-framed houses. But I had never been there – until last summer. My stay in Canterbury allowed me to connect to the Alfredian world in a new way. This blog post is a reflection of my findings and the second of a series of four.
Read more
Hwæt – for another most fascinating manuscript I got to see at the British Library was that of Beowulf. And this particular manuscript of Beowulf is also associated with king Alfred the Great (Waugh, 1997). In this short blog post, I explain why the association of Beowulf and Alfred contributes to the myth-making of Alfred as a heroic warrior king.
Continue reading “Alfred & Beowulf”