thijsporck

18 May 202024 May 2020 thijsporck Alfred the Great, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Barberini Gospels, Bayeux Tapestry, Bodleian Library, Bodley 579, Bodleian Library, Hatton 20, Manuscripts, Medievalism, Old English Hexateuch, The Last Kingdom (BBC), Vespasian Psalter, Vikings (History Channel)

Medieval manuscripts in modern media: Anglo-Saxon manuscripts spotted in Vikings, The Last Kingdom and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla.

Find out which Anglo-Saxon manuscripts found their way into Vikings, The Last Kingdom and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla!

3 May 202024 May 2020 thijsporck Archaeology, BL, Cotton Vitellius C.iii, BL, Harley 585, Bodleian Library, Auct. F. 3. 6, Medieval medicine, Old English

Dwarf begone! Five early medieval ways to rid yourself of dwarfs

Are dwarfs getting you down? Here are five early medieval remedies that may help!

1 Mar 202024 May 2020 thijsporck Animals, BL, Cotton Tiberius B.v, BL, Cotton Vitelius A.xv, BL, Cotton Vitellius C.iii, Cambridge, UL, MS Ii.1.33, Manuscripts, Parker Library, CCCC MS 302, Tolkien

The Medieval in Middle-earth: Anglo-Saxon Elephants and Tolkien’s Oliphaunts

Learn more about the medieval material that inspired Tolkien's Oliphaunts!

5 Dec 201911 Oct 2020 thijsporck Beowulf, Medievalism

Beowulf: A Paper Doll Pirate History (1934)

A set of Beowulf paper dolls, published in Dutch newspapers in 1934, is now made available with a modern English translation!

1 Nov 201913 Mar 2022 thijsporck Old English

Composing Old English: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

Want to compose some Old English or translate a Modern English sentence into Old English? Here is a DIY-Guide!

29 Sep 2019 thijsporck Art, BL, Harley 4751, BL, Sloane 748, Boars, Chaucer

Pigs and Bagpipes: Geoffrey Chaucer’s Miller in Context

Geoffrey Chaucer drew on various medieval traditions surrounding pigs to characterise one of his most memorable characters in the Canterbury Tales: Robin the Miller. A boarish fellow In his Canterbury Tales (1387-1400), Geoffrey Chaucer brings to life a great variety of characters who set out on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. To pass the time, the … Continue reading Pigs and Bagpipes: Geoffrey Chaucer’s Miller in Context

21 Sep 201921 Sep 2019 thijsporck Animals, BL, Add. 59678, Boars, King Arthur, Parker Library, CCCC MS 404

The boar who would be king: Royal boar prophecies in medieval England

Long live the boar! This blog post calls attention to the role of the boar in medieval English royal prophecies.

14 Sep 20193 May 2020 thijsporck Uncategorized

Dutch Anglo-Saxonist website changes its name

In light of recent discussions about the term 'Anglo-Saxonist' and the debate around the name of the International Society for Anglo-Saxonists, I have decided to change the name of my blog. Some thoughts on the matter follow below. On the terms 'Anglo-Saxon' and 'Anglo-Saxonist' One of the few contemporary uses of the term 'Anglo-Saxon': a … Continue reading Dutch Anglo-Saxonist website changes its name

13 May 201914 May 2019 thijsporck BL, Add. 32246, BL, Cotton Titus D.xxvii, Eadwine Psalter, Junius Manuscript, Leiden Riddle (VLQ 106), Medievalism, Tolkien

The Medieval in Middle-Earth: Anglo-Saxon Elves

From various elf types to ambivalent Wood-Elves and elf-friends, Tolkien's Middle-Earth has close connections to early medieval England. Learn more about Anglo-Saxon elves and their connection to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien.

15 Feb 201916 Feb 2019 thijsporck Bayeux Tapestry, Daily life, Old age

Old age as a prefiguration of Hell: Senescence in early medieval England

This blog looks at some of the downsides of growing old in early medieval England and identifies some cases of what may be termed ‘gerontophobia’, the fear for old age.