What if Wealhtheow, the gracious queen in Beowulf, wasn't just handing out mead cups to guests and giving politically savy speeches? What if she was harbouring vengeful feelings and set in motion a secret murder plot? In a recently published article, I have tried to unveil something of a Beowulf ‘conspiracy theory’. You can read … Continue reading Have we overlooked a secret murder plot in Beowulf? A Beowulf conspiracy theory
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The Medieval in Middle-earth: Old English Songs in LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
A first look at the Old English song lyrics in the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024). Through its incorporation of Neo-Old English lyrics, the film draws connections with Tolkien's works, especially through references to Old English poetry.
Cultural contacts between early medieval England, Northern Africa and the Middle East
This blog post introduces four new knowledge clips about an interesting topic: cultural contacts between 'the East' and 'the West' in the Early Middle Ages!
A princess’s psalter recovered? Newly discovered fragments of an Old English glossed psalter
A special find has been made in the Alkmaar Regional Archive: a number of 17th-century book bindings contained pieces of parchment from a manuscript from the 11th century. This discovery is a possible key to a European mystery: pieces of the same manuscript were previously found in England, Germany and Poland. The original manuscript may … Continue reading A princess’s psalter recovered? Newly discovered fragments of an Old English glossed psalter
‘You are truly the same’: The Varied Nature of Old English Glossed Psalters
An introduction to the fascinating world of Old English glossed Psalters!
A Digital Beowulf Thesaurus! Exploring the Epic in Evoke
The Beowulf Thesaurus is freely available and can offer unique new insights into the vocabulary of early medieval England's best-known epic.
Missing line of 1400-year old poem found! Columbanus’s ‘De mundi transitu’ once more complete!
A 9th-century scribe's mistake can now finally be remedied.
Heaven is a place without old age: Age and the afterlife in early medieval England
From the Viking mead drinking in Valhalla to the unending punishments of the Greek underworld, the afterlife has always been an imaginative place. In this blog post, I survey how the afterlife was conceptualised in early medieval England, in particular with reference to 'old age'. Heaven is a place without old age The prime place … Continue reading Heaven is a place without old age: Age and the afterlife in early medieval England
“Men þa leofestan!” Manuscript variations of an Old English formula
"Men þa leofestan!" This blog post deals with the ways in which a very common Old English phrase was differentiated by early medieval English scribes.
When medieval chroniclers have nothing to report: The years 190-381 in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The manuscripts of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle show a fascinating variety, even in those annals for which there was little to nothing to report.
Thijs Porck 