From a promising youth to an exposed plagiarist, through to a budding novelist and a well-respected scholar of languages. James Platt Jr (1861-1910), an obscure figure in the history of Anglo-Saxon Studies, led a tumultuous life.
Old English memes
A collection of Old English memes
Spoiling the Mystery: Grendel in Beowulf Movies
What is Grendel? Six movie adaptations of Beowulf each give their own twist to this early medieval nightmare being.
Heads on sticks: Decapitation and impalement in early medieval England
A good way to keep out unwanted visitors and an inspiration to authors and artists: decapitation and impalement in Anglo-Saxon England.
Old English Words & Anglo-Saxon Worldviews
What can Old English words for fingers, anger, old age and pigs tell us about Anglo-Saxon culture?
Richard Morris: The Man Who Popularized Early English
Richard Morris (1833-1894) was a remarkable scholar who laid some of the foundations for the academic study of Old and Middle English. This blog provides an overview of Morris’s publications with respect to Old English and Middle English texts.
The Illustrated Psalms of Alfred the Great: The Old English Paris Psalter
Learn more about a beautiful Old English manuscript, featuring the (partly) illustrated Psalm translations ascribed to Alfred the Great!
Chop chop! Three bizarre beheadings in Anglo-Saxon England
Peculiar Anglo-Saxon beheadings: Read more about heads that trip up blind people, keep shouting and get stolen by Vikings.
A medieval manuscript ransomed from Vikings: The Stockholm Codex Aureus
A medieval book that was looted by Vikings! Learn more about one of the most beautiful medieval manuscripts: The Stockholm Codex Aureus.
The Old English Judith: A Student Doodle Edition
For a bonus point on the exam, I asked my students to draw a scene from the Old English Judith. The results are amazing!
Thijs Porck 