Historical Fiction and Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Book Reviews and ruminations on life
13
Apr
Room 41 of the British Museum has been closed for a long spell whilst it was redecorated and a new permanent display brought in. The now reopened gallery houses what is surely the finest collection of Anglo-Saxon artifacts anywhere as well as the most prestigious items from the famous Sutton Hoo burial of King Redwald […]
Tags: British Museum, saxons
12
Sep
This week I am looking at the names we give our weekdays and the links to Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology. Click the following links to read about Sunday and Monday and Tuesday. Today it is the turn of Wednesday. The old English for Wednesday is wōdnesdæg or day of Woden. Woden (Called Odin by the Vikings and Woden in England) is the chief […]
Tags: Anglo Saxons, mythology, saxons, wednesday
11
Sep
Yesterday I started a look at the names we give our weekdays and the links to Norse and Anglo-Saxon mythology with a blog about Sunday and Monday. Tuesday in old English is Tiwesdæg or “Tīw’s Day”, the day of Tiw. Tiw – or Tyr as he is sometimes called is the Germanic god of single combat and heroism. He is the equivalent of the […]
10
Sep
The next few days I am going to have a look at the names we give to the days of the week. These names demonstrate the profound effect that the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon mythology had on development of western culture. Of the 7 days of the week all but one of them relates to a Old English/ Norse / Germainic […]
Tags: monday, Old English, saxons, Sunday, weekdays
4
Jul
In 1929 an RAF crew took aerial shots of the site of the old Roman town of Venta Icenorum around the church of Caistor St Edmund near Norwich. The photographs revealed an extensive road network and soon the archaeologists moved in. During their excavations they came across a large early Anglo-Saxon cemetery with burials dating from the 5th century. In the cemetery they found some cremation urns as […]
Tags: Old English, runes, saxons
11
Dec
The English are by nature a sea faring race. After all they came to these islands in boats and ships – migrating from Germany and the low countries from the 5th century onwards. They came across the North Sea. Having settled in Britain and carved out England they seem to have in many cases lost much of the skills needed and it was the […]
3
Nov
I recently wrote an article about the Anglo-Saxon Gods of Old England – those that our ancestors worshipped before England became Christian. Just as Christianity is linked to the powerful symbol of the Cross and Judaism to that of the Star of David or the Menora, these gods had their own symbols that would be used on […]
27
Oct
When the Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed the North Sea and began to settle in the former Roman province of Britannia they brought with them their beliefs and religions. It would take three or four hundred years for the Anglo-Saxons to convert to Christianity and in many cases this was undertaken not […]
24
Feb
Entertainment in Anglo Saxon times: No Ipods, no Internet, no TV, radio and not even newspapers and books (unless you were wealthy ). What do you do to keep from getting bored? Here are some ways that the Anglo Saxons had fun in the dark evenings. Indoor entertainment and feasts There was a high degree […]
Tags: Dark Age, entertainment, saxons
7
Feb
Milk, butter and cheese represented a significant part of the Anglo Saxon diet. They were also used as payments and dues: making up part of the Feorm handed over to a lord or King. Milk was frequently an ingredient in medicines as the basis for drinks, whilst butter was occasionally used to make oily poultices […]
Tags: Dark Age fiction, Dark Age fiction historical Northumbria saxons taliesen welsh, drink, food, historical, Northumbria, saxons, taliesen, welsh