In this short work, Geoffrey Ashe attempts to answer the question, Is there a historical figure who can serve as the basis for the legends and myths tIn this short work, Geoffrey Ashe attempts to answer the question, Is there a historical figure who can serve as the basis for the legends and myths that have grown around “King Arthur,” and his answer is, Yes. Though who it is may surprise some. He was a Breton who flourished CE 450-470 in Armorica (aka Brittany) and western Gaul during a brief period of Celtic resurgence when German encroachments in Britain and Gaul were slowed and in some cases reversed for a generation. His name was Riothamus and (unlike Arthur) is attested to in contemporary histories, and whose activities mirror many of the things the earliest tales of Arthur attribute to that “king.” (Note: “Riothamus” may not have been a personal name since it means, roughly, “high king” or “most kingly,” and could have been a title; the man to whom it refers may indeed have been an “Artorius.”)
Ashe recognizes that his conclusions are purely speculative though they may come closer to the reality than others’ arguments, and I like it. If you’re interested in the Matter of Britain and the question of the historicity of King Arthur, then you may enjoy this concise assessment of the evidence, and I’d recommend it.
Aside: My favorite adaptations of the legend are Thomas Berger’s Arthur Rex and A.A. Attanasio’s Arthor series, starting with The Dragon and the Unicorn. Berger retells Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table for a modern audience, and I fell in love with it the first time I read it in high school. Attanasio’s version is a far different animal and is difficult to describe short of another essay but is well worth the read....more
The Mongol Storm is a straightforward narrative of the first century of Mongol conquest (c. 1220-1320) with an especial focus on its impact in the MidThe Mongol Storm is a straightforward narrative of the first century of Mongol conquest (c. 1220-1320) with an especial focus on its impact in the Middle East, Egypt and Anatolia (including the Crusader States). As someone fascinated by this era, I found it interesting and would recommend it to the general reader....more
FWIW, this was the first book I was able to check out from the New Books shelf at my library since its reopening! Huzzah...
The Anglo-Saxons: The MakinFWIW, this was the first book I was able to check out from the New Books shelf at my library since its reopening! Huzzah...
The Anglo-Saxons: The Making of England: 410-1066 is a straightforward narrative history of Britain from the Roman evacuation to the Norman Conquest - the period when the native Britons fell back in the face of English conquest and colonization and the gradual emergence of an "English" kingdom. Though Morris occasionally uses non-literary sources for his narrative like archaeology (esp. in regards to Norse colonization before the 9th century), he relies primarily on the histories and charters that have survived the ages. He does try to pare away the excesses and romanticizations of later centuries to provide a truer picture of the period but is strongly resistant to indulging in the more speculative aspects of recent historiography.
The result is a clear, concise and well written introduction to the period, and I would recommend this volume to the general reader....more
What does it say about the 21st century reader that the editor of this slim volume feels constrained to write:
So these remedies come with a health war
What does it say about the 21st century reader that the editor of this slim volume feels constrained to write:
So these remedies come with a health warning: don't try this at home. Those of us who have gathered these tips do not endorse them. You will not fix incontinence by sitting naked in a vat of ale. You will not stop your own wounds bleeding by slaying a pig. Nor do we condone the things done to other people or animals in these remedies. Please do not shave the skin off your feet to make a woman love you against her will; this is immoral. Please do not slit owls open to cure your gout; this is cruel (p. 5)
Wakelin has collected some of the odder medical remedies he and his students have come across in studying Medieval texts. He does make the point that these concoctions are outliers; most remedies were relatively harmless and some could have been efficacious (if only as placebos)....more
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