tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28361265977962045842024-03-14T08:17:27.713+00:00Interesting PrettiesLorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-77812395567231781392013-04-04T16:54:00.002+01:002013-04-04T17:08:25.253+01:00The One Ring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have had my head <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/afk-for-10-weeks.html" target="_blank">in a world of costume and dwarves lately</a>, so it may sound like I'm losing my grip on reality when I say that The One Ring, The Preciousssss, actually exists in the real world -- and it's not a film prop.<br />
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This real world ring is a cursed (yes, really) Anglo-Romano ring from the 4th/5th century that was found in a field in 1785 in Silchester, Gloucestershire. It's a rather large inscribed gold ring, weighing 12g. And when I say large I mean "dude must have worn it on his thumb over his gloves" kind of large as it's 25mm in diameter. It has 10 facets, with the top centre facet engraved with a profile of Venus -- albeit a rather unattractive one. As the writing is reversed and the profile is quite recessed, I think it was probably a seal ring, however, there is nothing in any source article that officially states that it was.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZkHmO8CbsSMjMwZmJoi0QzfWmOwccZYO5g_5CKDAMspSBi-dGd-QaYSoWirGSRwPKe2cqxYKFCDgopOOHo1Q6w0QiXo2jolvohZdDBYsnP_YiAowiCqklKAUduejfm0XqPCfKEp7EjO6/s1600/OneRingCU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZkHmO8CbsSMjMwZmJoi0QzfWmOwccZYO5g_5CKDAMspSBi-dGd-QaYSoWirGSRwPKe2cqxYKFCDgopOOHo1Q6w0QiXo2jolvohZdDBYsnP_YiAowiCqklKAUduejfm0XqPCfKEp7EjO6/s400/OneRingCU.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above: The ring and a close up of the Venus head, sourced from <a href="http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/719789" target="_blank">The National Trust website</a>.</span></div>
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The ring inscription runs across the facets and reads "SE | NI | CIA | NE | VI | VA | S | II | NDE." Several sources interpret this as a shortened statement of monotheistic belief, seeing it as "Senicianus vivas in Deo" or "Senicianus lives in God". A 19th century source suggests that "Senicia ne vivas iinde" is more likely, with iinde being a truncated form of any one of the many words that start with "indec"-- most of which bear the connotations of dishonour. This would translate to "Senicia does not live indecently", which would explain the presence of the Venus head as a representation of chastity and honour. Either translation would be a nice counterpoint to the curse placed on the ring though.</div>
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Of course, to curse something properly, you'd have to write the curse on a separate item, cursing the first one. Why? Otherwise the cursed object itself would be in the hands of the person and can therefore be easily destroyed, breaking the curse. And the whole point of curses is to make someone paranoid and make them wonder if they've been cursed. Besides, everyone knows that Roman and Celtic gods only read curses that are inscribed using a bronze stylus onto lead or pewter tablets like these:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNo08IzqZu-zhZV58W0oetSeKCvD8kdUzwSUZkLD6vK7XwlmhRzt7mdJk4fwWodz8MAz7UGmdmutD0EstXi-kvm2M77fEwE1y-9H2_cSrRqbvcCM_XSlGCXRGplrlkNeCZPX-_ABEofWK/s1600/tablets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNo08IzqZu-zhZV58W0oetSeKCvD8kdUzwSUZkLD6vK7XwlmhRzt7mdJk4fwWodz8MAz7UGmdmutD0EstXi-kvm2M77fEwE1y-9H2_cSrRqbvcCM_XSlGCXRGplrlkNeCZPX-_ABEofWK/s400/tablets.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Roman curse tablets from <a href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2395437" target="_blank">the British Museum</a>. These were usually left in places in closer contact with the underworld, such as baths, springs, graves and temples.</span></div>
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Thirty years after the ring was discovered, a tablet like those above was found at the site of a Roman temple to the Celtic god Nodens. Nodens was a god of healing, the sea, hunting and dogs. This tablet was found in the temple along with similar tablets bearing requests for Nodens to heal people. However, this tablet was different. This one reads:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_euQXzLaWAhrmy55Okx4K9wnRQQYEFge0xAE5i9zNdfM5r4ryE76uMtM9hv_DV9UZVU4GuE7P5O8ZTuPkjkE9XTwp75EhoR2uyyfxJOfHNEWNmk4BZ9n5sY9d7-R6v2qN1JL9LZ9EEJu6/s1600/lydneyTablet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_euQXzLaWAhrmy55Okx4K9wnRQQYEFge0xAE5i9zNdfM5r4ryE76uMtM9hv_DV9UZVU4GuE7P5O8ZTuPkjkE9XTwp75EhoR2uyyfxJOfHNEWNmk4BZ9n5sY9d7-R6v2qN1JL9LZ9EEJu6/s320/lydneyTablet.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
1 Deuo<br />
2 Nodenti Silvianus<br />
3 anilum perdedit<br />
4 demediam partem<br />
5 donauit Nodenti<br />
6 inter quibus nomen<br />
7 Seniciani nollis<br />
8 petmittas sanita<br />
9 tem donec perfera(t)<br />
10 usque templum [No]<br />
11 dentis<br />
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Translation: "To the god Nodens: Silvianus has lost his ring and given half (its value) to Nodens. Among those who are called Senicianus do not allow health until he brings it to the temple of Nodens." (Source: <a href="http://curses.csad.ox.ac.uk/4Dlink2/4DACTION/WebRequestCurseTablet?thisLeafNum=1&searchTerm=&searchType=browse&searchField=CurseNumber&thisListPosition=20&displayImage=1&displayLatin=1&displayEnglish=1&lastListPosition=" target="_blank">CSAD at Oxford</a>).
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Now sure, the two items weren't found too close together, apart from being in the same part of the country. But that ring is pretty distinctive and Senicianus was not a common name at all. Many of these curse tablets specifically cursed people for theft, although this tablet never uses the word. The word "lost" is interesting -- and why only half it's worth? Of course we'll never actually know that answer. Obviously, Senicianus never brought the ring to the temple; instead, he put his name on it with the message of "I didn't steal it". After all, he does not live indecently. As far as I can see it, this is basically Latin for "Neener neener".<br />
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There's a story there and I wish I knew it. It's a very human, very petty story, but it would be an insight to the lives of these people.<br />
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So where's the Tolkien tie in? In 1929, when Sir Mortimer Wheeler was working on the temple excavation, he realised the link between to the curse tablet and the ring and asked Tolkien to work on the etymology of the name "Nodens". Tolkien visited the temple several times that year. Of course it's just coincidence that the Iron Age mine fort "Dwarf's Hill" is just next door... And that he started writing <i>The Hobbit</i> the next year. Sure, we don't know for sure, really, but... just sayin'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cxrAfxUyzExD74twu_z-ZvvhjRLMr3ZE1YO7EVKbmeiM82exdaiY4pAcKLO60-Y2Ib1qE0Bg9XTP6qGjq5qm_rJ9_voKhhu35cZCPgezehMDHs6u8E5PLeD5ZkSUxVmsOkNrjwmRQGH8/s1600/theOneRingDisplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3cxrAfxUyzExD74twu_z-ZvvhjRLMr3ZE1YO7EVKbmeiM82exdaiY4pAcKLO60-Y2Ib1qE0Bg9XTP6qGjq5qm_rJ9_voKhhu35cZCPgezehMDHs6u8E5PLeD5ZkSUxVmsOkNrjwmRQGH8/s400/theOneRingDisplay.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Seriously though. How big were this guy's fingers?</span></div>
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Either way, The National Trust is taking full advantage of <i>The Hobbit</i> publicity and has put the ring on display from 2nd April, 2013 at <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/vyne/" target="_blank">The Vyne in Basingstoke</a> with all the Tolkien tie-ins ever. The ring sits in a special rotating case in it's own room, along with a magnifying glass and a copy of the curse tablet and first edition signed Tolkien works. The Vyne has also created a Middle Earth adventure garden for the kids -- though I can see that I'd have to have a go in there. Seriously, whoever made this happen is a marketing genius because I'd love to go see it. Next time I'm dahn saff, I may have to.<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-48694186297852658972013-03-30T19:20:00.000+00:002013-04-04T16:57:34.113+01:00AFK for Nine Weeks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So I've been AFK since January which means I've not updated my blog and I've barely been pinning. In fact, I've barely seen many of my real life friends for that matter. Well, that stops now. Of course, I do have a very good reason at least...<br />
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I make stuff. Specifically, one of the things I do is make kit for live action roleplay (LARP or LRP), historical re-enactment and sometimes, just purses and handbags. The last eight weeks have been fraught; this is the start of LARP season, the start of re-enactment season... and people have recovered from Christmas. So. Without further ado...<br />
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<b>What I made in the last week of January:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV13FM0b-zkItYVzrAgy56Zv6PGFoMRg4YNMLRPsJQ0WySn9XyJqzkWh-6QMWdKYOIF0zUqK-Hr2Qd-YzgFOSm3p5CMoVgsE-SwCbwrnZGUugNwnmqPJUPgAI7XF0UZmanCKuX_ZNTF2PW/s1600/heroBeltTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV13FM0b-zkItYVzrAgy56Zv6PGFoMRg4YNMLRPsJQ0WySn9XyJqzkWh-6QMWdKYOIF0zUqK-Hr2Qd-YzgFOSm3p5CMoVgsE-SwCbwrnZGUugNwnmqPJUPgAI7XF0UZmanCKuX_ZNTF2PW/s400/heroBeltTree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ladies Hero Belt: Celtic and shaped for us girls with hips. Makes a <i>huge</i> difference to comfort.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JZXciSau0NKX5868G-QCwwIkurUWwaDhEnAYdCdof3OiqewCiiufiLah1kQIzOWvd4EbUro0OUysjFra4SCaK-E-jP4lrat8wDKqwQ756GiWgpQq9BqNrmHP6kKYASqQ57sNQ5MQdgvO/s1600/KindleCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JZXciSau0NKX5868G-QCwwIkurUWwaDhEnAYdCdof3OiqewCiiufiLah1kQIzOWvd4EbUro0OUysjFra4SCaK-E-jP4lrat8wDKqwQ756GiWgpQq9BqNrmHP6kKYASqQ57sNQ5MQdgvO/s320/KindleCover.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Monogrammed Kindle Cover: Proof I don't just make costume!</span></div>
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<b>What I made in February:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DvHlOTIIkpS8mqMwU136pnxZ0YRnP3WII7SW1deeZyoSoFOh57voJ-QMHinDTeklfyzpa5mNTKchfw9uJaEve55h5ua3utYrc9RpyGx3vhWcPRJH_1KiZNtZTR1PxK-h6N7qqUVX2UXH/s1600/warmkit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DvHlOTIIkpS8mqMwU136pnxZ0YRnP3WII7SW1deeZyoSoFOh57voJ-QMHinDTeklfyzpa5mNTKchfw9uJaEve55h5ua3utYrc9RpyGx3vhWcPRJH_1KiZNtZTR1PxK-h6N7qqUVX2UXH/s400/warmkit.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Dwarf kit: Beaver-hide shoulders, oil-tanned leather harness, hero belt and leather tabard. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yes, I may have loosely based the shoulders, belt and harness from kit seen in <i>The Hobbit</i>. The intended look is "inspired by" not "derivative".</span></div>
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I also made a hero belt, a set of bracers and a set of armlets during this time. Sadly, as these were very close to the deadline, I only have work in progress shots of the bracers and armlets. I'm hoping to get pictures of the finished products soon:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyloKudfy2xrQrtaRDP-mdRE0HQ_twIUWbBNDVXg_6wr8VDK9ROd-AKfvV3KKQyiRYR7QTA0SpB3968lkJ_tAlZOQuPYizeQbtpbkmJcekLa2R6_oU-cIUvxL0yPI0H9BldhFWK5ZJKxxK/s1600/boar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyloKudfy2xrQrtaRDP-mdRE0HQ_twIUWbBNDVXg_6wr8VDK9ROd-AKfvV3KKQyiRYR7QTA0SpB3968lkJ_tAlZOQuPYizeQbtpbkmJcekLa2R6_oU-cIUvxL0yPI0H9BldhFWK5ZJKxxK/s320/boar.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Boar design for bracers, before dyeing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuYgpIYa6_NmqmeSU1sI-yRhqtFmvF__Qy_cult0v174n42T5-0Y3-mjebcWiABixCk64tqRLfpuJSZmRgDd1srXI8FZl1QyYF0cEhCngJGmsR-L84sfqRaaLvwVZniHynCA6cE5RxpmQ/s1600/armlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuYgpIYa6_NmqmeSU1sI-yRhqtFmvF__Qy_cult0v174n42T5-0Y3-mjebcWiABixCk64tqRLfpuJSZmRgDd1srXI8FZl1QyYF0cEhCngJGmsR-L84sfqRaaLvwVZniHynCA6cE5RxpmQ/s320/armlet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One of the armlets, just after dyeing but before putting on the finishing touches.</span></div>
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I also started making some decorative patches for a jerkin:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJjxh48okeABYTYRLWkJ5BKf-iJiIMpHk5g_zd9SiVKDliy5ZcIVcLVSUO-Y6G9JZ5H0WV0yQTnZlQpPPfrZMKCehNeNU7yJpwDpaep2qL2kq1AznIJcetxs3k731MMpJAbN3lPiOKoq9/s1600/AndreaBackCU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJjxh48okeABYTYRLWkJ5BKf-iJiIMpHk5g_zd9SiVKDliy5ZcIVcLVSUO-Y6G9JZ5H0WV0yQTnZlQpPPfrZMKCehNeNU7yJpwDpaep2qL2kq1AznIJcetxs3k731MMpJAbN3lPiOKoq9/s320/AndreaBackCU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For the back, across the shoulders. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkFbSoaJ_hlXoPtSrHivySmwSMjj9LSZK7Lh-xt1b2erH1yocL7mxkk4YRGoE2owULyUP1AuWaNHzmuxL1_HmPCdDrTkTX-IvXQBLuYhW1VQgE2uvCGcEUDNF3uOhb5WSCbZIkAJZe2vN/s1600/AndreaFrontPanelCU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkFbSoaJ_hlXoPtSrHivySmwSMjj9LSZK7Lh-xt1b2erH1yocL7mxkk4YRGoE2owULyUP1AuWaNHzmuxL1_HmPCdDrTkTX-IvXQBLuYhW1VQgE2uvCGcEUDNF3uOhb5WSCbZIkAJZe2vN/s320/AndreaFrontPanelCU.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Down the right side of the chest</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A little bit of detailing on the collar. </span></div>
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Although I finished the jerkin in March, probably just best to put it up here now...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVM_-n1YofJaErgDg2xhbNdIHqm08nPtZ510Zqk5JUgd-LhduG95vbDgthZ7BuwwJ4wHwZdtuCs6jnA3yrHJNe4oWrPVwze84RDqLz701sITkM77o6Smk989yg-z93nXYKRg5E9F0nnfs/s1600/AndreasArmour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVM_-n1YofJaErgDg2xhbNdIHqm08nPtZ510Zqk5JUgd-LhduG95vbDgthZ7BuwwJ4wHwZdtuCs6jnA3yrHJNe4oWrPVwze84RDqLz701sITkM77o6Smk989yg-z93nXYKRg5E9F0nnfs/s320/AndreasArmour.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sadly, the mannequin I used was at another maker's house -- and the customer is <i>way</i> smaller than I am, so this shot will have to suffice.</span></div>
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And finally... FINALLY...</div>
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<b>What I made in March </b>(everything ever, by the feel of it):</div>
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March was full of armour, armour, armour, more armour and... a handpurse.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-wqQQXhqG3a1Mpi_aCQiu67EJ6QEnZC2_2Sz5PlYgCYdaIokTmkY275h3P_8lm31o4oPODKcZXOHUA9ptORevu-Cj4zpdA6yNufZnE31k4HTSf2yWPTKcpUCIIj4a0Pe5SkQDRChq94n/s1600/c_purse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-wqQQXhqG3a1Mpi_aCQiu67EJ6QEnZC2_2Sz5PlYgCYdaIokTmkY275h3P_8lm31o4oPODKcZXOHUA9ptORevu-Cj4zpdA6yNufZnE31k4HTSf2yWPTKcpUCIIj4a0Pe5SkQDRChq94n/s320/c_purse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrd3M9m9fktM46Hf_1ychofuLu-6yTbMpKD9DSZ-Uz4_4qx9sK3M537ibzQHMNE4XaFFt5EJVT-ifM6xWRpUm_VmVJBIFT8Mcel7gjNg8jK4BNSmumk-h3vBxz-UO3U8nuk4vBVnutKph/s1600/WP_000566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A small monogrammed hand purse. Vegtan, suede pigskin lining.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">A circlet, belt and pauldron set, tricked out in brass. 3.5mm - 4mm vegtan. That stuff was wonderfully gnarly to work with. The brass cut aways are runes as this is supposed to represent magical armour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghLMddafOrhqFBotJ6XuukPAEFlBgQiaDbk5XWJWFG867VSFV7W84s0GWX6zexW_LBG7svRyk2zA9JXXMD2W-5w2nblwJ7E8k0EVjHZMp2ucLPw4Vqq2zrKrMVpMKHM7Gihg1XIODrRZL/s1600/bracers_whole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghLMddafOrhqFBotJ6XuukPAEFlBgQiaDbk5XWJWFG867VSFV7W84s0GWX6zexW_LBG7svRyk2zA9JXXMD2W-5w2nblwJ7E8k0EVjHZMp2ucLPw4Vqq2zrKrMVpMKHM7Gihg1XIODrRZL/s320/bracers_whole.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Two shots of my most favourite bracers I've ever made, ever. I may have to make a set for myself next time!</span></div>
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I also created a hooded mantle to go with a set of armour. It has detailed bits, which are super hard to get pictures of whilst being worn across the shoulders, so here's a shot of one below:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6sRSLc0_zmVyQcDvlC1MAYUI_R6bgpgeIn-Kd1zeqO5RfjqW3lRb3FFioRubKbxdcDBg1Ik8-eWDWLiNWruWwO8hK7aKK49v5-FEVgL5n6CNorVx-nX5x7oO5zpvxKwE6PZiuDU2I-VB/s1600/WP_000540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6sRSLc0_zmVyQcDvlC1MAYUI_R6bgpgeIn-Kd1zeqO5RfjqW3lRb3FFioRubKbxdcDBg1Ik8-eWDWLiNWruWwO8hK7aKK49v5-FEVgL5n6CNorVx-nX5x7oO5zpvxKwE6PZiuDU2I-VB/s320/WP_000540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Followed by a shot of the mantle and the jerkin it goes with being modeled by the very understanding other half, as it's tailored for a bloke. However, I wanted pictures of me in the mantle too, so we took some:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0lVilxHEMj9rFfycNAk4RUYjaQRPUlHwR9mtHvlJpuG7dBsno4EqAFLazFyQX1_G2GFHwND7iIOWaUSZBAgyqVM8Pb14gtkZC4DH2sFJ19kVbBMStPxUEqZPnixjJdIzhZD5UC8PiXWL/s1600/looksee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0lVilxHEMj9rFfycNAk4RUYjaQRPUlHwR9mtHvlJpuG7dBsno4EqAFLazFyQX1_G2GFHwND7iIOWaUSZBAgyqVM8Pb14gtkZC4DH2sFJ19kVbBMStPxUEqZPnixjJdIzhZD5UC8PiXWL/s320/looksee2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENqR9igVNar24CmpYPa5i_Oga33WxHhcxT-rXH7u8KSwzvORHwaEjbv8ngLNmzZ6eoQl686nAoCTFHh6UHUHuY8-3flHamzMXGu2nrtuXtlhbxYEm3iciYGHic6EEoIzsLHt0dNaOrpNC/s1600/thoughtfulSpear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENqR9igVNar24CmpYPa5i_Oga33WxHhcxT-rXH7u8KSwzvORHwaEjbv8ngLNmzZ6eoQl686nAoCTFHh6UHUHuY8-3flHamzMXGu2nrtuXtlhbxYEm3iciYGHic6EEoIzsLHt0dNaOrpNC/s320/thoughtfulSpear.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yeah, okay, that last one is just included because I liked how it looked. Hey, how often do you get to go on a make binge, make some awesome stuff, and then take pictures of it <i>in the snow</i>, in which everything looks better? </div>
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The final make list for the last nine weeks:</div>
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Kindle cover</div>
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Four hero belts</div>
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Two sets of bracers</div>
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A pair of armlets</div>
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A hooded mantle with decorative gubbins</div>
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Two jerkins, one highly decorative</div>
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A runic headband</div>
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One set of pauldrons</div>
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A mini-clutch purse</div>
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A beaver skin shoulder set</div>
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A harness</div>
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And a leather tunic.</div>
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Oh, and the 20 group symbols (not pictured) created using emboss plates. Because emboss plates are awesome -- after all, I can create a design in Photoshop or Illustrator and *bosh* the job is done.</div>
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I work in a "real job" two days a week and volunteer elsewhere a day a week. On reflection, no wonder it's been tough. I have actually put my foot down and am taking a week off though. Aside from that scabbard I'm going to make. And maybe a handbag... *grin*. I think I hear my other half putting his foot down...</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-8359901403352875532013-01-19T12:33:00.000+00:002013-01-19T14:17:43.930+00:00Medieval Glasses and Viking Reading Crystals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As a leatherworker, I get extremely interested when I hear the phase "leather framed glasses". I never knew such a thing existed until a few days ago, when I saw a link to an article discussing a rare book containing an even rarer imprint of glasses. Yes, someone, several hundred years ago, shut their glasses in the back of a book they'd been reading:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdBaCIA332wViU7qg4lxHQgY95HDDKsi2XplNkuFE9q3r8ayoymOEp2tXSIf3CBbX0JKJOUE2Y1Ma1X8nI7n4aPucoJtDX-vPt2EeihQ_pws8r67ZfQzEfiXvzjXerQOyzQ-iUoV6tn1f/s1600/EyeglassesImprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdBaCIA332wViU7qg4lxHQgY95HDDKsi2XplNkuFE9q3r8ayoymOEp2tXSIf3CBbX0JKJOUE2Y1Ma1X8nI7n4aPucoJtDX-vPt2EeihQ_pws8r67ZfQzEfiXvzjXerQOyzQ-iUoV6tn1f/s400/EyeglassesImprint.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Impression of glasses left in the endpapers of a copy of the <i>Opera of Fr. Luigi di Granata </i>(1568-69). This copy uses a page from an older manuscript. It was pretty common for printed books of this time period to reuse old manuscripts for endpapers or as spine liners. Photo by Pete Smith. Original article: <a href="http://www.utexas.edu/opa/blogs/culturalcompass/2012/04/17/medieval-spectacles/" target="_blank">http://www.utexas.edu/opa/blogs/culturalcompass/2012/04/17/medieval-spectacles/</a></span></div>
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The speculation is that these were leather framed glasses, an invention that was certainly in use in the 15th and 16th centuries. It certainly makes you wonder how long those glasses remained in there before someone removed them though. I also wonder how unobservant someone would have to be to lose their glasses in such a way...<br />
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Still, glasses are definitely up there in the most important inventions of the last 2000 years. They were likely invented in Italy between 1268-1289, based on contemporary sources such as paintings and even sermons. Although none of these early spectacles have survived (the earliest pair we have being from around 1400), we know that The Guild of Crystal Workers in Venice adopted the term "roida da ogli" in 1300 to refer specifically to lenses for glasses.<br />
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Before glasses were developed, however, monks had been using reading stones. These were basically medieval magnifying glasses:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenM0qfp-R3ePYHAzEwMHOZCWn7Q4VDAuXl9Fv7Fyn3YUcmhwHBob6V0-9D05mRaM8rD3x7Lg5YgN7uzKMTsMmrWqZ6vQRH10XJOSlRYH-czb6_5yFEYqUqLTyJeaw6-gddLFW76hT_1AF/s1600/reading+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenM0qfp-R3ePYHAzEwMHOZCWn7Q4VDAuXl9Fv7Fyn3YUcmhwHBob6V0-9D05mRaM8rD3x7Lg5YgN7uzKMTsMmrWqZ6vQRH10XJOSlRYH-czb6_5yFEYqUqLTyJeaw6-gddLFW76hT_1AF/s1600/reading+stone.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Between 1000 and 1250, <span style="font-size: x-small;">pr<span style="font-size: x-small;">es<span style="font-size: x-small;">byopic</span></span> mon<span style="font-size: x-small;">ks use<span style="font-size: x-small;">d reading stones, often made of berylli<span style="font-size: x-small;">um or quartz, to read<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and work on manuscripts. <span style="font-size: x-small;">It would take another two ce<span style="font-size: x-small;">nturies before someone thought to stick<span style="font-size: x-small;"> smaller versions of them into frames that sa<span style="font-size: x-small;">t in front of the eyes.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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It was thought that these reading stones were mostly the property of monks, however, a set of crystal lenses made from quartz showed up in Viking graves in Visby, Gotland (Sweden). Now, in fairness, Vikings were known for their love of pillaging monasteries. They also had trade links though, which we often forget about. Archaeologists believe that the lenses came from Byzantium or the Middle East, although unfinished lenses and rock crystal beads were found in 1999 in Frojel, meaning that someone could have been making them on Gotland. The nifty thing about these lenses is that these people didn't have the mathematic<span style="font-size: small;">al knowledge</span> to create them, still believing that light emanated from the eyes, rather than entering them. They must have created these things through trial and error alone -- and it's believed that the know-how to do so was restricted to only a handful of craftsmen, if not only one at this time.<br />
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<span id="goog_1368714179"></span><span id="goog_1368714180"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">A range of <span style="font-size: x-small;">the lenses found at <span style="font-size: x-small;">Visby, al<span style="font-size: x-small;">though sadly, the largest and most impressi<span style="font-size: x-small;">ve one has been lost since the 1950s. Some of these were mounted and hung from pendants. Th<span style="font-size: x-small;">e others may have been waiting for mou<span style="font-size: x-small;">nting or <span style="font-size: x-small;">were left deliberately unmounted</span>. Likely used for magnification, however, they could also have been used for starting fires or just as decoration.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Work undertaken at <a href="http://www.kleinesdorfinschleswigholstein.de/buerger/oschmi/visby/visbye.htm" target="_blank">Aalen University of Applied Sciences</a> concluded that although the mounted lenses were most likely used only as jewelry, the larger, unmounted lenses are shaped just like a modern projector lens. The shaping was also deliberate, not accidental, so it's very difficult for the scholars to believe that these items weren't intended to work as visual aids. Certainly not during a time when such items did not commonly exist.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Refractive bling: A<span style="font-size: x-small;">n aspheric lens mounted in silver, found <span style="font-size: x-small;">in the graves in Visby, Got<span style="font-size: x-small;">land. The lenses are suspected to be <span style="font-size: x-small;">older than their mountings. On the dec<span style="font-size: x-small;">orative pendants, like this one, the back of the mount is not open, but polished silver. This <span style="font-size: x-small;">smaller <span style="font-size: x-small;">lens is purely deco<span style="font-size: x-small;">rative.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Either way, there's no disputing that if I were a Viking with a sight problem living on Gotland, I'd want one of these bad boys to help me see to do my crafts. Also, it must be said that the smaller mounted lenses are really very pretty. I'm a sucker for Viking bling, what can I say? </div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-56596003100360414572013-01-11T20:51:00.003+00:002013-01-11T20:51:37.023+00:00Forbidden Books: Aristotle's Complete Master-Piece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If a book is considered too racy and controversial to be socially acceptable, demand for it will be high. Of course, there will always be people who tut and sigh, even if the book is designed to be a medical and biological guide intended to inform rather than entertain. This is the case with <i>Aristotle's Complete Master-Piece</i>, which was first printed in 1680 and became a "banned" book in Great Britain until the 1960s. In the 18th century, however, more copies of this book sold than for any other medical manual on the market.<br />
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Interestingly, the book wasn't written by Aristotle and nor did it draw upon his works; it's thought that the name was used to sell more books through the credence of the name. It also, strictly speaking, wasn't officially and legally banned, according to <a href="http://www.lyonandturnbull.com/asp/fullCatalogue.asp?salelot=373++++++221+&refno=++163170" target="_blank">Lyon & Turnbull</a>, contradicting earlier news stories about this book. Sure, it was a work of high taboo and no one wanted to put their printing house on the copies, possibly for fear of persecution or even loss of earnings through association. Granted, it wasn't a polite book that people admitted to owning or wanted to be caught with. And yes, no one really wanted to be caught selling it either, but with that many sales, well, you can well imagine the conversation:<br />
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"Excuse me, but do you happen to have a copy of, ahem, <i>that book, you know the one, about... women's bits</i>... for sale, perhaps under the counter somewhere...? I'm a mid-wife/doctor. I'm only asking for necessity, you understand. For my job." "Of course you are..."<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Forbidden Book for Auction: <i>Aristotle's Mast</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>er-Piece Improved</i>. "<span style="font-size: x-small;">Printed and Sold by the Booksellers" because no one wanted to accept responsibility for <span style="font-size: x-small;">printing a<span style="font-size: x-small;"> medical and sexual manual in the 1<span style="font-size: x-small;">7th and 18th centuries. Chapters s<span style="font-size: x-small;">plit into Marriages, Monsters, <span style="font-size: x-small;">Conception and <span style="font-size: x-small;">D</span>irections for Midwives.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The book actually calls on the earlier works of Nicholas Culpepper and Albertus Magnus, with a very liberal helping of old wives tale. For example, did you know the best way for a midwife to help a woman with the afterbirth was for her to burn marigolds and generally waft the smoke into the mother's birth canal? Yeah, there's a reason why you didn't know that. Not really all that helpful after all, but in 1766, when the book above was published, this was stellar advice. I have never been so glad for modern medicine.<br />
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The book also advises on conception, advising that women and men both should enjoy the act of sex in order to conceive. This advice being given in the 18th century seems odd to us looking back on it from the modern day, but remember that we're looking back on history as filtered through the straight-laced Victorian era, which is ironic, given <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/victorias-and-alberts-secret.html" target="_blank">Victoria's own exploits</a>. The book also shows a picture of a baby in the womb, in context of the female body, which would have been quite helpful to midwives -- in theory at least:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Banned <span style="font-size: x-small;">imagery<span style="font-size: x-small;"> -<span style="font-size: x-small;">- "The Figure Explain'd<span style="font-size: x-small;">: Being a dissection of the womb with the usual manner <span style="font-size: x-small;">how the child lies the<span style="font-size: x-small;">rein, near the ti<span style="font-size: x-small;">me o<span style="font-size: x-small;">f its birth." Being the most explicit picture in this book, it was likely the reason it was <span style="font-size: x-small;">banned.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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One of the odder chapters is about "monsters and monstrous births and the several reasons thereof". Of course, it wouldn't be a good medical manual without illustrations of the "monsters" (a word that by today's standards is possibly the only thing still shocking in this book):<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Illustrations from the 1766 edition of the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">banned book <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Aristotle's Complete Master-Piece Improved</i></span></span> of "monsters"<span style="font-size: x-small;"> --</span> the only idea p<span style="font-size: x-small;">resented in this book that is still shocking<span style="font-size: x-small;"> outside of some of the dodgy medical advice. It<span style="font-size: x-small;"> attempts to provide case studies and give advice on how to avoid birth defects.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Much of the advice revolves around the archaic idea of a child that is conceived through sin will suffer such defects as being covered in hair, being conjoined, missing limbs or even having a mouth in the chest or stomach. "Sin" is often referred to as being extra-marital affairs or the child being conceived outside of wedlock. <br />
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The book is certainly a strange one and I have to admit that I wouldn't mind spending an afternoon reading it. However, in order to do that, I'd need to participate in the auction on 16th of January, and have approximately £300 ($500ish) to hand. I may need £300...<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-347847617955970252013-01-10T18:43:00.000+00:002013-01-10T19:45:33.539+00:00Gruesome: Blood of Decapitated King Found in Gourd<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
People like trophies of their victories; of course, that depends on the context of the victory. When the victory is the execution of a king, trophies of blood appear to be the order of the day -- at least, in 1793 in revolutionary France (or if your name happens to be <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/boccaccios-famous-women.html" target="_blank">Tamyris</a>).<br />
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It's always been rumoured that the people present at the execution of Louis XVI dipped their handkerchiefs in the blood that spilled from the neck of the dead king. Now, thanks to DNA analysis, that claim has been proven in a report published last month in the journal <i>Forensic Science International</i>.<br />
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One of these handkerchiefs was stored in a dried gourd, made for the purpose. Over time, the handkerchief deteriorated, however, the blood remained dried on the inside of the gourd:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gourd containing the dried blood of the executed King Louis X<span style="font-size: x-small;">VI of <span style="font-size: x-small;">France. The inscription reads "On January 21, Maximilien Bourdaloue dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Lou<span style="font-size: x-small;">i<span style="font-size: x-small;">s XVI after his decap<span style="font-size: x-small;">itation." Via <a href="http://www.livescience.com/25914-squash-holds-king-louis-xvi-blood.html" target="_blank">Livescience.</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The gourd has been held by a wealthy Italian family for a number of years and until now, there has been no real way of proving the inscription. This is mostly because the French royal family had a bit of a hard time of it (to say the least) during the French Revolution, even the dead ones. The royal family was so hated that revolutionaries actually went to the cemetery at Saint-Denis, took the long-dead bodies of the royals from their tombs, mutilated the corpses and tossed the remains into pits. In 2010, however, a head from one of these mutilated corpses surfaced and was made available to the scientific community for DNA testing. It was said to be the head of this man, Good King Henry:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvMspsHFIRTfsnBJ0TI7ZWy77we63x8lmisAeF5gaeEEsfL9njzUPhz9RtvPB5wChme9AGNRniuF1mx9YtkPkRjNxG8RKon89CnVK-5REQ7kG35QeTI3KePhJWS3Zrho3XBqUREK9BVtb/s1600/henriIV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvMspsHFIRTfsnBJ0TI7ZWy77we63x8lmisAeF5gaeEEsfL9njzUPhz9RtvPB5wChme9AGNRniuF1mx9YtkPkRjNxG8RKon89CnVK-5REQ7kG35QeTI3KePhJWS3Zrho3XBqUREK9BVtb/s400/henriIV.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Before death and desecration: </span>Henry IV of France<span style="font-size: x-small;"> --</span> Good <span style="font-size: x-small;">King H<span style="font-size: x-small;">en<span style="font-size: x-small;">ry<span style="font-size: x-small;"> rose to the throne in 1589 when <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">his cousin, </span>H<span style="font-size: x-small;">enry <span style="font-size: x-small;">III of <span style="font-size: x-small;">France<span style="font-size: x-small;">, was assas<span style="font-size: x-small;">sinated </span>by a <span style="font-size: x-small;">fanatical Catholic </span>monk<span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Good King Henry was actually considered to be a pretty awesome ruler, as rulers go, trying to improve the lives of all his subjects and quoted as saying things like "<i>If God keeps me, I will make sure that there is no sharecropper in my
kingdom who does not have the means to have a chicken in the pot every
Sunday!" </i>However, given the anger of the revolutionaries, and the fact that his reign ended in 1610 -- and that the revolution took place in the 1790s... It's hardly surprising, really, that they revolutionaries desecrated the graves, even if it is really very grim. And it is really very grim. Check it out:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhtRL1Dg2hRE93l0kQTkIYd_zDKGD94LHxcCoFoq2JRP9ruXjr4zE5GS2pYOI3HwprUEMibs5R_4EGINyneSXbtlAGVaGcwNA58l9o9QQSodRbxe3dhBH16HlYJYp_IBuMs0kQKVsq3km/s1600/grimFace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhtRL1Dg2hRE93l0kQTkIYd_zDKGD94LHxcCoFoq2JRP9ruXjr4zE5GS2pYOI3HwprUEMibs5R_4EGINyneSXbtlAGVaGcwNA58l9o9QQSodRbxe3dhBH16HlYJYp_IBuMs0kQKVsq3km/s400/grimFace.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After death and desecration: The head of King Henry IV of France<span style="font-size: x-small;">, found in the garage of a <span style="font-size: x-small;">French pensioner in 201<span style="font-size: x-small;">0. You can actually see where his ear was pier<span style="font-size: x-small;">ced too. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Born in 1553, died 1610 when he was assassinated by a Catholic fanatic. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Who knew that death to <span style="font-size: x-small;">religious fanatics could be <span style="font-size: x-small;">hereditary across cousins? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The first genetic tests on the head were inconclusive, however, they later retested with materials taken from inside the head that had suffered less deterioration. From this material they were able to actually perform a DNA analysis which could then be compared to the blood from the gourd. They compared the Y chromosomes and were able to determine that yes, these two individuals were very much more than likely related -- 250 times more likely to be related than not. Additionally, both samples showed characteristics exhibited by people in the Bourbon region of France, where they were from.<br />
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Now the blood has been confirmed, scientists intend to map the genome of King Louis XVI of France, which could be one of the first historical genomes to be mapped. <br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-78859025860888823612013-01-05T04:00:00.000+00:002013-01-05T04:00:27.872+00:00Victoria's (and Albert's) Secret<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I like <i>QI</i>. It's a TV show that I can relate to, given that I seem to collect random bits of knowledge like an old lady collects random bits of string. Apparently, I now use it to give me ideas when I'm stuck with writer's block like I was two weeks ago.<br />
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When we picture Queen Victoria, we picture the very straight-laced "Widow of Windsor"; a woman lost in perpetual mourning and the mother of the British Empire:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFj7f9NKMr_NKrEzUx2c0dBgmscMRQj44lbbaEJEBgx8dsbGpZ6Jx1SyjzuMPyTkuM5KgdHNMJYauRrcYLFemsMBCRPxnyxiNTvUzuM2Qsf3R-zeWDemOCJMQclKQRFqCfCslO2rwM0b7/s1600/Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFj7f9NKMr_NKrEzUx2c0dBgmscMRQj44lbbaEJEBgx8dsbGpZ6Jx1SyjzuMPyTkuM5KgdHNMJYauRrcYLFemsMBCRPxnyxiNTvUzuM2Qsf3R-zeWDemOCJMQclKQRFqCfCslO2rwM0b7/s400/Queen_Victoria_1887.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Queen Vic<span style="font-size: x-small;">toria, 18<span style="font-size: x-small;">87<span style="font-size: x-small;">, <span style="font-size: x-small;">around 68 years old. Although she never said "we are not amused", you can see why people thought that<span style="font-size: x-small;"> she did!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Of course, she wasn't born old. It's easy to forget given that the pictures we see of her are largely like the ones above. In her earlier years, she was absolutely besotted with her husband, Albert, although she had to ask him to marry her because of her royal position. He became The Prince Consort in 1840 and the marriage lasted 21 years, until his death from typhoid fever in 1861. It was his death that plunged her into the dark widow that we recognise today. But before that, she was much different:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Vic & Al, 1846<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Pictured here with <span style="font-size: x-small;">five</span> o<span style="font-size: x-small;">f her children. As a side note, she was one of the first women to use <span style="font-size: x-small;">anesthetic</span> during childbirth, against the advice and will of t<span style="font-size: x-small;">he cle<span style="font-size: x-small;">rgy, who believed that women should suffer the pain of Eve in order to <span style="font-size: x-small;">b<span style="font-size: x-small;">ring a healthy child into the world<span style="font-size: x-small;">.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> She helped to break that <span style="font-size: x-small;">belief.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Thing is, despite having nine children in total, Victoria hated being pregnant. She thought babies were ugly and she really didn't like the idea of breast feeding at all. She did, however, really like sex with her properly wedded husband. In fact, after her last child was born she was told by her doctor, James Reid, that any more pregnancies would be dangerous to her health. Her reply? “Oh, Sir James! Am I not to have any more fun in bed?” She was <i>far</i> from the picture of Victorian repression that we picture today, by all accounts. And fair play to her.<br />
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She was apparently very flirtatious as a wife, and as such, on Albert's 24th birthday, she surprised her husband with a portrait known for years after as "The Secret Picture". Albert kept it in his private chambers and it was said to be his favourite picture of her. At the time, it was seen as being a bit risqué, so he had every reason to keep it out of sight and very much to himself:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFVluS_VD_astsUNtS92jFftPpVg_wjFyJQtb4MaoIwziPY82lSQjVTE9wXpEQr9ZXQTPKXwOhEVT5QAzkOEYTPCQD5IGYHkNZ0J4PRbSAzoWW4YHGKt2HBzxu3_YfVuK3UA0ibZGFWkp/s1600/Winterhalter24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFVluS_VD_astsUNtS92jFftPpVg_wjFyJQtb4MaoIwziPY82lSQjVTE9wXpEQr9ZXQTPKXwOhEVT5QAzkOEYTPCQD5IGYHkNZ0J4PRbSAzoWW4YHGKt2HBzxu3_YfVuK3UA0ibZGFWkp/s400/Winterhalter24.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Queen Victoria's Secret: The portrait deemed <span style="font-size: x-small;">"too over<span style="font-size: x-small;">tly se<span style="font-size: x-small;">xual" to be shown to the public until 1977. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Of course, posing for such a picture would also have been seen as been scandalous by some. That's 1843 for you! Still, it's a <span style="font-size: x-small;">beaut<span style="font-size: x-small;">iful picture and you can see why Albert <span style="font-size: x-small;">liked it<span style="font-size: x-small;"> -- and why the royal family wished to ke<span style="font-size: x-small;">ep it secret in order to keep Vict<span style="font-size: x-small;">oria's "proper" image in<span style="font-size: x-small;">tact.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The picture went on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2009 as part of an exhibition called <i>Victoria & Albert: Art & Love</i>, which focused on the years between Victoria's accession to the throne and Albert's death. I have no idea what Victoria or Albert would think about it going on display, but it humanises her, her husband and her relationship; it allows us to relate to a couple in love, rather than the sadness that followed. I'd like to think that they wouldn't mind it being shared 170 years later.</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-36949345984276805342012-12-31T04:01:00.000+00:002012-12-31T04:21:57.211+00:00Why Doctor Who Fails at Time Travel in Medieval and Renaissance England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today, I was doing some research into New Year's during different time periods and checking out some of the awesome calendars people made hundreds of years ago. Calendars tended to last longer in those days and generally came in book form. Rather than being the ephemeral items they are today, they were works of art and skill:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eBTBHDVk1Rfd7g2QwMgoimRPKaLAmiUVwLhL2DBO_v2KO2_DKH_1QvNNpUYe_y9xhLViwYqSP0_Cd0-7kHIa9k-yAtIuRPnC6v3CDSzxDtqZiyyRdu0zj_ABIhSusniOL2gGWsM-jo03/s1600/GermanCalendar.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eBTBHDVk1Rfd7g2QwMgoimRPKaLAmiUVwLhL2DBO_v2KO2_DKH_1QvNNpUYe_y9xhLViwYqSP0_Cd0-7kHIa9k-yAtIuRPnC6v3CDSzxDtqZiyyRdu0zj_ABIhSusniOL2gGWsM-jo03/s400/GermanCalendar.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A 1496 copy of <span style="font-size: x-small;">the German calendar created by Johannes Von <span style="font-size: x-small;">Gmunden (c.1380-1443). It sold recently for <span style="font-size: x-small;">£73,250 ($11<span style="font-size: x-small;">7,3<span style="font-size: x-small;">47). <span style="font-size: x-small;">Astrological in nature, but <span style="font-size: x-small;">the book also contains a liturgical section. The m<span style="font-size: x-small;">oon looks smug though. It bothers me.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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However, I was reminded of something I learned years ago in school -- these medieval and renaissance types used a different calendar back then. At that point, as I was discussing the nuances of the Julian vs the Gregorian calendars to the other half, he just exclaimed "That's why The Doctor can't ever get anywhere or any-when at the correct time or place! It's not a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff -- he's just not taking calendars into account!"<br />
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I thought about this a moment and was going to disagree because, well, Time Lord. But then I remembered that The Doctor couldn't even think to save Rory and Amy from the weeping angels by going to 1935 to pick them up. So it makes sense to me that he could miss the whole calendars thing, which I should probably now explain, given that I've had caffeine and it's showing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Gxt7PnZixIgprW25gJALqcK3-H72QqMuwlT05f_FfM5LgWbFLmRQk-jj9k2ogv_rB_w1v6JWZ798huCfD4u-caLe1v7jSt2kbmJIEhrOuTP6FxZ8zeIk05Q4kGGGq8f_nZdENpk1oCx7/s1600/JustBlinkNow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Gxt7PnZixIgprW25gJALqcK3-H72QqMuwlT05f_FfM5LgWbFLmRQk-jj9k2ogv_rB_w1v6JWZ798huCfD4u-caLe1v7jSt2kbmJIEhrOuTP6FxZ8zeIk05Q4kGGGq8f_nZdENpk1oCx7/s640/JustBlinkNow.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Or this. They could have don<span style="font-size: x-small;">e this. That would have been fine too. HOW DID HE NOT S<span style="font-size: x-small;">POT THAT? Okay, calm. But it illustrates the point. No comm<span style="font-size: x-small;">on se<span style="font-size: x-small;">nse. Or per<span style="font-size: x-small;">haps New York is just too full of flanginium, that r<span style="font-size: x-small;">are<span style="font-size: x-small;">st<span style="font-size: x-small;">, yet most common of metals.</span></span></span></span></span></span> Incidentally, if you know who the artist <span style="font-size: x-small;">for this is, I'd love to give them credit -- this is something that I saw<span style="font-size: x-small;"> floating around <span style="font-size: x-small;">the Internet... :(</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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See, people have found different ways of measuring time. The Romans had a few ways, the last of which being the Julian Calendar, brought in by Julius Caesar in 46BC to start in 45BC (by our calendars). Romans of course measured from the founding of their city, Rome, (Ad Urbis Condita) so this change happened in 708AUC and 709AUC. For perspective, by their calendar, we're now living in 2676, by the way...<br />
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The Julian calendar was all very well and good, except for the fact that it was 11 minutes longer per year than nature allows for. Doesn't sound much until you realise that over the course of four centuries, it gained around 3 calendar days. By the time the more accurate Gregorian calendar that we use today was introduced to the Catholic countries of Europe in 1582, the vernal equinox was taking place on the 11th March instead of the church's date of the 21st, meaning that 10 calendar days had been unintentionally inserted over time. This was unacceptable given that the celebration of Easter was tied to the equinox and the seasons were getting out of sync.<br />
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This was further compounded by the fact that yes, under the Julian calendar, the year sensibly started on 1st January. But of course that didn't take Roman Catholic religious observances -- the liturgical cycle -- which began on 25th March.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAanthw52wpDiTFMpsERbURV5OQcRiwvGUpa8RyY4WMfL4UiKNt2rlKh5T4SGdDIgCN5qfcYCOVzn_xeM1X6EBuvp-gCoXjz9DYSM7jv7icWH5R4Zmr3iUOfMImD-u8TefKG69UpuqqUJ7/s1600/Annunciation+Royal+2+A+XVIII+f34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAanthw52wpDiTFMpsERbURV5OQcRiwvGUpa8RyY4WMfL4UiKNt2rlKh5T4SGdDIgCN5qfcYCOVzn_xeM1X6EBuvp-gCoXjz9DYSM7jv7icWH5R4Zmr3iUOfMImD-u8TefKG69UpuqqUJ7/s400/Annunciation+Royal+2+A+XVIII+f34.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A Medieval Cal<span style="font-size: x-small;">endar: </span>A page from a<span style="font-size: x-small;">n English B</span>ook of <span style="font-size: x-small;">H</span>ours (1401-14<span style="font-size: x-small;">14)</span> held at the British Library, helpfully filed as "<a href="http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6543&CollID=16&NStart=20118">Royal 2 A XVIII</a>". This page <span style="font-size: x-small;">illustrates<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 25th March<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the Feast of Annunciation), which according to tradition is the day Mary was told "Yo. You're pregnant."<span style="font-size: x-small;"> This was therefore the start of t<span style="font-size: x-small;">he New Year<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">fo<span style="font-size: x-small;">r <span style="font-size: x-small;">cou<span style="font-size: x-small;">nt<span style="font-size: x-small;">ries using the Julian <span style="font-size: x-small;">calendar. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></div>
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So in practice, there was a secular New Year's Day and a religious one. The year, however, only went up on the religious New Year's Day, 25th March. Therefore, if Queen Elizabeth were to write a letter dated on the 1st January, 1567, which is correct from her perspective, we'd view it now as 1st January, 1568, which is correct from ours. She'd also go to bed on 24th March, 1567 and wake up on 25th March, 1568 and this would be entirely normal.<br />
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To make matters even more complicated, note how I mentioned that the <i>Catholic</i> countries adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. So most of Europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, the Netherlands and all their territories) took this on board. Britain didn't. It was Protestant and firmly so; this new calendar thing was <i>clearly</i> a Catholic plot by the Pope to bring Britain back into line! Many Protestant countries felt this way. However, the new calendar eventually caught on, in time, because it was more accurate.<br />
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Britain, her American colony and her territories took on the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. By this time, the calendar was in something of a bind, so some trickery was used to fudge the dates and bring them into line. On 24th March, 1751, the next day was 25th March, 1752. This was actually normal (religious New Year, remember). But, it was decreed that the year ended on 31st December, 1752, and therefore the year went up, the next day, on 1st January, 1753. The calendar was also still out by 12 days, however, so 2nd September, 1752 was followed by 14th September, 1752. 1752 was 72 days shorter. I kid you not. They just decided to not have those days that year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00STyWg43D1wCzxEM2FXh7fH-V9iFoSOt1tSsd6ZlZxizUXteUa4pIMTV8OewxpVEEY2gtVxxULPsY_8DTh7VEqj8tK8DNKFYPhe56yrSEMrKzU4ZlCuEFYCYlRrVtclVfv5_Ni2uF61B/s1600/Almanack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00STyWg43D1wCzxEM2FXh7fH-V9iFoSOt1tSsd6ZlZxizUXteUa4pIMTV8OewxpVEEY2gtVxxULPsY_8DTh7VEqj8tK8DNKFYPhe56yrSEMrKzU4ZlCuEFYCYlRrVtclVfv5_Ni2uF61B/s1600/Almanack.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A page from <span style="font-size: x-small;">William Hunter's Virginia Almanack for <span style="font-size: x-small;">September 1752.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Despite 175<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 being 72 days shorter than every <span style="font-size: x-small;">other year ever, I doubt he gave 20% off his Almanacks (<a href="http://www.virginiamemory.com/reading_room/this_day_in_virginia_history/september/02" target="_blank">source</a>).</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Apparently, this is all even confusing to historian<span style="font-size: small;">s, mo<span style="font-size: small;">stly because <span style="font-size: small;">half of them update and half of them don't<span style="font-size: small;">. Not exactly helpful, but at least they generally state it at the start of their works. The Gregorian calendar beca<span style="font-size: small;">me the worldwide standard over time</span></span></span></span></span>, though the last country to accept it was Greece in 1923. The Greek Orthodox churches, however, still use the Julian calendar.<br />
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Just as a note: This will blow my mind at 4am tomorrow night -- when I remember it and I've had a few. Although no time travelers ever make note of any of these discrepancies, I'm really glad they don't. It'd just be confusing. But you'd think The Doctor could at least install some kind of upgrade for it!<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-75578950395949263402012-12-24T06:10:00.001+00:002012-12-24T06:43:07.106+00:00A Medieval Christmas in England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over the past few days I've read quite a few articles about how people in medieval times spent their Christmas. My big bugbear about this is that many articles have spoken about the past as if it's all one big place -- and even as if all of Europe is one big place. Having lived in a few countries myself, I know that the way one country celebrates Christmas is totally different from another; from that, it's fair to guess that one century also celebrated it in a different way to the others before or after it. The main problem is that very few accounts still exist from various times that tell how people spent their Christmas -- therefore we amalgamate and extrapolate. It's fair, though I've tried to keep this post to a limited time period (1340s - 1480s), which has actually been difficult to do. It's sad that much of the evidence has gone. Thing is, not all of it has. Some of it is there, you just have to look for it.<br />
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For example, manuscripts sometimes show in their marginalia drawings of mummers and guisers ("performers in disguise") performing plays. We know that in England's royal courts, for example, plays were written annually for the mummers. We even have some picture evidence:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAd3QKiLnL6pul7OpwdFlSoLcQ4g7dgWEeL7xLNXS7AlyU1m15CdE_QbeM8qx61EtlttEIHjTr3rADkXq-44r3Xv4aln_DO_NpmJZzrGZPMxCCbb-3JJakyyDWMAQWCcoKcTYY5SSTz2c/s1600/Mummers2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAd3QKiLnL6pul7OpwdFlSoLcQ4g7dgWEeL7xLNXS7AlyU1m15CdE_QbeM8qx61EtlttEIHjTr3rADkXq-44r3Xv4aln_DO_NpmJZzrGZPMxCCbb-3JJakyyDWMAQWCcoKcTYY5SSTz2c/s400/Mummers2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mummers wearing full facial masks as part of a mumming<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (play). Mummings took place at Christmas<span style="font-size: x-small;"> though apart from <span style="font-size: x-small;">knowing that they used rhyming couplets, we know little else about the early mummings. This is from a <span style="font-size: x-small;">manuscript created in 1344 for the court of Edward III. Source: <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/view/all/what/This+section+of+the+manuscript+was+written+by+the+scribe+in+Picardian+French,+the+dialect+of+Flanders,+in+1338+and+by+the+Tournai+illuminator+Jehan+de+Grise+and+his+atelier+in+1344.+The+text+of+this+first+part+of+the+manuscript+is+the+French+version+which+gained+the+greater+popularity+and+it+has+accretions+to+the+main+story+by+several+authors.+Fols+3r-21v%3A+first+branch+of+the+Romance+%28not+the+oldest+portion,+but+prefixed+later+to+the+Romance%29.+Fols+22r-46v%3A+second+branch+of+the+Romance,+composed+by+Eustache,+rehandled+and+worked+into+the+Romance+by+Alexandre+de+Bernai.+Fols+47r-208r%3A+third+part+of+the+Romance,+by+Lambert+le+Tort/when/1338-1344?os=0&pgs=50&sort=Shelfmark%252Csort_order" target="_blank">Bodleian Library</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Sadly, no play scripts or performance details exist from this time period. In fact, it's only documented in that way from the mid-18th century, but we do know that tradition goes back quite away due to references in manuscripts and pictures like the one above. We also know that these plays usually cast St. George as the hero and a Turkish knight as the villain. They also often featured a theme of resurrection, usually where a doctor administers a cure for the fallen.<br />
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We also know from reports that Edward VI had a <i>massive</i> Christmas feast in 1482. He reportedly fed 2,000 people per day, for the entire 12 days of Christmas. He also took the chance to glam up (just as well as it was his last Christmas), with one guest noting that he was "clad in a great
variety of most costly garments, of quite a different cut to
those which had usually be seen hitherto in our kingdom." He was a believer in style and in bling, even when it came to food. They served up a variety of different meats, including the obvious boar and the not so obvious peacock:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhDOp_DBCtLt9MQo-qDwqe7L_4_i0WpLOfgtR8lHk82x_kBJ4EvbXkT9cGOOHNbGrV9Q4ld7oxhgcS47CSv7ejT0S7-rJF8D3ct_qAxN7QPEaA-barAmoZOFu4RVmNo73JWCAo8ggtdTp/s1600/GildedPeacock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMhDOp_DBCtLt9MQo-qDwqe7L_4_i0WpLOfgtR8lHk82x_kBJ4EvbXkT9cGOOHNbGrV9Q4ld7oxhgcS47CSv7ejT0S7-rJF8D3ct_qAxN7QPEaA-barAmoZOFu4RVmNo73JWCAo8ggtdTp/s400/GildedPeacock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The feast of the peacock<span style="font-size: x-small;">, 15<span style="font-size: x-small;">th <span style="font-size: x-small;">century. Yes, when they served peacock, they served it with the feathers<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Well, they took the skin and the feathers off to cook it, and then wrapped them back around the bird when it was do<span style="font-size: x-small;">ne </span>so it was presented at the t<span style="font-size: x-small;">able looking more</span> like it d<span style="font-size: x-small;">id when it was alive. So<span style="font-size: x-small;">metimes, if the<span style="font-size: x-small;">y were feeling <span style="font-size: x-small;">really extravagant, they g<span style="font-size: x-small;">ilded the combs. True fact. For more <span style="font-size: x-small;">traditions, check out <a href="https://whydyoueatthat.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/25-days-of-christmas-the-christmas-bird-part-the-first/?like=1" target="_blank">this blog</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Boar, however, was what Richard III preferred, which is no surprise given that the white boar was his personal emblem. And it was popular<span style="font-size: small;"> because it's </span>tasty. Really tasty. Peacock was<span style="font-size: small;">, by contrast, pretty tough and not all that tasty, but it was really, really expensive. In fact, it was the most expensive bir<span style="font-size: small;">d money could b<span style="font-size: small;">uy for a<span style="font-size: small;">round 350 years, ac<span style="font-size: small;">cording to records <span style="font-size: small;">kept by London's <span style="font-size: small;">p<span style="font-size: small;">ou<span style="font-size: small;">ltry guild. So<span style="font-size: small;">, looks like it <span style="font-size: small;">was the medieval version of caviar then. Yes, I have opinions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Exchanging presents is a fairly obvious custom, still practiced today as it was back then<span style="font-size: small;">. Gifts were often best<span style="font-size: small;">owed on the members of the court, but <span style="font-size: small;">the gift giving di<span style="font-size: small;">dn't s<span style="font-size: small;">top there. <span style="font-size: small;">Relics were sometimes gi<span style="font-size: small;">fted to churches<span style="font-size: small;">. Titles and honours were also presented to people.<span style="font-size: small;">... and s</span>omet<span style="font-size: small;">imes, they even <span style="font-size: small;">th<span style="font-size: small;">rew in the promise of a wife. In 1470, George Neville was granted a dukedom<span style="font-size: small;"> and a betro<span style="font-size: small;">thal to Elizabeth of York as a way of trying to pacify the Yorkist supporters.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">El<span style="font-size: x-small;">izabeth of York, not just for Christmas<span style="font-size: x-small;">: Didn't marry Nev<span style="font-size: x-small;">ille in the end.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> She did much b<span style="font-size: x-small;">etter for herself by marrying Henry VII<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and being the mother to <span style="font-size: x-small;">Prince Henry (later Henry VIII). <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/henry-viii-prince-in-mourning.html" target="_blank">She died when he was 11.</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Course, Neville sw<span style="font-size: small;">itched sides not long <span style="font-size: small;">after</span>, w<span style="font-size: small;">hich kind of broke the marriage deal. Still, Elizabeth got a better deal in 148<span style="font-size: small;">4</span> when she and Anne Neville (yes, same family, only this one was married to Richard III) exchanged presents<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">of clothing. According to at least one source, there was a lot of dancing and singing that particular year<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">, <span style="font-size: small;">s</span>o apparently drinking and hangovers was probably also a part of these festivities. A <span style="font-size: small;">st<span style="font-size: small;">rong </span>Church Ale was also sold at<span style="font-size: small;"> Christ<span style="font-size: small;">mas<span style="font-size: small;">,</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>often lea<span style="font-size: small;">ding to a lot of d<span style="font-size: small;">ancing, singing and general merriment </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">in the churches an<span style="font-size: small;">d chu<span style="font-size: small;">rch<span style="font-size: small;">yards</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, which some people frowned up<span style="font-size: small;">on. Then again, some folks will fro<span style="font-size: small;">wn on anything. <span style="font-size: small;">Ah well, <span style="font-size: small;">sucked to be them! Happy hangovers!</span></span></span></span></div>
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If you want to read even more about this, head on over to this awesome site: <a href="http://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval/christmas.htm" target="_blank">http://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval/christmas.htm</a><br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-86625194741333331962012-12-17T03:02:00.000+00:002012-12-17T03:08:59.970+00:00The Jesse Tree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a little while since my last posting... You know how it is -- December is a month for family and friends visiting and for panicking and shopping and, well, failing to get stuff done. I even got a little bit of writer's block, if I'm honest, so I decided to turn to my leatherworking muse to try and shift it. In doing research for tree designs, I came across the idea of a Jesse Tree -- an unfamiliar idea that actually should be very familiar, as it turns out.<br />
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<span id="goog_1678343691"></span><span id="goog_1678343692"></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">A<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Jesse Tree from the <i>Winchester Psalter</i>, <span style="font-size: x-small;">a 12th century book of <span style="font-size: x-small;">psalms from England<span style="font-size: x-small;">, made <span style="font-size: x-small;">for the brot<span style="font-size: x-small;">her of King Stephen. It<span style="font-size: x-small;"> dep<span style="font-size: x-small;">icts the line of Christ. Yep, it's a family tree.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The chap lying down at the bottom is Jesse, father to David, who is the chap on the first fork of the tree. It ascends up to Mary and then Jesus at the top. The chaps at either side are actually prophets, holding the scriptures that point to the prophesy of Christ as the Messiah. It's a fairly common theme in these scriptural family trees -- but they're not just kept to books. Trees of Jesse are also depicted in stained glass windows in churches and as time went on, good grief, they got grand:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Stained glass Jesse Tree at Saint<span style="font-size: x-small;">-</span>Étienne's church in Beauvais, France, <span style="font-size: x-small;">created between 1522-1524. Jesse is the chap in the <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">four-</span>poster bed at the bottom<span style="font-size: x-small;">. To his left i<span style="font-size: x-small;">s Francis I of France<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and to his right is </span></span></span></span></span>the Holy Roman Emporer Charlies V. The rest are misc kings of J<span style="font-size: x-small;">udea<span style="font-size: x-small;"> plus St. Louis.</span></span></span></div>
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It took two years for this to be put together -- it's no wonder really to look at it. It's amazingly beautiful and detailed. If you'd like to see better and more in detail pictures, check out <a href="http://professor-moriarty.com/info/section/stained-glass/pre-c19/beauvais-france-tree-jesse-saint-%C3%A9tienne-beauvais" target="_blank">this article by Professor Moriarty</a>. <br />
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It wasn't just stereotypical churchy things that got the whole Jesse Tree treatment either. I came across a liturgical comb fragment that features this design:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ivory comb fragment from Bavaria, Germany. It's from between 1180-1220<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and measure<span style="font-size: x-small;">s 3 5/8"x4" in si<span style="font-size: x-small;">ze<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and has an insane amount of detail.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Each of t<span style="font-size: x-small;">he scriptures have writing in Latin, in incredibly small lettering... How much skill?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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Isiah is stood on the left, holding a scroll that translates to "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse...". I don't think they could have thought of a more unattractive way of putting it. Yeesh. That was probably the point though.<br /><br />I've always wondered where the idea of a family tree actually came from. Incidentally, the Jesse Tree bears no relation to the Christmas tree, even though I really looked for that connection -- well, you know. It's December. Everything has to be Christmas related, right?<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-28670188450871746012012-12-08T02:50:00.000+00:002012-12-08T03:41:28.017+00:00Jorvik Centre & Coppergate Helm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last week I went to the Jorvik Centre in York. I'd been there before as a child, but as that was a very long time ago, I thought I'd give it another visit. It's a museum based on the Coppergate digs, which have yielded artifacts mostly from the mid to late 10th century, but with several from before that. It's mainly Viking focused, although there's a good smattering of Anglo-Saxon and other influences too. <br />
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The Jorvik Centre good way to spend an afternoon, though it is definitely oriented towards school groups as it features a ride that you have to go on in order to get from one part of the museum to the other. I have to admit to not taking any pictures during the ride because it includes moving, talking, mechanical people and I don't know about you, but those things creep me the hell out. At least one of them has been pooping in a corner since I was a kid. I think I'm good for pictures of that, thanks...<br />
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It's pretty dark inside Jorvik, but I did get a few decent pictures of one or two items. The exhibits largely give an insight into the day to day life of your average person living in York during this time period; the average, day to day folk -- not berserkers or warriors, but folk. I kind of like that.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bone and antler combs found in the Coppergate area of York<span style="font-size: x-small;">. <span style="font-size: x-small;">These were really common objects, however, the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> evidence points to a craf<span style="font-size: x-small;">ter making combs at <span style="font-size: x-small;">Coppergate as <span style="font-size: x-small;">many half-f<span style="font-size: x-small;">i<span style="font-size: x-small;">nished combs were found</span></span></span>. The<span style="font-size: x-small;"> teeth <span style="font-size: x-small;">were finely spaced so as to take care of nit<span style="font-size: x-small;">s and lice.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></div>
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Having said that, the museum also houses a few skulls and skeletons, with some of those people noted as having "likely died in battle". One chap in particular had 16 bone crushing or damaging wounds, so "likely" is probably not the word. I did find myself contemplating exactly how he died, as grim as it sounds. It is easy to picture a lone <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/freydis-eiriksdottir-viking-warrior.html" target="_blank">Viking warrior</a>, unaware of the line having folded to both sides, being swamped by the oncoming tide of enemy. His skeleton told the story of someone who'd been a career warrior; I hope his death was at least quick. It was certainly violent. <br />
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Jorvik also houses a reproduction of the Coppergate Helmet (the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anglo-Saxon_Coppergate_Helmet.jpg" target="_blank">original</a> being housed at the Yorkshire Museum). This helm is awesome. It's an Anglo-Saxon helm from between 750-775AD which was partially dismantled and stashed so that someone could return for it at a later point. It would have belonged to someone of pretty high status because it's iron, brass and bling:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncEA44Ccv258wg-TTGctuY0dxNDaFhyphenhyphenb7RcgJ7wkc-Jc3HumhHe5zb_Hrlvm6VsXE7P2fxIhyfJJ7iwrVkhDzZGaTwaqhtnu9ALbpYjeBvBIFjlJ0LCO-r92CUNzTcXSVpbqHZdBgw8dA/s1600/CopperGateHelm+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncEA44Ccv258wg-TTGctuY0dxNDaFhyphenhyphenb7RcgJ7wkc-Jc3HumhHe5zb_Hrlvm6VsXE7P2fxIhyfJJ7iwrVkhDzZGaTwaqhtnu9ALbpYjeBvBIFjlJ0LCO-r92CUNzTcXSVpbqHZdBgw8dA/s640/CopperGateHelm+copy.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reconstructed it it's original glory: The bar running up the forehead <span style="font-size: x-small;">bears the inscription<span style="font-size: x-small;"> "IN NOMINE:DNI:NOSTRI:IHV<span style="font-size: x-small;">:SCE:SPS:DI:ET:OMNIBVS:DECEMVS:<span style="font-size: x-small;">AMEN:OSH<span style="font-size: x-small;">ERE:XPI"</span></span>. I<span style="font-size: x-small;">n short "In the name of our Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God: <span style="font-size: x-small;">and to all we say Amen/Oshere/C<span style="font-size: x-small;">hrist".</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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All that's known about the helm's original owner is that he was a Christian Anglian called "Oshere". He likely had a lot of money but even if he was royalty we'd likely never know, given how short a time some of the kings of York stayed in power at this time.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail of the nasal bar. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Makes you wonder if the guy had been wearing it rather than sta<span style="font-size: x-small;">shin<span style="font-size: x-small;">g it, if he'd have<span style="font-size: x-small;"> been capable of revis<span style="font-size: x-small;">iting the well at some point.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The helm reminds me of a later, Romanised version of the Vendel helms from Sweden -- these were also laden with scroll work and usually had a a boar crest where the inscription on this helm lies. As much as this was an Anglian helm, other influences are definitely apparent, which is appropriate given just how multicultural York was during this period.<br />
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As I said, it was a nice way to spend the afternoon and as a bonus, the gift shop is quite good too. On my way out though, I couldn't help but snap a picture of this:<br />
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Now <i>that</i> would be a great way to spend an afternoon... ;)</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-6378569012826777972012-12-04T20:21:00.000+00:002012-12-04T20:25:44.646+00:0017th Century Playing Cards -- Made from Silver<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, in my inbox this morning I found a news story about the re-discovery and sale of a set of playing cards created in Augsburg, Germany, in 1616. These are no ordinary cards though -- these are actually made of silver and gilded with gold using an archaic mercury gilding technique. The process is entirely illegal today; given that he would have added gold dust to mercury and then painted that solution onto the silver before firing it in a kiln... yeah. I'm kind of glad it is illegal. What's even more mad is that the artist creating this work (a chap named Michael Frömmer) knew it was dangerous at the time; no one really knew how or why it was a health hazard though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yWqz27CkhZubISbjho49cWzTA5Cg0coZqiISu_C1YNOmrwPTYfmPftlYC8Tvzt-73IcmEGNhwCduplkai5bLxvAgLeFwzNrQGlvdjgW3jyQVJHLBSj6eFFbGEbuw3eMZlPRJ0q2At3RD/s1600/cardsF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yWqz27CkhZubISbjho49cWzTA5Cg0coZqiISu_C1YNOmrwPTYfmPftlYC8Tvzt-73IcmEGNhwCduplkai5bLxvAgLeFwzNrQGlvdjgW3jyQVJHLBSj6eFFbGEbuw3eMZlPRJ0q2At3RD/s320/cardsF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photograph by Jay Weston. Visit <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12807090@N08/7183524359/in/set-72157630057292417/" target="_blank">here</a> for a bigger and better picture.</span></div>
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Thing is, these cards weren't even for playing with. They were Renaissance bling. They sat inside a <i>kunstschrank</i> (art cabinet) and looked nice. It was a way of saying "I have so much money, I can have this work of art and human engineering created for me." Of course, should the owners fall on hard times, they also had an awful lot of silver on hand that could be melted down. Security, currency, art and wealth all in one shot. It'd be a crying shame if it had happened to these though. The level of detail on these cards is immense and apparently on the same level as copper plates for print.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">King of Swords, dressed as the Holy Roman Emporer -- Likely Charlemagne. That's an insane amount of detail -- though given it's mercury gilding, insane is possibly the correct word. Photo by Patrick Debremme.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Cavalier (or Knight) of Batons, dressed in early 17th century military gear, rocking the popped collar. I'd love to know what his dog is looking at. Photo: Patrick Debremme, via <a href="http://www.livescience.com/25065-ancient-silver-playing-cards.html" target="_blank">LiveScience</a></span>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Though I totally object to their use of the term "ancient". 400 years is not ancient!</span></div>
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You may have noticed that these aren't your standard suits that you find in playing cards today. Back when these cards were produced, most countries in Europe had their own suits. This German-made deck actually uses Italian suits, which are those of swords, coins, batons and cups (ace to 10). Like modern decks, there are three face cards in each suit, although these comprise of king, cavalier/knight and knave. The deck therefore contains 52 cards -- no jokers.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Each card is blank on the back and only around 1mm thick -- thin enough to play with, but not to shuffle. They measure 3.4" by 2" and are one of only five sets of silver cards... and the only complete set in the world. </span></div>
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I'm not really sure why this news story has become prominent now, given that these cards were re-discovered (and went on sale) in 2010 at Christie's for a small fortune -- $554,500 to be precise. But it was an interesting thing to find in my inbox this morning.<br />
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If you want to read more about the provenance, Christie's has more info <a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-extremely-rare-set-of-german-engraved-5360861-details.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-75803860859457569202012-11-30T05:42:00.003+00:002012-11-30T05:52:00.365+00:00The Geese Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By the name of it, you'd think it was another falconry manuscript like <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/de-arte-venandi-cum-avibus.html" target="_blank"><i>De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus</i></a>, but it's actually a two volume liturgical book that was created in Germany between 1503 and 1510. It's called <i>The Geese Book</i> due to this illustration in the first book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MoTPVjAMJg24HSfgs6gjeZuiN4M27Nt15SN35B6tfwJcVXnNxmm5lWyMwOIxHYT8mMJh_4hbb6tKCfWYDzr5Q5Q0m32W70654wJ2FvwDd1ToLDlA7ZmhcS-46HxMzBZu92Dm9uAYDxxZ/s1600/GeesePreachingCU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MoTPVjAMJg24HSfgs6gjeZuiN4M27Nt15SN35B6tfwJcVXnNxmm5lWyMwOIxHYT8mMJh_4hbb6tKCfWYDzr5Q5Q0m32W70654wJ2FvwDd1ToLDlA7ZmhcS-46HxMzBZu92Dm9uAYDxxZ/s400/GeesePreachingCU.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Illustration from the botto<span style="font-size: x-small;">m of <span style="font-size: x-small;">a page showing a wolf leading<span style="font-size: x-small;"> a ch<span style="font-size: x-small;">oir of geese, with a fox standing over them. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Keeping the fowl singers in line? ...I'll get my coat...</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The volumes largely contain musical notation for chants with several very decorative illuminations. It's believed that one monk acted as scribe, whilst another chap was the artist. Having researched it a bit, I found out that this book is huge -- 25.75" x 17.5" -- and made of vellum with pigskin bindings. That's a lot of book, which doesn't sound massive until you see pictures:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CwWQxqltNOgGv8nPaxwKlXFmgSWz7zzDaPUY0gOW9MzYTsFIzoKUp7YgPejvWrLxliV0dFv6P4lNc6zy8eh9Kfqm8erROkAaibsd74558d7sr0S4JGiZsKLxPe_98YIbD-U9zofmIS1S/s1600/frontCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CwWQxqltNOgGv8nPaxwKlXFmgSWz7zzDaPUY0gOW9MzYTsFIzoKUp7YgPejvWrLxliV0dFv6P4lNc6zy8eh9Kfqm8erROkAaibsd74558d7sr0S4JGiZsKLxPe_98YIbD-U9zofmIS1S/s320/frontCover.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1wmS6GXe_wb5dcBqf9AMKB1OVtiFDtmkvVvzEouRtmkvjW8BhHInatOJ3EanozPWRteGDNgtWSEamLNrk6qHj3GXRB8yNOhUQRgjt3xXcUHdYvFcqpL9VsWWd7lEoaJg6qicq2RK9t7o/s1600/photographing.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1wmS6GXe_wb5dcBqf9AMKB1OVtiFDtmkvVvzEouRtmkvjW8BhHInatOJ3EanozPWRteGDNgtWSEamLNrk6qHj3GXRB8yNOhUQRgjt3xXcUHdYvFcqpL9VsWWd7lEoaJg6qicq2RK9t7o/s320/photographing.gif" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: The cover of <span style="font-size: x-small;">volume II of <span style="font-size: x-small;">The Geese B<span style="font-size: x-small;">ook. Sooo very pretty! </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Right: Pictures of the book being digitised <span style="font-size: x-small;">by the good people at <a href="http://www.public.asu.edu/~cschleif/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">T</span>he </a></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.public.asu.edu/~cschleif/" target="_blank">Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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The book contains a variety of chants for use at different times, some with some gorgeous illuminated margins and letters. Some of these chants are suggested for use at very precise days, such as the first Sunday in Advent, which, incidentally, has a really beautiful page, with a really odd illustration at the bottom:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvRoUsDrEwTg4F98TlpSfZCL0ajUvGkzl_woTa9TN9-WtfIdhj8PTBei8T3HGuJc_3GJjyD6KHbS9iZGkAVsIwJGO813D1uwDRGjIbIKT0xnuDdG4dSdQF5jwPW1yq98kYqkaUUs5qMSs/s1600/bearHug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvRoUsDrEwTg4F98TlpSfZCL0ajUvGkzl_woTa9TN9-WtfIdhj8PTBei8T3HGuJc_3GJjyD6KHbS9iZGkAVsIwJGO813D1uwDRGjIbIKT0xnuDdG4dSdQF5jwPW1yq98kYqkaUUs5qMSs/s400/bearHug.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bear and bear hunter in a bear hug.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> It looks oddly like a re<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">conciliation</span> rather than the bear attacking...</span></span></span></div>
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Even after all these centuries, the gold on these pages is bright and looks absolutely stunning. The best example is a page with notation for chants on Trinity Sunday. The whole page is beautiful and in fantastic condition:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3ycGCUKM0JJt_AF-MCgLvWCRj1us6anxcGaWNzSeUJYFMzKSvzhccc1xVlauFTDicT3qMElloWmfTOtHW7dEr_vXruUvBuDHwOaMqA-04aRg_sYT8vFVu5gERQqJ6J6r86xRtG9JfglI/s1600/shinyPage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3ycGCUKM0JJt_AF-MCgLvWCRj1us6anxcGaWNzSeUJYFMzKSvzhccc1xVlauFTDicT3qMElloWmfTOtHW7dEr_vXruUvBuDHwOaMqA-04aRg_sYT8vFVu5gERQqJ6J6r86xRtG9JfglI/s640/shinyPage.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Look how shiny that gold is!<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Also, I totally agree that the best time to shoot a deer with ant<span style="font-size: x-small;">lers like that is when it's a<span style="font-size: x-small;">sleep.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">For a higher res and zoomable image, <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://geesebook.ab-c.nl/browse.aspx?v=1&p=409&l=english" target="_blank">check this </a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://geesebook.ab-c.nl/browse.aspx?v=1&p=409&l=english" target="_blank">page out</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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ACMRS has been digitising this manuscript since at least 2004. It became available online yesterday. I genuinely feel the need to thank the people who worked on this project for putting it online in this fashion. Without their work, I would never have lost myself in these two books which were created by two talented men. If you want to know more, examine the manuscript or even hear the chants (yeah, that hard work was part of the project too!), here's a link that'll take you straight to the online versions of the book: <a href="http://geesebook.asu.edu/volumes.htm">http://geesebook.asu.edu/volumes.htm</a>. Enjoy!</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-77624411976436363792012-11-26T22:29:00.000+00:002012-11-26T22:35:50.485+00:00The Smithfield Decretals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In my random googlings today, I came across a manuscript with the weirdest marginalia. It's the <i>Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria, </i>specifically <i>The Smithfield Decretals.</i> This work was a collection of medieval canon law, designed to replace all the previous collections. Originally compiled in 1230, this specific manuscript was actually finished around 1300 in Southern France. Well, the written part was. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBrfFJkeNOr2AJEMgrHWEdrNRjobrR0cKVvWd1Mrb030iYaP_qU0kyLOM7qQbRo1mdh1Sl-HmJqZUqkzaA6Eg7h0Z2uGU47mK8FGEcp_JArt66wpUqOCQuHkGUSdgXWyNKwvTDTGR4KdB/s1600/DRINK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBrfFJkeNOr2AJEMgrHWEdrNRjobrR0cKVvWd1Mrb030iYaP_qU0kyLOM7qQbRo1mdh1Sl-HmJqZUqkzaA6Eg7h0Z2uGU47mK8FGEcp_JArt66wpUqOCQuHkGUSdgXWyNKwvTDTGR4KdB/s400/DRINK.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsCjClGNt_MiA8CqedCC5BjvogWrU79zNIxJmsmDdulwzpp-_03L0d7B0MmQ2gbhRxo1nysn40LiEgB8fJvrEpEq8WeKOgtN0ZCdoAeucj8d8zR1PurHE7JwXUZMK_4gTbA_Unvk-wpHG/s1600/drink_CU.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcsCjClGNt_MiA8CqedCC5BjvogWrU79zNIxJmsmDdulwzpp-_03L0d7B0MmQ2gbhRxo1nysn40LiEgB8fJvrEpEq8WeKOgtN0ZCdoAeucj8d8zR1PurHE7JwXUZMK_4gTbA_Unvk-wpHG/s320/drink_CU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: The last page of the <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Smithfield Decretals</span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;">, <span style="font-size: x-small;">including illustrations<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Oh, the folio <span style="font-size: x-small;">is half a metre tall<span style="font-size: x-small;">, by th<span style="font-size: x-small;">e way.</span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bottom: <span style="font-size: x-small;">Close up of the last line of the <span style="font-size: x-small;">manuscript. Translated, it reads "The whole thing is finished; give the guy who wrote it a drink."<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Good man!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Nearly all the illuminations, however, were added 40 years later. Whoever owned it at that point lived in England and commissioned a group of artists to illuminate every page of the folio. Some of the pages have pretty illustrations of birds or people hunting boar and are fairly "normal". Other pages show battles and sieges, with some interesting details:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQeEuw-vE1SVCt_ugStbenA4QHu-wPy9n8GhtGRkCaIE-61IQX5a5hSwhNodfdaEpznCNRZqYAvrVwypJfs4F4S7lqYZcWBena-stlbjhKljn-MPt2SzZE3VVMdhb0jhvybdlbJk8CWh1/s1600/Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQeEuw-vE1SVCt_ugStbenA4QHu-wPy9n8GhtGRkCaIE-61IQX5a5hSwhNodfdaEpznCNRZqYAvrVwypJfs4F4S7lqYZcWBena-stlbjhKljn-MPt2SzZE3VVMdhb0jhvybdlbJk8CWh1/s400/Woman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In this case, the interesting detail is th<span style="font-size: x-small;">at the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> castle is being def<span style="font-size: x-small;">ended by a sword<span style="font-size: x-small;">-w<span style="font-size: x-small;">ielding </span></span>woman<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Judging by the hairstyles, everyone<span style="font-size: x-small;"> in the castle is fe<span style="font-size: x-small;">male</span>, barring the face at the window, which could be that of a child. Still, looks like the guy on the ladder is having a really bad hair day...</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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There are also some illustrations of Reyard the Fox, who was a trickster character in European folklore. He is shown preaching to geese, chickens and even a heron. But of course, geese <i>are</i> tasty...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Iz6ts8nesMxAcZ_LdueXFJVn92Thsz-FVloAnBj3USpL9RQk6glF1w0U1BJmkTKA-uDeMXjv4ugl-sRsM-O3oiZ3hhqu_ZknvQ7Qc03VnNDUQCqQAh4F7wTPygiRXO6FDECG7mvzXCCD/s1600/Raynard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Iz6ts8nesMxAcZ_LdueXFJVn92Thsz-FVloAnBj3USpL9RQk6glF1w0U1BJmkTKA-uDeMXjv4ugl-sRsM-O3oiZ3hhqu_ZknvQ7Qc03VnNDUQCqQAh4F7wTPygiRXO6FDECG7mvzXCCD/s400/Raynard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nom, nom, nom, geese.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> I wonder what this picture could *possibly* be an <span style="font-size: x-small;">allegory of... that's almost <span style="font-size: x-small;">brave for the time!</span></span> </span></span></div>
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Of course, once Reynard is caught, he must face justice for his crime. Hanging is a fitting medieval punishment for theft and murder:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3gFybX_rQAT7ufNieSYIWKvCV_dnxJpzA3jmuUuPBB1ihZ6ByeIaYJA6JHq43UsUC6XbsCKYCzHWXslB0fAGLYq4q25RWenAJzIKR6ybXRrWwVQamuaRDN49EIEcLk7I_XDHFk-4m-d9/s1600/RaynardHanged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3gFybX_rQAT7ufNieSYIWKvCV_dnxJpzA3jmuUuPBB1ihZ6ByeIaYJA6JHq43UsUC6XbsCKYCzHWXslB0fAGLYq4q25RWenAJzIKR6ybXRrWwVQamuaRDN49EIEcLk7I_XDHFk-4m-d9/s400/RaynardHanged.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The geese and du<span style="font-size: x-small;">cks require retribution! Though how on <span style="font-size: x-small;">Earth that goose intends to fire that bow is beyond me...</span></span></span></div>
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Given that Reynard was a wily type, he probably managed to talk them out of it at the last, mind. The manuscript has many story pictures of this type, including the revenge of the bunny rabbits, a knight jousting against a snail, and a dragon attacking a windmill. If any of these descriptions take your fancy, a catalogue of images is available here: <a href="http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6549&CollID=16&NStart=100504" target="_blank">http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6549&CollID=16&NStart=100504</a><br />
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I swear, there is even one captioned "Man attacking a butterfly." I'd love to know the context for that one...<br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-3240849679160279512012-11-24T05:17:00.000+00:002012-11-24T05:37:47.000+00:00America's First Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So two days after Thanksgiving. I was going to do an article about it, but then steak and beer happened, because what's more American than steak and beer? Anyhow, it got me to thinking about the first Europeans to settle in America. No, not the pilgrims and their first Thanksgiving in 1621, but the people who tried to settle at Roanoke, the lost colony.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZGSsovKS3D0S0UcLhjVSTDlu1Dz-gPdq269x9bPY8u2MAcrF49CQx5qAfNgfkb6M6-tFsOyaR-3p8SdQ1krOxOJZ1G0AVj8yrBTLjER0u_10YSFWrDUb5oJU5E0JT6an65vkD4_vQoSe/s1600/roanokeMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZGSsovKS3D0S0UcLhjVSTDlu1Dz-gPdq269x9bPY8u2MAcrF49CQx5qAfNgfkb6M6-tFsOyaR-3p8SdQ1krOxOJZ1G0AVj8yrBTLjER0u_10YSFWrDUb5oJU5E0JT6an65vkD4_vQoSe/s1600/roanokeMap.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail from <span style="font-size: x-small;">Hariot's<i> Briefe and True Account of the New <span style="font-size: x-small;">Found Land of Vir<span style="font-size: x-small;">ginia</span></span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">, 15<span style="font-size: x-small;">90<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">, showing Roan<span style="font-size: x-small;">oke i<span style="font-size: x-small;">sland, the colony and settlement of the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> local area.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i></i></div>
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In 1585, a group of 107 men were left on the island to establish a colony at the north end of the island -- probably not far from the one pictured above. So, having had contact with them in 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh sent out an additional 150 colonists including several women and 9 children to settle on the island. A friend and colleague of Raleigh's called John White led the mission, taking his daughter and son-in-law with him. He was an artist and cartographer who'd visited before on the 1585 mission and created maps like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBlAbAzdYLrL9iYsjnsVv15l5JV6XtFkFGQF-6g90uIlJMFZQ6_XVjPqH_4om5yMfC6mEpzCC-BESQ4Q1SiKIMHc6Y-TVKLvmQrUYGCGgo2NnKNEo7qOtt-fWskJOheN0L8kU-x15HxRQ/s1600/debryMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBlAbAzdYLrL9iYsjnsVv15l5JV6XtFkFGQF-6g90uIlJMFZQ6_XVjPqH_4om5yMfC6mEpzCC-BESQ4Q1SiKIMHc6Y-TVKLvmQrUYGCGgo2NnKNEo7qOtt-fWskJOheN0L8kU-x15HxRQ/s400/debryMap.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Map o<span style="font-size: x-small;">f Virginia<span style="font-size: x-small;">, from 1985, as printed in Hariot's book. Roanoke is show<span style="font-size: x-small;">n above and to the left o<span style="font-size: x-small;">f Trinitey <span style="font-size: x-small;">Har<span style="font-size: x-small;">bo<span style="font-size: x-small;">r. Ah, those Elizabethans and <span style="font-size: x-small;">their quirky spellings!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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White also drew and painted pictures of the flora and fauna of the area, including pictures of the native peoples. This was actually part of his and Hariot's mission, as people back in England wanted to know what was out there -- after all, resources tend to be good to have. So they both wrote and drew the first pictures and descriptions of The New World. The illustrations were mostly done by White and they're incredibly interesting. For example, there's these two gorgeous pages of nature illustrations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0aKSYQKduSAdX6d1gBUEubp3Uzy-OZ-C1uK3MXIfkCRqa8bt_S2ALWWtW3M6_SLHydZWOklUMahpz8TrV3gVFRFWl9m6WvImbTnjOgimq_ArBDOvnUzJ1UH8oumdCpe_oqVwHqSuISF0/s1600/Cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0aKSYQKduSAdX6d1gBUEubp3Uzy-OZ-C1uK3MXIfkCRqa8bt_S2ALWWtW3M6_SLHydZWOklUMahpz8TrV3gVFRFWl9m6WvImbTnjOgimq_ArBDOvnUzJ1UH8oumdCpe_oqVwHqSuISF0/s320/Cardinal.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAd7CbPNds5X-ZzNmaYbdkjFje_UnsGk9H5Ye5bteZGf_LKHAmJ7wlYDVA_bxDX2yXlDFlmjKKyNqTMb9pkmtVW5oMQL6OaQMNoyErX0OQSEQmey06OeW1ZdS8Y8Ri_rNJScj6gDGaBBu/s1600/Maman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAd7CbPNds5X-ZzNmaYbdkjFje_UnsGk9H5Ye5bteZGf_LKHAmJ7wlYDVA_bxDX2yXlDFlmjKKyNqTMb9pkmtVW5oMQL6OaQMNoyErX0OQSEQmey06OeW1ZdS8Y8Ri_rNJScj6gDGaBBu/s320/Maman.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: "Meesquouns. Almost as bigg as a Parratt." <span style="font-size: x-small;">A Northern Cardinal. </span> From the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=728248&partid=1&output=People%2f!!%2fOR%2f!!%2f103070%2f!%2f103070-2-23%2f!%2fAfter+John+White%2f!%2f%2f!!%2f%2f!!!%2f&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database%2fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=3&numpages=10" target="_blank">British Museum Online</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Right: </span>A <span style="font-size: x-small;">tiger s<span style="font-size: x-small;">wallowtail bu<span style="font-size: x-small;">tterfly <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Mamankanois) and a pufferfish (Tanborel). This i<span style="font-size: x-small;">s one of 113 pages of drawings <span style="font-size: x-small;">from White's expl<span style="font-size: x-small;">orations, done in pen<span style="font-size: x-small;">, ink<span style="font-size: x-small;">, graphite and watercolour. <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=728330&partid=1&output=People%2f!!%2fOR%2f!!%2f103070%2f!%2f103070-2-23%2f!%2fAfter+John+White%2f!%2f%2f!!%2f%2f!!!%2f&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database%2fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=10&numpages=10" target="_blank">British</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=728330&partid=1&output=People%2f!!%2fOR%2f!!%2f103070%2f!%2f103070-2-23%2f!%2fAfter+John+White%2f!%2f%2f!!%2f%2f!!!%2f&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database%2fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=10&numpages=10" target="_blank"> Museum Online</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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He also created the first pictures of the local people. I find the picture of the native woman from Florida the most striking:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiwnmDn81MgKmggWQ9PoYuXYnAEySquHe649m_1W9dzCKcEPOK68Dv28IBZGBrxXyZ-mZuttCcG9FrjEQqJDPo-hBIA5SBBjpoZ55CltzBJmH8b2risKwbT2ORaMlG-gxsZ07DkOKGF5E/s1600/florida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwiwnmDn81MgKmggWQ9PoYuXYnAEySquHe649m_1W9dzCKcEPOK68Dv28IBZGBrxXyZ-mZuttCcG9FrjEQqJDPo-hBIA5SBBjpoZ55CltzBJmH8b2risKwbT2ORaMlG-gxsZ07DkOKGF5E/s400/florida.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yeah, those are her<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">tatto<span style="font-size: x-small;">os. I am such a wimp as I can't even bring myself <span style="font-size: x-small;">to get one<span style="font-size: x-small;">, much less anything this spectacular!</span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Although there are also pictures of less friendly <span style="font-size: small;">locals too</span>:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtv74ngbG2vRv1IH4j2nSkiRY4Ct3vnrLWgwXD2qiYjosWOLAIOams8WDQfkOXdlv90s73Z1Z9CzRWF_evzxgyjeDN2hx6hbGoBLtbtt655sYdg5jqlL9hyyzqIq6aw0AYidbzZeB8lyC/s1600/inuits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtv74ngbG2vRv1IH4j2nSkiRY4Ct3vnrLWgwXD2qiYjosWOLAIOams8WDQfkOXdlv90s73Z1Z9CzRWF_evzxgyjeDN2hx6hbGoBLtbtt655sYdg5jqlL9hyyzqIq6aw0AYidbzZeB8lyC/s400/inuits.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Skirmish at Bloody Point, Frobisher Bay. English with the St. George's cross flag, shooting at Inuit on a cliff. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Bet that went well...</span></span> </span></span></div>
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White created around 113 pictures of this type, which you can find at the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_results.aspx?queryAll=People%2f!!%2fOR%2f!!%2f103070%2f!%2f103070-2-23%2f!%2fAfter+John+White%2f!%2f%2f!!%2f%2f!!!%2f&objectId=728322&partId=1&searchText=Drawn+by+John+White&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=1" target="_blank">British Library Online</a>. <br />
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Sadly, when the colonists arrived on Roanoke in 1587, they found the previous 107 settlers all gone, with only a skeleton left at the barracks to tell a grim tale. Of course, this made the colonists want to leave, but the fleet commander refused to sail them all back. Making the best of a bad situation, the colonists set up shop and embarked on improving relations with the local Croatoan tribe, fearing that other tribes may kill them due to earlier cultural misunderstandings such as accused theft, raids and outright murder. During this time of improving relations, the first European was born in America -- Virginia Dare. She was White's granddaughter.<br />
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The colonists insisted that White go back to England to ask for support as they felt they were still at severe risk from the locals. Sure enough, he went back that same year, leaving his family at the Roanoke colony. However, he was unable to make it back to the colony for nearly three years thanks to a small problem with a massive Spanish Armada that required all the boats in the English Navy to be on hand. By the time White made it back to the colony in 1590, all that was left were some dismantled buildings and the words "Croatoan" and "Kro" carved into a tree. No one knows what happened to the colonists or White's family for sure. It's possible that they were taken in by local tribes, that they died in a raid, or that they were kidnapped. What is a certainty, however, is that they must have been brave to even consider settling there in the first place.</div>
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<i>Edit: I almost forgot! If you're interesting in reading a transcript of Hariot's book, you can find it online here: <a href="http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/hariot/hariot.html">http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/hariot/hariot.html</a></i></div>
Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-50587643535270236312012-11-18T20:08:00.000+00:002012-11-18T20:26:23.834+00:00Boccaccio's Famous Women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was doing more research into Chaucer's works when I stumbled upon Boccaccio. Boccaccio wrote the <i>Decameron</i>, published around 1353<i>,</i> which is the work that inspired Chaucer's <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/canterbury-tales.html" target="_blank"><i>Canterbury Tales</i></a><i>.</i> Boccaccio also wrote a work in 1374 called <i>De Claris Mulieribus</i> (<i>Of Famous Women</i>). This book was unusual for it's time in that it was the first collection of solely female biographies ever written. It includes 106 different biographies about famous historical or mythological women. Of course, as this is a medieval work, there are several different copies of this manuscript. On top of that, Boccaccio also decided that he'd like to revise his book a few times in the last 20 years of his life and send many of them to influential women. As this was a very popular book, there were also versions printed after his death. My favourite illustrations are from <i>De Claris Mulieribus, 599</i>, which is held by the <a href="http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9009638m" target="_blank">National Library of France</a>, which is dated as being 1401-1500, with no further information. Sadly, their online copy is only available in black and white, which is rubbish because the illustrations in this particular manuscript are beautiful. Hooray for Wikimedia Commons though, which has plenty of the illustrations in colour!<br />
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What I find surprising about this particular manuscript is how many women are pictured wearing armour. Take Tamyris for example:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiUZar2mP3AGTQBFnkaA5t37JJjUVUxC_925Oxsfw6iRa0KKoH5q3W-NNeI30CJ2fvGPHD-Faldjm12UnBN3mlWh9hDhVHhQ4mw7owWQH3e31TLqYQQY8yZbO6cIMu4qgD6Us_Jq7Y7Ei/s1600/Tomyris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiUZar2mP3AGTQBFnkaA5t37JJjUVUxC_925Oxsfw6iRa0KKoH5q3W-NNeI30CJ2fvGPHD-Faldjm12UnBN3mlWh9hDhVHhQ4mw7owWQH3e31TLqYQQY8yZbO6cIMu4qgD6Us_Jq7Y7Ei/s400/Tomyris.jpg" width="397" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Queen Tamyris<span style="font-size: x-small;"> of the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Massaget<span style="font-size: x-small;">ae, <span style="font-size: x-small;">lead her army to vic<span style="font-size: x-small;">tory<span style="font-size: x-small;"> against the Persi<span style="font-size: x-small;">ans</span></span> in 529BC. </span></span></span></span></span>"I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall". W<span style="font-size: x-small;">ikimedia Commons.</span></span></div>
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Queen Tamyris became queen of her people in her own right after her husband died. The Persian emporer of the time, Cyrus the Great, decided he wanted her land and asked her to marry him. She refused and so there was war. There were a few more complications than that, in all honesty; after all, her son was captured and committed suicide in shame. That's going to make any mother angry, so when she and her army caught up to Cyrus, she had him killed, then beheaded and crucified, before putting his head into a wineskin filled with blood. After that, she had his brain scooped out and turned into a bowl for wine, just in case that wasn't enough retribution for the loss of her son and the deaths of those in her armies. To clarify, Tamyris is a historical person, just in case any of that seemed too fantastic.<br />
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Another warrior woman shown in armour in the manuscript is Penthesilea. Penthesilea was an Amazon queen who accidentally killed another Amazon queen whilst out hunting, so in order to be purified of the crime, she was sent to fight on the side of Troy in the Trojan War.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Furious Penthesilea leads a battleline
of Amazons with crescent shields, and she glows in the middle
of thousands fastening golden belts around the exposed breast,
female warrior, and the maiden dares to run with men." From <i><a href="http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/penthesilea.html" target="_blank">The Aenid</a>.</i> The picture does not show exposed breast, but it certainly hints at it. I also cannot help but wonder if it is inferred that there is armour plating under that skirt, but that's my personal speculation.</span></div>
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Penthesilea caught the attention of Achilles due to her prowess in battle and so he arranged matters to where he would face her on the battlefield. She fought him, but sadly, she was fighting Achilles. The story goes that as she died, Achilles saw her beauty, fell in love and actually mourned her.</div>
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The other two women to be shown in armour in this manuscript are Orithyia and Antiope, who were both Amazon queens who co-ruled:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nice armour, <span style="font-size: x-small;">ladies<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Although I'd love to know how Antiope intends to sit<span style="font-size: x-small;"> down without stabbing herself<span style="font-size: x-small;"> somewhere entirely unpleas<span style="font-size: x-small;">ant.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Antiope was the wife of Theseus and there are several variations on her tale, all ending in her death in a battle or fight. Orithyia, likewise, died of her wounds after beseigeing Athens in order to get her sister back. In a way, showing these four women in armour is not strange, as Tamrys and Penthesilea are two of the nine female worthies named by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustache_Deschamps" title="Eustache Deschamps">Eustache Deschamps</a> -- individuals who personified the ideals of chivalry of the later part of the 15th century. From there it's easily argued that if you show one Amazon in armour, you have to show the rest in armour too.<br />
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The manuscript has so much to offer in terms of showing female attire of the 15th century though. For example you've a depiction of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife looking quite well dressed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcpZ2wCLl7IzyF5YIDZr3o_hjNkSmfCoHUxSNA06YcOebYimCyij4CcrkSF1gXIz9v4mZSwg6OKNPKCLBC692GlwinL3Vh9qaxwlDy899RYIZMDBuYgax40B6_AZpQmDqskCwCQFhTxZW/s1600/Clytemnestre_BnF_Franc%CC%A7ais_599_fol._29v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcpZ2wCLl7IzyF5YIDZr3o_hjNkSmfCoHUxSNA06YcOebYimCyij4CcrkSF1gXIz9v4mZSwg6OKNPKCLBC692GlwinL3Vh9qaxwlDy899RYIZMDBuYgax40B6_AZpQmDqskCwCQFhTxZW/s1600/Clytemnestre_BnF_Franc%CC%A7ais_599_fol._29v.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I bet that headdress ma<span style="font-size: x-small;">kes her at least a foot and a half taller<span style="font-size: x-small;">.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> However, you have to appreciate that neckline...</span></span></span></span></div>
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...and Epicharis, a freedwoman from Nero's Rome, who refused to betray her fellow conspirators to assassination, despite being heavily tortured. She's shown in the manuscript with some very nice side lacing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG_LwlHYQDCRgtQ5vOvWc34bGZefsUlvv3BYnNwzI6wiOABtJOudZqvBdji-9iOGT3XrmLVK8pdQ0dKmSxD0CnpYL3swAFLJxWxTITAkiJBFM6CDA4FHgP0IQ-Y6cFtUwJRGEF06AHP26/s1600/Epicharis_BnF_Franc%CC%A7ais_599_fol._79v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG_LwlHYQDCRgtQ5vOvWc34bGZefsUlvv3BYnNwzI6wiOABtJOudZqvBdji-9iOGT3XrmLVK8pdQ0dKmSxD0CnpYL3swAFLJxWxTITAkiJBFM6CDA4FHgP0IQ-Y6cFtUwJRGEF06AHP26/s1600/Epicharis_BnF_Franc%CC%A7ais_599_fol._79v.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In case you're w<span style="font-size: x-small;">ondering, she's said to have <span style="font-size: x-small;">strangled herself on her gir<span style="font-size: x-small;">dle in order to prevent her con<span style="font-size: x-small;">fession under a second bout of torture...</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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There are so many examples of good medieval female fashion in <i>De Claris Mulieribus 599</i> that it's worth checking out the gallery on <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:De_mulieribus_claris_%28BnF_Fran%C3%A7ais_599%29" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>. I do believe this manuscript is also worthy of a few posts!
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</div>Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-78243735926792993912012-11-13T18:32:00.001+00:002012-11-13T18:39:40.834+00:00Henry VIII: The Prince in Mourning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you think of Henry VIII, you think of a rather large ginger man who ate too much and always got his way. The church disagreed with him, so he left and created his own damn church; he went through wives at a rate of knots; he was absolute ruler and commanded obedience in court. He pulled no punches and seemed pretty heartless, but he also came across as a strong, charismatic leader, showing anger rather than sadness or vulnerability.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gC_PIVwPWTd19qrL0C5JHTcSAChYrerHDm9fIJmR4tnSBvcVEYJ6SecnuBLTywYHCVilxwMG3wlHYOzsf-1Z-GL1t9VlYwO5lIZY7ySLtnvGmXNoPg7Gyn6qXdIBnzqUykKaLCLsfeuK/s1600/348px-Henry-VIII-kingofengland_1491-1547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gC_PIVwPWTd19qrL0C5JHTcSAChYrerHDm9fIJmR4tnSBvcVEYJ6SecnuBLTywYHCVilxwMG3wlHYOzsf-1Z-GL1t9VlYwO5lIZY7ySLtnvGmXNoPg7Gyn6qXdIBnzqUykKaLCLsfeuK/s400/348px-Henry-VIII-kingofengland_1491-1547.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry VIII. Ladies... check out my cod. WOOF!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Portrait from 1540 by Hans Holbein.</span></div>
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People forget that the man was once a child whose mother died when he was 11. It had been a hard time for the family; his brother, Arthur, died of some kind of fever-based illness in April 1502. Elizabeth, his mother, fell pregnant and gave birth to a girl called Catherine on the 2nd February, 1503, but the child died a few days later. Elizabeth then died to a post partum infection a week after the child died. You cannot help but empathise with the small child shown in this manuscript:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y8x6at8l8ozxUDhAWu6TdVa3Y_5bA50cqhXUkc0ow4jhDPHBSLP_LT2ShyphenhyphensiHzIzZjsXIPSurYeQPXCegDaGB9GY7lAc_rC0iRhyK7WHyN-eDdpoih_Qi6EW92-j-gvaH_ImvtpLxJJe/s1600/InMourning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0y8x6at8l8ozxUDhAWu6TdVa3Y_5bA50cqhXUkc0ow4jhDPHBSLP_LT2ShyphenhyphensiHzIzZjsXIPSurYeQPXCegDaGB9GY7lAc_rC0iRhyK7WHyN-eDdpoih_Qi6EW92-j-gvaH_ImvtpLxJJe/s400/InMourning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prince Henry weeping at his mother's empty death bed. The two girls are his sisters shown in mourning attire, Princess Margaret (aged 13) and Princess Mary (aged 7). Poor kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.llgc.org.uk/drychdigidol/per/PER00002/1/zoom.html?lng=en" target="_blank">Image from the National Library of Wales. </a></span></div>
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Henry was known to be very close to his mother so it's no surprise that the young prince was devastated. It's possible that his distanced relationship with his father was compounded by his mother's death, as according to one account, his father "privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him". Harsh. Sometimes a kid needs his dad, even in 1503.<br />
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This image has had a lot of interest lately; although the <a href="http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=5926" target="_blank"><i>Vaux Passional</i></a> has been in the National Library of Wales since 1921, it's recently been digitised and therefore re-evaluated. No one had really looked at it in a while. People are interested in this image because Henry VIII has never been pictured as being vulnerable or even having grieved for anyone much, even as a child. During the re-evaluation, it became evident that this Passional was likely part of the library of Henry VIII's father, Henry VII. In fact, it's possible that the image below actually shows the Vaux Passional being given to Henry VII:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhzznTpgQsdT38MCbJK8liN-Ae-LV2ZX4s5-DxxF4SkCIW5MP8Wziw41Vok9KggQ2duvK5a5-6mdnuKg4Erg4M1O0KC6h8H5eUjQEJYRWV9fXYMMYeGM2_C9J0RwX8A1nJ-z1fqxrzw9m/s1600/Henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhzznTpgQsdT38MCbJK8liN-Ae-LV2ZX4s5-DxxF4SkCIW5MP8Wziw41Vok9KggQ2duvK5a5-6mdnuKg4Erg4M1O0KC6h8H5eUjQEJYRWV9fXYMMYeGM2_C9J0RwX8A1nJ-z1fqxrzw9m/s400/Henry.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Illumination showing the possible presentation of the book to the king. Prince Henry is weeping in the background.</span></div>
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The activity in the background has actually helped to date the piece somewhat, placing its creation at the start of the 16th century. The manuscript, which is written in French, similarly follows themes of death. It contains two bodies of work -- a Passional and Le Miroir de la Mort by Georges Chastellain. The Passional calls on the reader to meditate on the arrest, trial, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. It starts at the raising of Lazarus and ends with Judas and Pontius Pilate. Le Miroir de la Mort is a work that discusses "the futility of wordly pleasures in the face of certain death". Cheery stuff then.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktJ_XGgV5TmTBbeoyz3KjpkX-UxdoX5r7l78sXiNP_dqXiOJIM26fV3JDUSSG6AFHSAOW5d2iVtGgEG7THSeuPXPQTqcXXODjQHI9RZTWgecpL94isX9W0_h-GeSt-zRS7hK5sPeOEvvC/s1600/vaux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktJ_XGgV5TmTBbeoyz3KjpkX-UxdoX5r7l78sXiNP_dqXiOJIM26fV3JDUSSG6AFHSAOW5d2iVtGgEG7THSeuPXPQTqcXXODjQHI9RZTWgecpL94isX9W0_h-GeSt-zRS7hK5sPeOEvvC/s400/vaux.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Illumination from the Vaux Passional showing "Christ between two thieves". The source has stunning detail, available <a href="http://www.llgc.org.uk/drychdigidol/per/PER00002/17/zoom.html?lng=en" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></div>
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The manuscript also shows the seige and fall of Jerusalem, which I think is my favourite illumination -- saving for that of Prince Henry:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_EaMSpNc3oTDrGoX6CsOJPA6r5PBFUcourx5U3yZF7hfyea8V3rSXH2Rh2W8x9PtjuYlnklIPkqEsgtwApotWPJB3HhFf9SoZeCXjX96L-dRydbMJFTnj9sUTbMQEpekBw29i7Tdw-kc/s1600/seige.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_EaMSpNc3oTDrGoX6CsOJPA6r5PBFUcourx5U3yZF7hfyea8V3rSXH2Rh2W8x9PtjuYlnklIPkqEsgtwApotWPJB3HhFf9SoZeCXjX96L-dRydbMJFTnj9sUTbMQEpekBw29i7Tdw-kc/s400/seige.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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It's worth taking a look through the <a href="http://www.llgc.org.uk/drychdigidol/per/PER00002/index.html?lng=en" target="_blank">National Library of Wales online gallery for this book</a>. It's all stunning, and all done by one person who lived in London back in the early 1500s. No one knows who made it, but it's pretty clear they had a good understanding of death and sadness. It's also a wonderful reminder that this "swaggering warrior king" was once a child.</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-75358328476358411532012-11-07T00:33:00.001+00:002012-11-07T09:14:36.531+00:00How to Verify your Blogger Blog on Pinterest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I normally keep to writing about history stuff, but this is a pretty useful tip, so I thought I'd share it. Last week I found this "verify website" checkmark on my Pinterest profile page. It's a new feature designed to make it easier for users to find out more about who they're following, and a way for profile owners to highlight their website on their profile. Note that they're still rolling out the verify feature, so if you don't
see this feature anywhere on your Pinterest, it may not be with you yet. Pinterest is currently only supporting this feature on top level domains right now, but bloggers are finding work arounds in order to get their sites verified. I've yet to find a blogger work around other than this one, and this one took some experimentation. <br />
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The problem lies in not being able to just upload an HTML page, which is what Pinterest wants you to do in order to get verified. But here's a workaround for that...<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
How to Verify your Blogger Site for Pinterest </h3>
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1. Login to your Pinterest account and go to <b>settings</b>.</div>
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2. Click on the "Verify Website" check mark next to your website address.</div>
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3. The instructions below will appear. Download the HTML verification file (mine was called pinterest-987a1.html):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfr_IXbvFTIyPbsY_uF7FqULAanCwVr7mN-rJe87TV_hdqxR5DkBofNFxG4Y77JRNosGPVqz-P9Ou_jVlbZJ3ZnuIuNDQj6hQE6DUTFrHp8H9YMVslmrf0Ol5H47phrVNvPpYPAp_mjyV/s1600/Verify1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfr_IXbvFTIyPbsY_uF7FqULAanCwVr7mN-rJe87TV_hdqxR5DkBofNFxG4Y77JRNosGPVqz-P9Ou_jVlbZJ3ZnuIuNDQj6hQE6DUTFrHp8H9YMVslmrf0Ol5H47phrVNvPpYPAp_mjyV/s400/Verify1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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4. Log into your blogger account, go to your blog dashboard, and go to pages. Make sure that your "show pages" option (highlighted in red below) is set to "don't show":</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HZFTN-Si1XaC5cRCEJqvnh1QHb2AyUuHWVko7WLGlKQdAimtecScfrHfllohmcMUrOYd0OU6wx1Ulr9WksC2IKvc8dWPD29qvK1wRb9aHE3gFUNCyOJ8DVTRBUNZR1eHgiR5f08u9qWI/s1600/Don'tShow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HZFTN-Si1XaC5cRCEJqvnh1QHb2AyUuHWVko7WLGlKQdAimtecScfrHfllohmcMUrOYd0OU6wx1Ulr9WksC2IKvc8dWPD29qvK1wRb9aHE3gFUNCyOJ8DVTRBUNZR1eHgiR5f08u9qWI/s400/Don'tShow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This stops your Pinterest verification document from being linked on your site -- unless you specifically link it for whatever reason.</div>
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5. Click on the "New Pages" button. You should see the following pop-up menu:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEDMJiYPvezP2MmsAPx5JnKZxR00vKYPeAzOKNzqG8OeoX4PZWEzZmTZBHJlQZ1C2562tvPn2d92bb7Lbl-9-prEDH3NoCA2JUw4t5NFn5eweaManNocpEwwrVZnXUCOmDSev73o9xy83/s1600/NewPage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEDMJiYPvezP2MmsAPx5JnKZxR00vKYPeAzOKNzqG8OeoX4PZWEzZmTZBHJlQZ1C2562tvPn2d92bb7Lbl-9-prEDH3NoCA2JUw4t5NFn5eweaManNocpEwwrVZnXUCOmDSev73o9xy83/s400/NewPage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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6. Select the <b>Blank page</b> option. You will be taken to what looks like a new blog post. I changed my view from <i>compose</i> to <i>HTML</i> at this point.</div>
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7. Open up your downloaded Pinterest file in Notepad. If you're on a mac, open it in TextEdit (Mac Users Note: If you open your file in TextEdit and you see images instead of code, close the file and go to TextEdit > Preferences > Open and Save and check "Ignore rich text commands in HTML files". Then reopen your file).</div>
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8. Hopefully, you should see the code. Select all of the code and copy it.</div>
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9. Paste all the code into the "body" of your new page. Name your page as per the HTML file you downloaded (see below):</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2lKKOu8oc5j5rbClaWrrNDGYnwiuRIGgLke5cLn2fsMHCH_tKIrfk7ii_rqM7B0MUr50koAMMBFVExB2v-239VLYByvvxjDUb-wOBVfb0xf1xRabL_1abbhnyXTWNzuRQcgCMBL4SB1Y/s1600/nameIt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2lKKOu8oc5j5rbClaWrrNDGYnwiuRIGgLke5cLn2fsMHCH_tKIrfk7ii_rqM7B0MUr50koAMMBFVExB2v-239VLYByvvxjDUb-wOBVfb0xf1xRabL_1abbhnyXTWNzuRQcgCMBL4SB1Y/s400/nameIt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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10. Save the page and publish it. If it doesn't take you back to Pages once you've published this page, go to <b>Pages</b> and select "view" under your Pinterest html page. It will take you to the Pinterest verification page as it should be viewed in your browser. <b>Don't head over to Pinterest just yet!</b><br />
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11. Go to where your browser shows your website link. <b>Only select the part highlighted below and include the slash:</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MLdwker1bNdpVj1lF7TfMsxzj-zEr1DejAgLzEYJbDFyK8Rz1Jxi5tHmOnLc8Ay1hUYRypMy_4Cc9v3Ohr9Gs52F38ep0pUvAr4NkjsM2U8hO533qGIAO-wDsELeF7yNoQ0qHftOQ56p/s1600/pinterestURL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MLdwker1bNdpVj1lF7TfMsxzj-zEr1DejAgLzEYJbDFyK8Rz1Jxi5tHmOnLc8Ay1hUYRypMy_4Cc9v3Ohr9Gs52F38ep0pUvAr4NkjsM2U8hO533qGIAO-wDsELeF7yNoQ0qHftOQ56p/s1600/pinterestURL.jpg" /></a></div>
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In short, my website's main page is <a href="http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk/">http://interestingpretties.blogspot.co.uk</a>. The part that is highlighted above is the link to the page you've just created. But you only need the tail end for what we're about to do, because Blogger assumes that you're working within your blog domain and auto-fills that part for you.<br />
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12. Go to <b>settings > search preferences > errors and redirections > custom redirects > edit</b>.<br />
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13. Paste this fragment of URL into the "<b>To</b>" box. In the "<b>From</b>" box, type the name of the Pinterest generated HTML document, including a slash (so <span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">/pinterest-987a1.html</span> in my example). Check the "Permanent" box below and hit save. It should all look like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCy8kTZFIwJ1jfCXZd-HnznymNVB0oVFt8LWEcKJ63yXymncGJOyyWZHoKzO8QNJl720V6ibVxFV39WoCZC-My-0_hm4qSxhaltcoMycWI8zgOTQInvgSbUzXduJOzYlcnTTLNsVlp4RuZ/s1600/pinterestLink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCy8kTZFIwJ1jfCXZd-HnznymNVB0oVFt8LWEcKJ63yXymncGJOyyWZHoKzO8QNJl720V6ibVxFV39WoCZC-My-0_hm4qSxhaltcoMycWI8zgOTQInvgSbUzXduJOzYlcnTTLNsVlp4RuZ/s400/pinterestLink.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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14. Go back to the Pinterest page that started you on this jaunt. You can either go to Pinterest and then settings, or you can view the page you created and click on the "Go to Pinterest" link. You may need to click on "3. Click here to complete the process."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfr_IXbvFTIyPbsY_uF7FqULAanCwVr7mN-rJe87TV_hdqxR5DkBofNFxG4Y77JRNosGPVqz-P9Ou_jVlbZJ3ZnuIuNDQj6hQE6DUTFrHp8H9YMVslmrf0Ol5H47phrVNvPpYPAp_mjyV/s1600/Verify1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfr_IXbvFTIyPbsY_uF7FqULAanCwVr7mN-rJe87TV_hdqxR5DkBofNFxG4Y77JRNosGPVqz-P9Ou_jVlbZJ3ZnuIuNDQj6hQE6DUTFrHp8H9YMVslmrf0Ol5H47phrVNvPpYPAp_mjyV/s400/Verify1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It'll think about it for a moment and then you should be verified. Winner!<br />
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<i>Edit: It's come to my attention that I wasn't the first person to find this method out. Pravin Vibute at <a href="http://www.toptrix.net/2012/11/verify-blogger-blog-pinterest-profile-without-html-file.html">http://www.toptrix.net/2012/11/verify-blogger-blog-pinterest-profile-without-html-file.html</a></i> <i>discovered it four days earlier. Good man!</i><br />
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-9980146681359744792012-11-06T18:28:00.002+00:002012-11-07T18:43:13.871+00:00Fawkes: He's just this Guy, y'know...
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Yeah, I know. It's the day <i>after</i> Guy Fawkes night, but I have a good reason for posting late: We were watching stuff explode.<br />
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When I lived in the states, I remember patiently explaining that no, we did not celebrate July 4th in England. Why would we have a "we lost" or "good riddance" day? But the idea of Bonfire Night, 5th November and Guy Fawkes would draw a look of confusion onto the faces of a lot of folks. The explanation I used to give ran like this:<br />
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Back in 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators decided they wanted to put a Catholic on the throne because they'd had a lot of religious persecution over the years. So these conspirators decided to blow up Parliament with King James I inside. One of the conspirators decided he should probably warn his brother-in-law to avoid parliament on 5th November, which led to Guy Fawkes being caught in Parliament's basement with 36 barrels of gunpowder. So ever since then, the British set off fireworks and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes as a celebration of a plot that failed to kill a king. [Cue the massive look of confusion]. No, we're not really sure what we're celebrating any more, but everyone likes an excuse to set things on fire and to watch fireworks. [Cue a sudden light of understanding].<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bVhRE9jURugGsrzh7Wtg0KjQQQ0MffDVcV495M_jtR3mL69Ah1vgD2txtb23KrEqvysl9-Kvulio9Wp5cpmVbLZzLSQEnHkJQmF085-Z7g7p08xrqoiJGJ9eSXAjrlP_IfcTNXaWyD3_/s1600/Gunpowder_Plot_conspirators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5bVhRE9jURugGsrzh7Wtg0KjQQQ0MffDVcV495M_jtR3mL69Ah1vgD2txtb23KrEqvysl9-Kvulio9Wp5cpmVbLZzLSQEnHkJQmF085-Z7g7p08xrqoiJGJ9eSXAjrlP_IfcTNXaWyD3_/s400/Gunpowder_Plot_conspirators.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Woodcut of the conspirators, created by Crispijn Van de Passe around 1605. Fawkes is third from the right. The chap named Bates on the left was a servant and therefore not important enough to have his first name featured -- everyone else was of a higher class. Only eight of the thirteen are pictured. From Wikimedia Commons.</span></div>
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That is pretty much the bare facts of the matter, stripped of history, culture, context and additional information. Sure, these chaps <i>had</i> very much been subject to persecution -- under Elizabeth I.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uRRbn4ZHLLsqOjhMUwnekCR-la6ksU4-w_jQG13OxGtLfc6QmvHUzs_nUPP7CyLcuN7HdFbVrS8TosH-djb0T_Vvc7SVlpGTCCV-eRbpU2kktPkFhVWVq6ZGmkfas3Bx_TWb3b-b3XOE/s1600/Elizabeth_I_Rainbow_Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uRRbn4ZHLLsqOjhMUwnekCR-la6ksU4-w_jQG13OxGtLfc6QmvHUzs_nUPP7CyLcuN7HdFbVrS8TosH-djb0T_Vvc7SVlpGTCCV-eRbpU2kktPkFhVWVq6ZGmkfas3Bx_TWb3b-b3XOE/s400/Elizabeth_I_Rainbow_Portrait.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Elizabeth I: Not nice to Catholics. Rainbow portrait, ca. 1600, meant to show her agelessness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
She had passed several laws that saw people executed for their beliefs, often through being hung, drawn and quartered. James I was her successor and wanted to be more tolerant, stating that he would not persecute Catholics "that will be quiet and give an outward obedience to the law<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Plot#cite_note-12"></a></sup>." <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTSAxlIFo-L0kvQsdPtGhFzONqOGPdAZH4-AL64aC3nOuxF0neVpgzHOt1VUW4r-QXD2JZT2JpH8wzohvFxL0adwuEGDwFyZaYA2a2TM0IyaYiNy9fX6O0u5KDrtr1QwhFEJ4aw774XCS/s1600/Nicholas_Hilliard_020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTSAxlIFo-L0kvQsdPtGhFzONqOGPdAZH4-AL64aC3nOuxF0neVpgzHOt1VUW4r-QXD2JZT2JpH8wzohvFxL0adwuEGDwFyZaYA2a2TM0IyaYiNy9fX6O0u5KDrtr1QwhFEJ4aw774XCS/s320/Nicholas_Hilliard_020.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">James I: Wanted to be nicer to Catholics, considering his mum was one. Sadly, they tried to blow him and his wife up. That kind of thing makes a monarch angry. Ca. 1603-1609.</span></div>
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However, James I did not openly remove any sanctions either -- after all, at the time of the gunpowder plot he was on the throne barely two years. The plot did nothing to encourage him to be nice to Catholics either.<br />
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Guy Fawkes was captured red-handed and held as his majesty's convenience in the Tower of London. Fawkes was held at some length in a cell called "Little Ease", which was a cell only 4ft long by 4ft high, and only as deep as the wall. The idea was that it was too small to lie down, stand or sit comfortably. Of course, that was the least of what happened to Guido Fawkes. He refused to give his name (John Johnson being the worst false name ever) and his co-conspirators fled, with several dying in a last-stand siege. After 10 weeks of torture, Guido Fawkes finally signed confessions -- one is so faint and shaky it's just grim, and the other is marginally better, signed eight days later:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8Umo6k9kSCJMEWHl-unVpfYqUDWbNNwxhIYZ7Jf9m0FFHH3N1RxB5ym_G_ryYDNiHg61oZ86oLwOlzK-bNeuDLR43bAB1bkaNbhIUc_uNPZs57wK8RO-rKUM_TDnDPsQxEwqq22VH0xs/s1600/919px-Guy_Fawkes_confession.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja8Umo6k9kSCJMEWHl-unVpfYqUDWbNNwxhIYZ7Jf9m0FFHH3N1RxB5ym_G_ryYDNiHg61oZ86oLwOlzK-bNeuDLR43bAB1bkaNbhIUc_uNPZs57wK8RO-rKUM_TDnDPsQxEwqq22VH0xs/s400/919px-Guy_Fawkes_confession.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is your signature on 17th Century Torture: The signature on the first confession (above) lies below the word "good". Wikimedia commons. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJhZdd_ROnu26mnjlnWyi1-Xfc8yvtm7JTG5u3vQVnFoCgKnJpj8vIuxE57JYyr87s-DJqlXu5QJi6jiKLwh-2NZa1mX2aktFrLpYNEuYs1M-H7aRi03VEhIfiDDjsjVFue1jXO1eBMSG/s1600/19b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJhZdd_ROnu26mnjlnWyi1-Xfc8yvtm7JTG5u3vQVnFoCgKnJpj8vIuxE57JYyr87s-DJqlXu5QJi6jiKLwh-2NZa1mX2aktFrLpYNEuYs1M-H7aRi03VEhIfiDDjsjVFue1jXO1eBMSG/s320/19b.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is your signature 8 days after 17th Century Torture: Still shaky. Still grim. Guy Fawkes' signature on the second confession. National Archives.</span></div>
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All the conspirators faced ugly ends -- those who died before being executed still had their corpses decapitated and placed on Traitor's Gate. Those who survived the seige got the worst of it; they were hung until nearly dead and then whilst still conscious they were castrated, disemboweled and then quartered. Ironically, Guy Fawkes had the cleanest death of the lot. He'd decided that he'd suffered enough, thank you, and so jumped from the scaffold to hang, breaking his neck and cheating the executioner.<br />
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The British, being the cheerful people that we are, decided that we would turn all this into a celebration. Burning effigies of Guy Fawkes became commonplace, and although it's not so common now, I remember as a child seeing other kids making Guys and asking adults for "a penny for the guy" so they could go off and buy fireworks. Thanks to these effigies, the word "guy" also came to mean an oddly dressed man, before becoming used as it is today.<br />
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It's got to be said though, as a child, I remember some fantastic Guy Fawkes Nights. When you're six, all you remember are the fireworks and the poem...<br />
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"Remember, remember, the 5th of November,</div>
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Gunpowder, treason and plot.</div>
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I see no reason why gunpowder treason</div>
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Should ever be forgot."</div>
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...with the meaning totally lost on you. But it doesn't matter because you are six, there are fireworks and fireworks are amazing!</div>
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</script>Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-32409985787724151702012-10-29T23:47:00.001+00:002012-10-30T09:27:41.451+00:00Freydís Eiríksdóttir, Viking Warrior<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A recent study of Viking burials in Britain showed that there were a lot more female Vikings in invasion forces than scholars have given credit for over the years. In fact, it's now estimated that the invading forces to Britain may have been between 33-50% female. The reason for this change of heart is that archeologists have started analysing the skeletons found in burials, as well as the grave goods, rather than judging gender on the grave goods only. In the past, a burial with a brooch was thought to be female; with a sword, it was thought to be male; with both, it was a male burial with a female offering. The new study shows that no, those were women with swords and brooches -- after all, what Viking warrior woman would go to settle somewhere without her sword and her jewelry?<br />
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Sure, that sounds like jest, but I find it hardly surprising in a lot of ways. I know I can fight with a sword and shield; I also know that there's no way I'd want my other half to go off to colonise another country without me. And dammit, I'd want my brooches <b>and</b> my sword, especially if the brooches were being used to hold my clothes on. Which they were:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0pEYblveW4WxVRGCpWkQIBMllXLFy2MpDcOAYWIlRfhbWSIPyp3R9adednLhdLE0Bixu-Z653ypdO8SUuu7AL4NxFkxuIwYo-8XQMoYZHz7YBTrqYDj2rC5MABD5E63rgWPvdpZlww4w/s1600/vikingOvalBrooch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0pEYblveW4WxVRGCpWkQIBMllXLFy2MpDcOAYWIlRfhbWSIPyp3R9adednLhdLE0Bixu-Z653ypdO8SUuu7AL4NxFkxuIwYo-8XQMoYZHz7YBTrqYDj2rC5MABD5E63rgWPvdpZlww4w/s400/vikingOvalBrooch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">10th Century Woman's Oval Brooches found in Suffolk, England. British Muse<span style="font-size: x-small;">um. V<span style="font-size: x-small;">iking Bling!</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgMGTQaEf0Vh0P66ytQF349aUgmApFAkRvCYNlhjiAMluVofaB30qeAqCY7aIR2uglx9GX_ri9ALM9o2F5EGSIMT6ICbjEVd9uPH0hFUticSBip6tm7PDC-H6fIkowmmoz5Nt3JLIS64-/s1600/aprondress_kirtle_BlueOatmealLinen_montage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgMGTQaEf0Vh0P66ytQF349aUgmApFAkRvCYNlhjiAMluVofaB30qeAqCY7aIR2uglx9GX_ri9ALM9o2F5EGSIMT6ICbjEVd9uPH0hFUticSBip6tm7PDC-H6fIkowmmoz5Nt3JLIS64-/s400/aprondress_kirtle_BlueOatmealLinen_montage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Revival clothing -- brooches in place! (Link: <a href="http://www.revivalclothing.com/10th-11thcearlymedievalvikingaprondress.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.revivalclothing.com/10th-11thcearlymedievalvikingaprondress.aspx </a>)</span></div>
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So, back to Freydís Eiríksdóttir, one of a potentially more prevalent breed. She was the daughter of Eric the Red and one of those colonists to go to Vinland -- that part of Canada that her brother, Lief Eiríksson, discovered.<br />
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She went out there in the early 11th Century with her husband. The natives, called Skraelings in the Sagas, seemed to be interested in trade at first. The Skraelings tolerated the Viking squatters and traded animal furs for strips of red fabric as the natives had no method of creating red fabric dyes at that time. As the Viking settlers ran out of cloth, the natives still wanted to trade, but the Vikings had nothing left -- except cow's milk.<br />
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Cue the cultural misunderstanding that is lactose intolerance. The Skraelings believed they'd been poisoned and this soured relations between the people for several years. This became compounded by a bull escaping and roaring around the locality before the Vikings could get it back into it's pen. The Skraelings ran, terrified by the monster and weren't seen for three weeks, when they returned in force.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc-XZBN_RRwxY2quxLj4RC0G_M5dvwDMMKrsEnhoAt4bsLE60Dcxhy2TYVTzYkR4Gs-TyDJmbMnWPEb4VeOLSPI32Y8qZddMc4ZxFzyFKkiQlNEQOMayMUmWui03E2lqWEtcyBC3fyOM6/s1600/Flateyjarbok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc-XZBN_RRwxY2quxLj4RC0G_M5dvwDMMKrsEnhoAt4bsLE60Dcxhy2TYVTzYkR4Gs-TyDJmbMnWPEb4VeOLSPI32Y8qZddMc4ZxFzyFKkiQlNEQOMayMUmWui03E2lqWEtcyBC3fyOM6/s400/Flateyjarbok.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Although I'm fairly certain they didn't know about lactose intolerance during this time period, the saga of Erik the Red was written down between 1387 - 1394. This is what it looks like -- The Flateyjarbók (The Flatley Book).</span></div>
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They rowed up the river, outnumbering the Vikings, brandishing their staves and howling. The Vikings stood their ground. They bared shields on the shoreline and prepared for battle. However, the Skraelings had slings and pole weapons that flung projectiles that caused terrible damage and made terrifying noises when they struck the shore. The Vikings had no reach; they were outnumbered and were fighting a battle on all sides. They did the only sensible thing -- they tried to use geography. They retreated, pulling the battle into "certain crags", creating a bottleneck and forcing fighting from only one or two positions and reducing enemy contact, despite being outnumbered.</div>
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Sadly, Freydís Eiríksdóttir was in the camp and heavily pregnant. She couldn't keep up with the retreat. As she saw the way the battle was retreating, she called out:<br />
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"Why run you away from such worthless creatures, stout men that ye are, when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I think I could fight better than any of you." (<a href="http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en" target="_blank">Saga of Erik the Red</a>)<br />
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She was left behind, so she tried to catch up to them through the woods. All she found was the body of a fellow Viking, Thorbrand, with a stone lodged in his skull... but he'd been carrying a sword. She grabbed the sword, stopped running and prepared to defend herself. As the Skraelings came upon her, she let out a battle cry, bared her breast and struck it with the flat of the sword. The Skraelings fled, likely terrified of the fierce, definitely female and definitely pregnant being in front of them. I can't say I blame them as an armed, angry, topless pregnant Viking woman fighting for survival would be a truly terrifying opponent.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Freydís Eiríksdóttir: Officially a better fighter than any of the chaps in the above picture from The Flatley Book. Even though they weren't even in the same saga.</span></div>
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The Viking men came back after the Skraelings fled, praising her for her battle zeal, though I'm fairly sure she was thinking "what choice did I have?". Two Vikings and four Skraelings died in the battle, which were certainly not the last deaths on either side. <br />
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After this point, Freydís was known for a level of bravery -- until more expeditions went out. The second expedition had two boats, with one of them sinking in bad weather. There was no loss of life; however, that meant there were two crews on one ship and half the provisions. In a fit of cold logic, she ordered everyone on the first ship to kill everyone who'd been on the second. They complied, but the men refused to kill unarmed women. Of course, Freydís had no problem with that and cut the heads off the five women on the second boat. Grim. They reached land. They fought the natives. They left again. The sagas do not state whether or not anyone starved to death; for that kind of sacrifice, you have to hope not.<br />
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She then led a third expedition herself, partnering up with two brothers and her husband. She was pretty manipulative and made sure she and her husband got the bigger boat, as well as hiding five more men on her boat than she'd agreed with the brothers. The brothers fell out with her to the point that two camps were formed once they'd reached Vinland. She then swore that the brothers assaulted her, so the men of her camp attacked and killed everyone in the other camp, except, again, the men refused to kill unarmed women. She and her axe saw to it that the women were killed. She then bade that no one tell of what happened on their return home.<br />
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She allegedly lived to an old age, dying of natural causes; a rich outcast, but an outcast, nevertheless. Now, I'm aware that this saga wasn't written with all the facts of each situation. I'm aware that winners write the histories and the outcasts are never the winners. I still can't help but hope that bad press is the major source for the last two paragraphs, but I doubt it is. Why couldn't she stay the badass Viking warrior that took on the Skraelings whilst she was pregnant? Then again, badass Viking warriors are rarely known for their mercy... <br />
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<i>References:</i><br />
More Female Viking Invaders Than Previously Thought Sources <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/07/invasion-of-the-viking-women-unearthed/1?csp=34tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+usatoday-TechTopStories+%28Tech+-+Top+Stories%29#.UI7wl4U3O2w" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
And <a href="http://bonesdontlie.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/viking-women-a-reinterpretation-of-the-bones/" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-75429289436265537452012-10-26T17:47:00.004+01:002012-10-26T19:49:06.867+01:00Canterbury Tales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I had one of the pages from Chaucer's <i>Canterbury Tales </i>appear in my feed, so it's compelled me to go off and do more research as the artwork is truly stunning. It's odd; I remember being in class reading through it all in 11th Grade AP English, being actually quite bored by it, but I think that part of the problem was that we were focusing solely on the stories, not the art or the social importance of the piece. I'm a bit sad that I decided that "Mr. Cliff and his notes" would be an awesome shortcut, but then again, what do you know when you're 16, you're in High School, and your love of your life has just broken up with you after three months? How times change...<br />
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Anyhow, here are some awesome pictures I've dug up from various places online. The first page of the tales is quite gorgeous and actually, very readable given it's in archaic English:<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Ere begynneth the book of tales of Canterburye compiled by Geffraie Chaucer of Brytayne chef poete"</span></i></div>
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Although Chaucer wrote his tales between 1387 and 1400, this is a copy of his tales made around 1450. Sadly, according to the British Library, no copies exist today that Chaucer wrote himself. However, the fact that at least 80 copies from the 15th century do still exist points to his works being incredibly popular.<br />
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They were popular for many reasons. Firstly, he wrote about a cross-section of society from dyers to nuns and it was a work of social commentary, which always grabs attention. He also chose to write the stories in English, which was pretty rare in England at that time. The ruling classes spoke French seeing as the Normans had invaded a few centuries before, with the normal, everyday classes speaking English. This is probably another reason it was popular -- it was actually the language many people spoke.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A picture of Chaucer as a pilgrim from the Ellesmere Manuscript. "Heere Bigynneth Chaucers Tale of Melibee" </i></span></div>
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That's not to say that people were particularly literate, but that is to say that English was a popular spoken language in England (who'd've thought it?). As this was one of the first times that the English language had been written down for this purpose post-invasion<i>,</i> Chaucer also got a chance to sculpt it and capture it, showing that different classes spoke in different manners. What I really like though is the portraits of some of the people telling the tales. The Prioress, for example is really quite a beautiful illumination:</div>
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I also like the Ellesmere version of the Man of Law, however it's smudged now, sadly:</div>
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I still find it beautiful. I think I'm going to end up doing a few posts about this one...</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-27229449764880666902012-10-25T22:21:00.004+01:002012-10-26T18:02:42.107+01:00De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes you see something interesting that leads you down a path of research that you didn't intend. This totally happened today and I ended up googling <i>De Arte Venandi Cum Avibus </i>(On The Art of Hunting with Birds), a medieval treatise on ornithology and falconry. Written in the 1240s by Frederick II of Sicily, it now exists in two forms as the original was lost in 1248 during the siege of Parma. One form is a six-book version, the other is a two book version, which is an illuminated manuscript.<br />
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And it is gorgeous:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GvCjOHtgbgtxPwXAOcpBO9SEr6k003UIj9CIh8X-qJ5RHkvhfN9NqmKYlv6pWJbbgciU4kPT4dKVcWxMY4A2YPq_0zlud0L4iUh7Lf41r3JgfT6mYZY3u4_1HKOD0Hgs8Rh-_LpFWFow/s1600/800px-Arnstein_-_Kloster-Bibliothek-_Faximile_Handschriften_Falkenbuch_Friedrich_II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GvCjOHtgbgtxPwXAOcpBO9SEr6k003UIj9CIh8X-qJ5RHkvhfN9NqmKYlv6pWJbbgciU4kPT4dKVcWxMY4A2YPq_0zlud0L4iUh7Lf41r3JgfT6mYZY3u4_1HKOD0Hgs8Rh-_LpFWFow/s400/800px-Arnstein_-_Kloster-Bibliothek-_Faximile_Handschriften_Falkenbuch_Friedrich_II.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sure, that's not necessarily one of the more spectacular illuminations in terms of medieval bling, but what I'm taken by is the sheer simplicity as well as the really nice layout. That is a work of talent. It also shows some of the hawking pouches that I make, which is nice too.<br />
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The book itself contains around 500 illustrations of about 80 different species of bird, some in flight:<br />
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Some being attended by falconers:<br />
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Some in the middle of eating the ears off a rabbit:<br />
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(Thank you, Wikipedia!)</div>
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Frederick wrote this book with the intention of sharing some of his scientific knowledge in terms of breeding and handling. He did experimentation with eggs and how they hatched. He also wrote "Whoever
wants to learn the art of hunting with birds to be able to feed them,
keep them, tame them, take them, teach them to hunt other birds sent
them to hunt and, if necessary, treat, must unite, the quality which
will be indicated, science (the theoretical and practical knowledge)
contained in this work." He was a big believer in doing things right.<br />
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I've not been able to find any single place online that holds all the illustrations, nor anywhere that holds a translation, sadly. However, there is a Latin copy of just the text here: <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/20486846/De-Arte-Venandi-Cum-Avibus-1">http://www.scribd.com/doc/20486846/De-Arte-Venandi-Cum-Avibus-1</a>, although my basic High School Latin fails after a sentence and a half, sadly. Still, if anyone would like to spend out on a translated copy, there's one available on Amazon with the original pictures too. It's 768 pages long and quite some money:<br />
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I know it's expensive, but I'm still not convinced that it's not worth it. I should probably go have a word with myself about that... </div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-86001391001948837662012-10-23T10:50:00.001+01:002012-10-23T11:02:40.476+01:00Medieval Limp Bindings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I work as a lecturer in Graphic Design and as such I have an interest in different methods of publication and book binding. During research, I came across some beautiful examples of medieval limp binding, a method of binding a manuscript to a limp cover of vellum or similar material in order to provide a lightweight cover.<br />
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It's pretty hard to know how often this binding was used for definite as the style is generally seen as being cheaper and more ephemeral than other "proper" bindings. We do know that limp binding was used in the 14th & 15th centuries and that it became a quite popular style in the 16th century, with some library collections having over 50% of their works bound in this fashion thanks to the efforts of scholar-publishers. By the 17th century, however, the style was in decline. I've yet to find a reason as to why, but one can speculate that changing print processes were likely having an effect on book production and binding methods.<br />
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Still, it's a nice little style of book to make and one of the easier binding techniques for documents, perfect for your average SCA/re-enactor/LARPer types. I've made a couple in the past but have never been hugely pleased with the results due to the paper stock and the leather being a wee bit <i>too</i> limp, so looking at these older manuscripts is giving me a shove to make nicer feeling books with better stock and better leather.<br />
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One of the examples that stood out for me was a limp binding with a linen cloth cover, held by the National Library of Sweden.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hQammuqP0EMKq7Irow6Yu3bcIDZQ-k_CbZjTwQHG_QrFwk9f9Au7GGOIeA7wxsGLySrHkkhSbfBl4V5eFAWcSyf22AQHEp5q28oDCQiZgzbYclMUPTQnRDML4cpIxW_QaNLdeWhAMoNL/s1600/LimpCloth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hQammuqP0EMKq7Irow6Yu3bcIDZQ-k_CbZjTwQHG_QrFwk9f9Au7GGOIeA7wxsGLySrHkkhSbfBl4V5eFAWcSyf22AQHEp5q28oDCQiZgzbYclMUPTQnRDML4cpIxW_QaNLdeWhAMoNL/s400/LimpCloth.jpg" width="335" /></a></div>
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It's a document from 1451-1452, which is simply referred to as the <i>Vadstena Observance</i>. Vadstena was a monastery so it's fairly safe to say that this is a religious document. It has three seals -- but unfortunately the information at source is pretty lacking (source is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25300312@N08/sets/72157625120216684/with/5061907141/" target="_blank">here</a>). The inside is pretty stunning though, given that it's a limp bound manuscript, bound only in linen:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnm6Yuh6iZ422Z-96Kz5Fs_4AxMQJr6PjJL5LU7Jlve6FjxtBayUELbq5yBQ6bfq7iNNMRD7DSE2fI1HV8z6C_LHVYihFl26jJAeSUJ06lr3P-dVkIJMnuKYET3S58ArU5hUk2AFu2zNG/s1600/limpInner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnm6Yuh6iZ422Z-96Kz5Fs_4AxMQJr6PjJL5LU7Jlve6FjxtBayUELbq5yBQ6bfq7iNNMRD7DSE2fI1HV8z6C_LHVYihFl26jJAeSUJ06lr3P-dVkIJMnuKYET3S58ArU5hUk2AFu2zNG/s400/limpInner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's a simple way of binding things. I can't help but feel that these books are meant for use; a copy meant for wear, rather than a library reference, which would be the grander version of the manuscript that you'd want to keep nice. Some of the records from 14th and 15th century convent libraries certainly agree as most of these books were in the hands of the nuns, with only 9% of the books in the library being limp bound. That doesn't mean these books weren't of value though. They still contained information and have even been documented as being taken as part of the spoils of war, such as this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQx1-y_MmB1aY0mDdF9dsspzLqrqBQnWWiPeo2RBi6Zv_kiqWnk2ZA8yugPVdXY1xjMLOnw2SNoDUifXQFOylsLe4ISvrEB650et4eZderfE73VMLm0aA66iTA6S6ZPHMRreVf7A1M52s/s1600/prague.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQx1-y_MmB1aY0mDdF9dsspzLqrqBQnWWiPeo2RBi6Zv_kiqWnk2ZA8yugPVdXY1xjMLOnw2SNoDUifXQFOylsLe4ISvrEB650et4eZderfE73VMLm0aA66iTA6S6ZPHMRreVf7A1M52s/s400/prague.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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It's not much to look at, until you look at the reinforced leather spine:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-N5sPAiKuL8vQtfeacrvxc3nKBPg9PpSEKLxvPtPWE4jclkFR5-u4zeagwZaPKn-zjBzLgQi0K1I4k42QI3KrZui3Zwg6GpjdPlVUmVKwxE0M7vlDZo7Xn8MvEyxpdxy_BfnkBHuyFcD/s1600/spinePrague.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-N5sPAiKuL8vQtfeacrvxc3nKBPg9PpSEKLxvPtPWE4jclkFR5-u4zeagwZaPKn-zjBzLgQi0K1I4k42QI3KrZui3Zwg6GpjdPlVUmVKwxE0M7vlDZo7Xn8MvEyxpdxy_BfnkBHuyFcD/s400/spinePrague.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...and of course, the manuscript itself:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PyEGbLTFiYfs9mQFlBmCzpKjFf3InmiXCPeGlXWUdlL4VFO_sv_v5_VE6IcLBJst-kX1vqXOpr9Zd0noU_gOY9us9lZU0p0hYlqq6pgw08RibXTDwuKft4-FL8-_zoXNv93gbBsaOk7P/s1600/pragueOpen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PyEGbLTFiYfs9mQFlBmCzpKjFf3InmiXCPeGlXWUdlL4VFO_sv_v5_VE6IcLBJst-kX1vqXOpr9Zd0noU_gOY9us9lZU0p0hYlqq6pgw08RibXTDwuKft4-FL8-_zoXNv93gbBsaOk7P/s400/pragueOpen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's also in the National Library of Sweden, listed as being from 1398. They believe it was part of the spoils of the sacking of Prague in 1648. I just wish I knew what it said...<br />
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In doing the research for this entry, I also found a really cool little <a href="http://helen.schultz.home.comcast.net/%7Ehelen.schultz/Bookbinding.html" target="_blank">website</a> by a lady who is putting the limp binding technique into practice based on actual historic pieces. She's a few interesting comments on putting the theory into practice. I also came across <a href="http://www.textmanuscripts.com/">http://www.textmanuscripts.com</a>, which is a site that sells manuscripts privately. My favourite of their current stock is a processional with musical notation from Northern Italy, made between 1450-1500. The exterior is just plain vellum with no design, saving for some gilt lettering down the spine that reads "<span class="descriptiontext"><i>Uffiziolo Francescano, sec. XV.</i></span>" The interior, however, is gorgeous: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV06qFqUq9RwMNI612Kg8hTjAckP785BNIbs-nUAK6Ua8JAvv-Ww1kv8s5VlWW1zJ9zyuAc-1aQ-ZM_aWa60J0DVboy5ussmndI1j-FnRUeKbMWOGCRDOGHoJXPs_D97rvKraM-PY944gZ/s1600/hymnBook2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV06qFqUq9RwMNI612Kg8hTjAckP785BNIbs-nUAK6Ua8JAvv-Ww1kv8s5VlWW1zJ9zyuAc-1aQ-ZM_aWa60J0DVboy5ussmndI1j-FnRUeKbMWOGCRDOGHoJXPs_D97rvKraM-PY944gZ/s400/hymnBook2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This processional contains multiple forms of burial services for friars, the laity and also for children. Because everything is in the masculine form, it's believed it was created as a book for use by Franciscan friars. It is a working book, not a reference book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV7MTmuUS-g7dbXgiwA-KyMo30wrXxgxypYP0DNoj3N3L5K40_YU9upvh8_7_3yLtsI6pxOwvl34WNy9Tjpjx8X33LtVIBa433-VslZMU00kFSMjYay-F_jgric1rldR6Cp5lRAq9XD4E/s1600/p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIV7MTmuUS-g7dbXgiwA-KyMo30wrXxgxypYP0DNoj3N3L5K40_YU9upvh8_7_3yLtsI6pxOwvl34WNy9Tjpjx8X33LtVIBa433-VslZMU00kFSMjYay-F_jgric1rldR6Cp5lRAq9XD4E/s320/p.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Either way, it took someone of talent to put something like this together.</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-36475642294133553092012-10-15T16:58:00.001+01:002012-10-26T18:04:27.125+01:00Madonna of Mercy with Kneeling Friars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm usually not one for the big religious medieval scriptures as they don't show much in the way of fashion of the time usually, however, today this caught my eye:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1QKP4MojfGCTClfHO1QVmFq7DgVWTgrEBCFW09s0pcbsRhjpJVPUrlCx4mjnl9HTQOVRnn_jJpiF5R-ZaSaj6fMVXXHqguRmk4OcNXPMQ27pX3bX5PKZCckmZ7r6b49gSkr-iVoY-RkC/s1600/Madonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1QKP4MojfGCTClfHO1QVmFq7DgVWTgrEBCFW09s0pcbsRhjpJVPUrlCx4mjnl9HTQOVRnn_jJpiF5R-ZaSaj6fMVXXHqguRmk4OcNXPMQ27pX3bX5PKZCckmZ7r6b49gSkr-iVoY-RkC/s400/Madonna.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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It caught my eye because of it's vibrancy and it's use of the fish to for the letter S. This piece is called <i>Madonna of Mercy with Kneeling Friars</i>. It was created around 1424 by a chap named Fra Angelico (the Angelic Brother), who also went by the name Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John of Fiesole). He was born in the Italian town of Fiesole and by the age of 13 he was already in the Dominican Friary of Cortona, painting frescoes which have all now been destroyed. He did this piece when he was 29ish, having studied illuminations from a really, really young age. This piece is an illumination from Messale 558 -- a book of hymns for Mass that also contained the liturggies for the feast days of several saints.<br />
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Another page from this book shows the glorification of St. Dominic:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeJ-Hl86e4gF6-GX4k7iYWSu-59E9Teb43_INr-oghqOov5hb-VY6xZEgpkJriXUWDOgCvdZvDkyQrK5wV5Pdhr3oVarwVxpFmr29fS9cIOzr4I2ymdS_2mta7anyREpZoVLl5MWjHSaP/s1600/glorification.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeJ-Hl86e4gF6-GX4k7iYWSu-59E9Teb43_INr-oghqOov5hb-VY6xZEgpkJriXUWDOgCvdZvDkyQrK5wV5Pdhr3oVarwVxpFmr29fS9cIOzr4I2ymdS_2mta7anyREpZoVLl5MWjHSaP/s400/glorification.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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This is straight from wikipedia, so if you want a bigger picture (where you can even see the grain of the parchement), check it out <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Beato_angelico%2C_san_domenico_in_gloria%2C_c_67v%2C_messale_558%2C_1430_circa%2C_san_marco%2C_firenze.jpg" target="_blank">here</a>. This is a page from the book which even has musical notation. My favourite though has to be this one, which is simply called <i>Blessed angelic annunciation</i>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpNqVuzCSXPn78roJvuZQH4E1NYWOcbvCCUD_s2pssydhcaA7FhX0iLv9hXMVfhAVDsUnw8IppRgcCmRiITAvIB8R-c8KEJUyamut0B8W6RYpqxNyHnB0u5tcmLY6YhmYirsR56gNpLrT/s1600/angelico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZpNqVuzCSXPn78roJvuZQH4E1NYWOcbvCCUD_s2pssydhcaA7FhX0iLv9hXMVfhAVDsUnw8IppRgcCmRiITAvIB8R-c8KEJUyamut0B8W6RYpqxNyHnB0u5tcmLY6YhmYirsR56gNpLrT/s400/angelico.jpg" width="371" /></a></div>
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It's my favourite one from the set I've seen online simply because of the scrollwork inside of the R. That's a lot of work, a lot of patience, a lot of hours and a lot of talent. <br />
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There's a set of four of his images from this book available at <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Messale_558">http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Messale_558</a>, which are all really high res and worth a look if you like illuminations. I can't help but wonder how long it took him to put it all together though, even though the evidence shows that he had an assistant. I should still think it took some time!</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-33167751698769876362012-10-10T17:12:00.003+01:002012-10-10T17:26:30.645+01:00The Aberdeen Beastiary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In doing some flicking through pictures of illuminated manuscripts online, I came across <a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/contents.hti" target="_blank"><i>The Aberdeen Beastiary</i></a>. This manuscript was written in England around the year 1200 and is a really good example of a beastiary, containing excellent descriptions and sketches of the animals it describes. It's written in Latin, but the nice thing about <i>The Aberdeen Beastiary</i> site is that the text has been translated into English and the original pages have been digitised so that it can be shared with folks like you and me. The experts are not really sure of where the beastiary came from prior to the late 1500s, but they think it may have been created in the north-east midlands, with all drawings, including illuminations, done by the same hand.<br />
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What drew me in was this awesome picture of a bat (source: <a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/comment/51vbirdf.hti">http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/comment/51vbirdf.hti</a>):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwVMdwHB4GYNsFLxOcV7F0sYr9jEXFPuA51rZ1Fq5aI0BI2dmuhPYcG_OXr8pxpwvyrceihJ-HAw-HlAsMjUkWfLaum2z7LKAFxYfhIRCv8capGzPKoOik3VX1A3FH2dF02g5QOYklQa6/s1600/bat_aberdeenf51v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwVMdwHB4GYNsFLxOcV7F0sYr9jEXFPuA51rZ1Fq5aI0BI2dmuhPYcG_OXr8pxpwvyrceihJ-HAw-HlAsMjUkWfLaum2z7LKAFxYfhIRCv8capGzPKoOik3VX1A3FH2dF02g5QOYklQa6/s1600/bat_aberdeenf51v.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the manuscript, the bat is classed in with the birds because it flies, although the manuscript does mention that it's not really all that bird-like, having four feet and teeth "<i>which you would not usually find in birds".</i> As the passage goes on, I get the impression that the writer even was beginning to doubt it's classification in with the birds, especially in light that the author acknowledges that bats give birth to live young<i> </i>and that they don't really have wings but skin stretched over wing-like bones. The sketch is a little off anatomically, however, it's better than most of the bestiaries of the time in terms of accuracy. I can understand the writer's quandary though, as well as sticking it in the winged creatures section. The Beastiary also notes some bat behaviour:<br />
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<i>"There is one thing which these mean creatures do, however: they cling
to each other and hang together from one place looking like a cluster
of grapes, and if the last lets go, the whole group disintegrate; it a
kind of act of love of a sort which is difficult to find among men."</i><br />
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The manuscript also contains pictures of the Phoenix:<br />
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With the following description:<br />
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<i>"The phoenix is a bird of Arabia. Arabia can be understood as a plain,
flat land. The plain is this world; Arabia is worldly life; Arabs, those
who are of this world. The Arabs call a solitary man phoenix. Any righteous
man is solitary, wholly removed from the cares of this world."</i> (from <a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/55v.hti">http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/55v.hti</a>). There is a massive allegorical Christ story at the source, which is an interesting read.<br />
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The book itself is a pleasure to flick through, with some fantastic stories about wildlife both real and mythological. One of the stranger stories about an animal that actually exists is the lore around how to avoid being chased by a tiger if you steal it's cub. The method of getting the tiger to stop chasing you is also helpfully pictured:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9tn5_j4SP0HmzD0nChQ6jeRmJT4ijI2FBmgITWq-QmKFCXyrKhG2lZCSz7lmLAo4lptkuO7cT641_6wzbeX4EDwwjTysqRr9gzE-3sG4XNb-gfDmPV81FpAis50MVi1J_KeAdat3n5hZ/s1600/tig_det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9tn5_j4SP0HmzD0nChQ6jeRmJT4ijI2FBmgITWq-QmKFCXyrKhG2lZCSz7lmLAo4lptkuO7cT641_6wzbeX4EDwwjTysqRr9gzE-3sG4XNb-gfDmPV81FpAis50MVi1J_KeAdat3n5hZ/s400/tig_det.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"The tigress, when she finds her lair empty by the theft of a cub, follows
the tracks of the thief at once. When the thief sees that, even though
he rides a swift horse, he is outrun by her speed, and that there is no
means of escape at hand, he devises the following deception. When he sees
the tigress drawing close, he throws down a glass sphere. The tigress
is deceived by her own image in the glass and thinks it is her stolen
cub. She abandons the chase, eager to gather up her young. Delayed by
the illusion, she tries once again with all her might to overtake the
rider and, urged on by her anger, quickly threatens the fleeing man. Again
he holds up her pursuit by throwing down a sphere. The memory of the trick
does not banish the mother's devotion. She turns over the empty likeness
and settles down as if she were about to suckle her cub. And thus, trapped
by the intensity of her sense of duty, she loses both her revenge and
her child." </i>(<a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/8v.hti">http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/8v.hti</a>), picture source: <a href="http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/comment/8rtiger.hti">http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/comment/8rtiger.hti</a>)<br />
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I can't help but feel that it's a wonderful romantic story about the beast that the text previously refers to as "the arrow". I also can't help but feel that the chap wouldn't have the problem had he not stolen a tiger's cub. You do have to wonder where they got these ideas from though, you really do. Still, it's a nice story that I hope didn't get anyone killed.</div>
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Lorrainehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01295109188973847830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836126597796204584.post-31699710622313369042012-10-09T15:56:00.002+01:002012-10-30T09:08:06.377+00:00Medieval Leather Caskets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This beauty turned up in my feed today, from the <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/collections/collection%20online.aspx?type=refresh&csearch=department:Medieval%20Art&pid=%7B91ADCD8F-992A-45A5-8599-70835467DF5E%7D&coid=5655630">Cleveland Museum of Art</a>:<br />
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This is a gorgeous casket that dates between 1350-1400. It's a French casket made of wood but decorated with iron mounts and incised leather. Needless to say that as a leatherworker myself, I find it really interesting to see some of the techniques I use in my workshop now being put into practice by folks centuries before! I've often thought about making something similar, but this is definitely giving me the shove to.<br />
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It's dimensions are h: 4 1/8" (10.5cm), w: 9 7/8" (25.2cm) d: 7 7/16" (19cm). This particular box would have been commissioned by someone who had money -- probably aristocratic in nature. It has a scene of romantic love stamped into the surface, which means it was likely given as a love token or betrothal gift. The box features banderoles, with text written in Old French with mutual expressions of love. On the lid of the box, the lady asks "Hold my heart". The man on the lid replies "But you already have it". On the front of the box, the man is shown holding a heart saying "have it once more".<br />
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These boxes were usually created for the secular market and used for storing personal items such as books, documents, letters or jewelry. Often wooden cored boxes were guilded or covered with ivory or leather. In Germany, they were referred to as "minnekastchen" or "minneskästchen". Below is a similar minnekastchen from Germany, dated between 1351-1375.<br />
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The picture is from <a href="http://www.jmrw.com/Chess/Tableau_echecs/pages/198.htm">http://www.jmrw.com/Chess/Tableau_echecs/pages/198.htm</a>, but it doesn't have a whole lot of info on the page. It simply states that the box shows a man and a woman playing chess. This box looks like it's been carved from wood with a cutaway wood layer over the top, which itself has been painted. The site does, however, provide a closeup of the detail:<br />
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We can see in close up that both carry birds, which are noble signifiers, though I've no idea about the chap's strange green outfit. Answers on a postcard, anyone?<br />
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Either way, these boxes are awesome little things. If you'd like to read more about them, there's a really good site for it (with lots of pictures) over here: <a href="http://thomasguild.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/kolner-minnekastchen.html">http://thomasguild.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/kolner-minnekastchen.html</a></div>
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