The oldest surviving tales of King Arthur have their origins in early Welsh mythology. These old stories survive today in the form of medieval manuscripts, often dating to the 13th or 14th centuries. However, the… Read More »Early Welsh Mythology
Early medieval Cornwall would prove to be one of the last bastions of Celtic Britain. Here the culture of the native Britons survived and even thrived for a time. Old stories tell us that it… Read More »Early Medieval Cornwall:410-1066 AD
Who were the first folklorists? The Brothers Grimm perhaps? Or perhaps some of the antiquarians of the early modern age? Such individuals can certainly claim to be amongst the first to systematically collect and study… Read More »Medieval Folklore
Pilgrimage was a major feature of cultural life in medieval Europe. Christians had been making pilgrimages ever since the earliest period of Christian history. However, it was between the 11th and 13th centuries that the… Read More »Pilgrimage in Medieval Europe
In the medieval European mind the principal agents of Satan on earth were his demons. Demons were greatly feared. They were constantly working to tempt the faithful into a life of sin and subsequent eternal… Read More »Demons in Medieval Europe
Medieval society had its own myths, folktales and folkloric practices. Some had their roots in older times, whereas others emerged during the Middle Ages. However, whatever their origins, they were all, inevitably, re-interpreted and adapted… Read More »Myth and Folklore in Medieval Society
In medieval England your social class defined your role in society in a way that is now hard for us to imagine. It dictated what you could and could not do. And, in most people’s… Read More »Social Class in Medieval England
In 1127, Henry of Poitou became abbot of Peterborough; an event marked by an ominous omen – a manifestation of the Wild Hunt. The incident was described in sinister detail in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles: “Many… Read More »The Wild Hunt in Medieval Mythology
Medieval England could be a violent and lawless place. The C12th saw law and order break down entirely during the civil war known as the Anarchy (1138 to 1153). The C13th saw two baronial wars,… Read More »Law and Order in Medieval England
By the mid-fifth century, what was left of Romano-Britain experienced a major influx of pagan Anglo-Saxon migrants. When the Romans abandoned Britain in the early C5th, civic infrastructure was already deteriorating. The money and resources… Read More »Anglo-Saxon Paganism