Gutenberg, Executions, Medicis, Vikings, Hobbits and more - medieval news roundup

A medieval news roundup for the weekend...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfIhMo_ck1UtOvBG4ZpCmTLFvinugoBf6QBVQWv8-5skHcQNQKriLNebawWvb_PzPa-doUEVHFxsDYkkBNvFYQEbpQHicD3ryg0pberrXVhGt_uIPsPHfMVR3rFrgZhJClsY8wASRxyY/s1600/gutenberg.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfIhMo_ck1UtOvBG4ZpCmTLFvinugoBf6QBVQWv8-5skHcQNQKriLNebawWvb_PzPa-doUEVHFxsDYkkBNvFYQEbpQHicD3ryg0pberrXVhGt_uIPsPHfMVR3rFrgZhJClsY8wASRxyY/s320/gutenberg.gif" width="262" /></a></div>If you are a fan of Marshall McLuhan or have an interest in the history of printing, <b><a href="http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/the_future_is_medieval.php?page=all">this interview from the Columbia Journalism Review</a></b> might interest you. In this post, entitled <i>The future is medieval</i>, they talk with Thomas Pettitt and Lars Ole Sauerberg from the University of Southern Denmark about their “Gutenberg Parenthesis” idea. It deals with how digital media will be tipping the scales between oral and print communication, the first change we have seen since Gutenberg started his printing machine. It includes some talk about the medieval period, such as:<br /><br /><i>The Middle Ages was not strong on membership of communities. They were not obsessive about inside versus outside. They didn’t emphasize, “I’m a denizen of this town, I’m a citizen of this country, I belong in this nation, behind these frontiers.” They saw themselves rather like Hobbits (Tolkien was a medievalist). Hobbits knew their relatives to the seventh degree: second cousins three times removed, and so on. In the Middle Ages people saw themselves as part of a network of connections. They knew their family trees. They knew with whom they were related. They identified themselves as a node in a network and they saw pathways, connections to other people in their extended family. They also saw themselves in terms depending on their profession. If they were in the Church, they saw themselves in the Church hierarchy as being a priest here, subject to the archdeacon here, subject to the bishop there, and the archbishop and the pope. You could have status by being the servant to a servant to someone important.</i><br /><br />You can also listen to this talk they were part of from MIT:<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F95712755" width="100%"></iframe> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhharf8loKxG0vaNTisB1ppi6wCTZVVtqxAZhgYa8ztJT9JBDqcg-_27T0vXz10TUxAPDxwT7w-XE8gq4sqC8bQjqDADjbbMYRLwJ0XMwK_s0acjaF-m_fYUh984Vz8yj9Gh2vph-U2CbY/s1600/faithful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhharf8loKxG0vaNTisB1ppi6wCTZVVtqxAZhgYa8ztJT9JBDqcg-_27T0vXz10TUxAPDxwT7w-XE8gq4sqC8bQjqDADjbbMYRLwJ0XMwK_s0acjaF-m_fYUh984Vz8yj9Gh2vph-U2CbY/s200/faithful.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Slate magazine offers this <b><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/05/executioners_in_medieval_europe_history_of_capital_punishment.single.html">fascinating excerpt</a></b> from <i>The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century</i>, by Joel F. Harrington. It details how 16th century executioners performed their task. For example:<br /><br /><i>During his own 45-year career and 187 recorded executions with the sword, Meister Frantz required a second stroke only four times (an impressive success rate of 98 percent), yet he dutifully acknowledges each mistake in his journal with the simple annotation <u>botched</u>. </i><br /><i><br /></i>The New York Times has a <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/science/rickets-plagued-children-of-the-medicis.html?_r=2&">short article</a></b> about how nine children from the wealthy and poweful Medici family have been found to have rickets, a disease caused by a lack of Vitamin D and usually associated with the poor. In this case, "the researchers said the children were probably deprived of sunlight, which spurs the body to make vitamin D. Wealthy children of that time were often tightly swaddled and kept inside, with suntans discouraged as signs of low standing."<br /><br />Sticking with the Medici's, <i>Three Pipe Problem</i> (a great blog) has an <b><a href="http://www.3pipe.net/2013/06/edward-goldberg-interview.html">interview with Edward Goldberg</a></b>, who does extensive research on that family and on the Jewish community in Renaissance Italy.<br /><br />ScienceNordic reports that a <b><a href="http://sciencenordic.com/oldest-charlemagne-coin-norway">1200 year old Carolingian coin has been discovered in Norway</a></b>. Jon Anders Risvaag, from NTNU University Museum, explains “Two factors make this find stand out. Firstly, this coin is older than the Carolingian coinage reform, and so far the oldest coin from Charlemagne’s reign found in Norway. Secondly, this coin was not found in a grave, in contrast to almost all other coins from Charlemagne and his successors that have been found in Norway.”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-td6AplUQ2sf6RzxPUAoXs0Xbn00P6IFDdogJsJ-b7vsODcNq88qF2v8cvXctKrmpQsQ1Sk_GvNEdwB5-3QfrI5-55BV_IaDNfCUBxARyQELJZY6AdilqxDVfY24DHsgezR10rabfPbw/s1600/viking-ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-td6AplUQ2sf6RzxPUAoXs0Xbn00P6IFDdogJsJ-b7vsODcNq88qF2v8cvXctKrmpQsQ1Sk_GvNEdwB5-3QfrI5-55BV_IaDNfCUBxARyQELJZY6AdilqxDVfY24DHsgezR10rabfPbw/s200/viking-ship.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>If you are interested in the Vikings, go over to <b><a href="http://medievalhistories.com/">Medieval Histories</a></b>, where Karen Schousboe has written several posts about the Norsemen, including an indepth review of an exhibition Vikings 2013 at the National Museum in Copenhagen.<br /><br />Finally, the CBC (our public broadcaster here in Canada), has this article <b><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-buzz/2013/06/film-set-tourism-spikes-with-game-of-thrones-the-hobbit.html">Film, TV tourism spikes with Game of Thrones, The Hobbit</a></b>. Fans seem to be heading to Northern Ireland, Dubrovnik and New Zealand to check out the beautiful backdrops to their favourite shows/movies. New Zealand tourism is cashing on in the Hobbit (like they did with Lord of the Rings movies) with their "100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand" campaign.<br /><br /><br /><br />

Gutenberg, Executions, Medicis, Vikings, Hobbits and more - medieval news roundup

A medieval news roundup for the weekend... If you are a fan of Marshall McLuhan or have an interest in the history of printing, this intervi...

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Videos on The Hobbit - news and interviews

<b>Ian McKellen's Expected, New Tolkien Journey </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gHpnMb2U2x0" width="560"></iframe> Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' the 1st in Peter Jackson's new trilogy from J.R.R. Tolkien's writings. McKellen says Jackson uses Tolkien's style and notes to join 'The Hobbit' to 'The Lord of the Ring.'<br /><br /><b> Simon Tolkien: "I don't think JRR would have enjoyed watching the films" </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hCEqQV5eIjk" width="560"></iframe> Simon Tolkien shares his view on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the latest adaptation of his grandfather's books The Hobbit on 5 live Breakfast with Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden.<br /><br /><b> NZ hit by Tolkien fever as Hobbit premiere nears </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yZseKJvs1kw" width="560"></iframe> Stars from the new Hobbit movie have joined die-hard fans in New Zealand ahead of the world première of the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.<br /><br /><b> JRR Tolkien estate to sue Warner Bros over The Hobbit </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kg8mNuVGQWs" width="560"></iframe> The estate of The Hobbit author JRR Tolkien is to sue the studio behind a new film adaptation of the novel, over claims of copyright infringement. The suit, filed in California, says film-makers licensed the Hobbit brand for online casino slot machines and other forms of gambling, damaging the author's legacy. The family is claiming $80m (£50m) in damages.<br /><br /><b> Tolkien Reaction and Bilbo Baggins Casting Interview </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IMmyct6koyg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b> Theresa Russ on Tolkien and The Hobbit </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NKLPc2G3wt8" width="560"></iframe> With the much-anticipated premiere of The Hobbit coming on Friday, we offer this video interview with Theresa Russ, a Ph.D. student in English at UC Santa Barbara. Russ discusses the evolution of the Tolkien fantasy genre.  <br /><br /><b>Hobbit's Peter Jackson on bringing Tolkien classic to screen </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_LPcfHNtSJs" width="560"></iframe> Interview "The Hobbit" director Peter Jakson. Jackson talks about the roots of his imagination and pioneering film making, and reveals secrets about the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel.<br /><br /> The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey Interview - Richard Armitage <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SkgmYkXrtQM" width="560"></iframe> Richard Armitage talks about playing Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit<br /><br /> <b>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Christopher Lee Interview </b><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IKvkaEipcN0" width="560"></iframe><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13zT7cLJiPpCSR2n2px5KJFLVtDFDE4nzcivPZWy_EJFP3HF_91FITCAFgT-M5Q3Pfs91cvMjoJTm8X39wjUz2Ai-08er8YPfqi5QR0BGFaUyejwT3_9w8wsEeH6WDydZx2pcRfV7inM/s1600/hobbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13zT7cLJiPpCSR2n2px5KJFLVtDFDE4nzcivPZWy_EJFP3HF_91FITCAFgT-M5Q3Pfs91cvMjoJTm8X39wjUz2Ai-08er8YPfqi5QR0BGFaUyejwT3_9w8wsEeH6WDydZx2pcRfV7inM/s320/hobbit.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>

Videos on The Hobbit - news and interviews

Ian McKellen's Expected, New Tolkien Journey Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' the 1st i...

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Real to reel: Course explores ancient Greece and Rome in the movies

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK80TzB28HdHFIGEdiV-EdHh_RF_NzBdjLbJSHajACC0XcLK43zTD2hD_LCJI7i-Cwlz6PmcfvIRwsiFDhyphenhyphenZxHLTjnhx7hXUrsf6NlPLa21_dpLzpcvMX9xBozBD61UHyUQOLkbi3zTI8/s1600/spartacus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK80TzB28HdHFIGEdiV-EdHh_RF_NzBdjLbJSHajACC0XcLK43zTD2hD_LCJI7i-Cwlz6PmcfvIRwsiFDhyphenhyphenZxHLTjnhx7hXUrsf6NlPLa21_dpLzpcvMX9xBozBD61UHyUQOLkbi3zTI8/s320/spartacus.png" width="212" /></a></div>Was “Spartacus” an anti-fascist polemic? Does “Agora” demonstrate the horrors of anti-science religious zealotry? Did the Trojans really dress only in blue-and-white outfits? Quiz: Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor in un-credited roles, plus 32,000 costumes.<br /><br />The answers are yes, yes, no and “Quo Vadis.”<br /><br />Since 1914, more than 600 movies have been set in ancient Greece or Rome, or in some way employ their history and literature. These movies offer varying degrees of historical accuracy and often mirror contemporary fears and concerns.<br /><br />A sampling of antiquity-themed films will be examined in depth in the course “The Ancient World in the Movies” to be taught at University of Buffalo this fall by UB classicist Donald McGuire.<br /><br />Students will watch 13 excellent films, attend two lectures a week and read critical material in a quest to understand why we keep looking at the past, where the populist version of the ancient life comes from and how such movies have reflected and represented present day issues.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/2012_08_23/real_to_reel" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the University of Buffalo Reporter</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://honors.buffalo.edu/honorablemention/academics/cl-410-the-ancient-world-in-the-movies-with-professor-mcguire/" target="_blank">Click here find more information about the course from the University of Buffalo</a></b><br />

Real to reel: Course explores ancient Greece and Rome in the movies

Was “Spartacus” an anti-fascist polemic? Does “Agora” demonstrate the horrors of anti-science religious zealotry? Did the Trojans really dre...

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Tears of the Fallen – short film examines the effects of war from medieval times

In an upcoming short film, the sad realities of war are examined in the Middle Ages. Tears of the Fallen is currently in production, and tells the story of a aftermath of a 15th century battle, a war ravaged soldier meets a peasant woman searching for her warrior son.<br /><br /><br />Directed by David L. Anderson, the film is scheduled to be released this fall and will be shown at film festivals. Anderson hopes that the short-film will generate interest into making a full-length feature.<br /><br />Anderson also wrote the screenplay. He says, “it was my own concept that I came up with. Having a love for the medieval culture and having worked on other medieval-style film projects, I came up with this story in where I wanted to express my creativity and deep personal faith.”<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/07/27/tears-of-the-fallen-short-film-examines-the-effects-of-war-from-medieval-times/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br />

Tears of the Fallen – short film examines the effects of war from medieval times

In an upcoming short film, the sad realities of war are examined in the Middle Ages. Tears of the Fallen is currently in production, and tel...

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Weapons maker to the world: Meet the go-to man for battle attire

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpVrYGC8Sdbo_dj0cgXoP-zRGiuxaM_ik0za2AfXVzHFj03qJcuc7uSFIlZ2Ayk4p85EBScQet87Fs91vT6XQbTUbT78sKbuz8RBh-A-5vr1ZrgpR-O6tfKP-s6WdHB7IEO_nx4BkACo/s1600/weapons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpVrYGC8Sdbo_dj0cgXoP-zRGiuxaM_ik0za2AfXVzHFj03qJcuc7uSFIlZ2Ayk4p85EBScQet87Fs91vT6XQbTUbT78sKbuz8RBh-A-5vr1ZrgpR-O6tfKP-s6WdHB7IEO_nx4BkACo/s320/weapons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On the outskirts of New Delhi, in a cramped concrete workshop where the air shimmers with the light of welding torches, an Indian businessman has become a master craftsman of Napoleonic swords. And medieval chain-mail armour. And Second World War hand grenades and helmets.<br /><br />From Hollywood war movies to Japanese Samurai films to battle re-enactments across Europe, Ashok Rai, 31, is one of the world's go-to men for historic weapons and battle attire.<br /><br />Rai's workshop reverberates with the sounds of metal being hammered and beaten into chain mail, swords, axes, muskets, sabres, spears and helmets.<br /><br />Rai, a trap-shooting enthusiast, says he has been a history buff since childhood. <span style="background-color: white;">"I would watch every war movie that came to town. All my life, I've been reading up on all the major battles in history. Now when we make medieval battle gear it's easy for me to explain to my craftsmen exactly what's to be done."</span><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-06/D9VCP6E83.htm" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the Associated Press</a></b><br />

Weapons maker to the world: Meet the go-to man for battle attire

On the outskirts of New Delhi, in a cramped concrete workshop where the air shimmers with the light of welding torches, an Indian businessma...

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Is Snow White Real? A Look Back Into The Life Story Of Countess Margarete Von Waldeck

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2IVgqcFElFqEsb_RFxruyj4bk-6-wSA4iZzmI3MaIOzF_vfZjOU5XbzJDcqrer586x__C-qiPamQW_QGWbaML1ezqmGNJk-c7WEPxqKBvu3-MzNJceBIjPR7BFGg7xuV61k5bF_oddo/s1600/thumb_4575855f69.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2IVgqcFElFqEsb_RFxruyj4bk-6-wSA4iZzmI3MaIOzF_vfZjOU5XbzJDcqrer586x__C-qiPamQW_QGWbaML1ezqmGNJk-c7WEPxqKBvu3-MzNJceBIjPR7BFGg7xuV61k5bF_oddo/s1600/thumb_4575855f69.jpeg" /></a></div>With the premiere of Rupert Sanders' "Snow White and the Huntsman," which hit theaters on Friday starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, many are wondering if the folk tale popularized by the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney of the girl with hair as black as ebony and skin as white as snow is based on a real person.<br /><br /> Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, the authors of the original "Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge" or the story "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," were German scholars who collected, researched and wrote stories based on folklore in the early 1800's.Treating the stories spread by word of mouth as scholarly research, the Grimm brothers eventually compiled more than 200 stories, one being Snow White, based on accounts from various people from peasants to aristocrats, which drew some criticism based on the factual nature during the transcription process.<br /><br /> However, in 1994, a German scholar named Eckhard Sander wrote "Schneewittchen: Marchen oder Wahrheit?" which translates to" Snow White: Is It a Fairy Tale?" in an effort to debunk claims that the protagonist in Snow White was never a real person or not based in historical fact. According to Sander, the account from the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale Snow White was based on the life of Margarete von Waldeck, a German countess who was the mistress of a Spanish prince during the 1500's.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/347815/20120601/snow-white-real-story-huntsman-waldeck-margarete.htm" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from the International Business Times</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/06/01/snow-white-and-the-huntsman/" target="_blank">Click here to see our page on Snow White and the Huntsman</a></b>

Is Snow White Real? A Look Back Into The Life Story Of Countess Margarete Von Waldeck

With the premiere of Rupert Sanders' "Snow White and the Huntsman," which hit theaters on Friday starring Kristen Stewart, Chr...

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