Pirates, Doodles and Sinking Castles - Medieval News Roundup

This week's collection of news and tweets for medievalists. <br/><br/><div class="storify"><iframe src="//storify.com/medievalists/pirates-doodles-and-costumes-medieval-news-roundup/embed?header=false&border=false" width="100%" height=750 frameborder=no allowtransparency=true></iframe><script src="//storify.com/medievalists/pirates-doodles-and-costumes-medieval-news-roundup.js?header=false&border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/medievalists/pirates-doodles-and-costumes-medieval-news-roundup" target="_blank">View the story "Pirates, Doodles and Sinking Castles - Medieval News Roundup" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div><br/><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI19ERoeOVLNiAaDOlsgpwEqBkCakBbc80NWcoPioUCgPqk5nJpsgxpu7tFsjr4CfJI14_dNqWUyG9UIA_A_kN9kevNFw3Hv3e2eXdJXcy9roeFrqKS0z2EpZCQnzEYItOZdEH3Jck4eI/s1600/sinking+castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI19ERoeOVLNiAaDOlsgpwEqBkCakBbc80NWcoPioUCgPqk5nJpsgxpu7tFsjr4CfJI14_dNqWUyG9UIA_A_kN9kevNFw3Hv3e2eXdJXcy9roeFrqKS0z2EpZCQnzEYItOZdEH3Jck4eI/s400/sinking+castle.jpg" /></a></div>

Pirates, Doodles and Sinking Castles - Medieval News Roundup

This week's collection of news and tweets for medievalists. [ View the story "Pirates, Doodles and Sinking Castles - Medieval News ...

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Medieval News Roundup: The Viking Facebook, drunken archaeologists, competitive jousting in Australia and ranting about Lancelot

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cfOGjl8zUA_mWTDQHrvtnGbhnuc0Yt7pmNegd8Bo_qtlTGdIsGEd8m8EQXcIV_-NibszI3JeMsUCWWYIJdm0Sn4u4tYz4g9hOOH4WGyJcwlEp8UHrNvbFEZr_N7WIknYTJi2waw5JQ4/s1600/verge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cfOGjl8zUA_mWTDQHrvtnGbhnuc0Yt7pmNegd8Bo_qtlTGdIsGEd8m8EQXcIV_-NibszI3JeMsUCWWYIJdm0Sn4u4tYz4g9hOOH4WGyJcwlEp8UHrNvbFEZr_N7WIknYTJi2waw5JQ4/s1600/verge.png" width="320" /></a></div><i>The Verge</i> takes a look at some of the interesting work being done by statistical physicists Ralph Kenna and Pádraig Mac Carron on medieval sources. Using their background in understanding connections, they examined works such as the Táin Bó Cúailnge to learn more about the relationships between the characters found in its pages.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>What Kenna and Mac Carron found was that the epics fell between the real networks and the fictional ones. The network in The Iliad is relatively realistic, and Beowulf's also has realistic aspects, with the exception of the connections to Beowulf himself. That chimed with the idea from the humanities that he, unlike some others in the story, may not have existed. The Táin's network was more artificial. Interestingly, however, they found that a lot of the Táin's unreality was concentrated in just a few, grotesquely over-connected characters. When they theorized that some of those characters might actually be amalgams — for instance, that some of the times the queen of Connacht is said to speak to someone, it might be a messenger speaking for her instead — the network began to look more realistic. At least from a social network perspective, perhaps the Táin is not as fantastical as its reputation would suggest, the researchers proposed. That doesn't mean the events really happened, or that the people are real. But it raises the question of why the network looks the way it does. </i></blockquote><b><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/15/5898653/mapping-mythical-social-networks">You can read the article The Viking Facebook here</a></b>.<br /><br />In <i>First Things</i>, Dale M. Coulter takes a look at the life and influence of Jacques le Goff, who passed away earlier this year. He notes that:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Le Goff sought to help Europeans recognize themselves as still connected by the cultural fabric of a common medieval civilization. Along with his fellow members of the Annales school, he also strengthened the case for the long Middle Ages, extending them all the way to the mid-nineteenth century. Le Goff’s body of work, then, stands as a challenge to historians who argue for the Italian Renaissance and Reformation as a break that unleashed a series of forces, intended or not, ultimately leading to the current social imaginary.</i></blockquote><b><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/07/the-good-historian-resembles-an-ogre">Click here to read the article The Good Historian Resembles an Ogre</a></b><br /><br />The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National network offers a look at the world of competitive jousting at an event taking place just outside Sydney. One of the competitors, L. Dale Walter explains how dangerous this sport can be:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>"I broke my back in 2011 jumping off my horse when he was slipping in the mud and falling at the end of a list. We came in, I went to pull him up, it was slippery, he started to fall, and I had two pictures in my head: one him falling across my leg, which would shatter my leg, and more scary to me, him falling with his legs crossed, which would shatter his leg."</i></blockquote><b><a href="http://competitive%20jousters%20take%20medieval%20re-enactment%20seriously/">You can read the article and listen to their broadcast at Competitive jousters take medieval re-enactment seriously</a></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG6n4YX_drxSVksQ5zTyA16_Dgctt4G0DQApX1ftXizotUJE7gAeJLIRjeT9-AUCsASdch_oUr3qBm6EFWURbmCkXwlIIeDjLhSZsjb6tma_rPtM2CJ7NcrKFKNeVqOtxVajTuz7G6Pk/s1600/thor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG6n4YX_drxSVksQ5zTyA16_Dgctt4G0DQApX1ftXizotUJE7gAeJLIRjeT9-AUCsASdch_oUr3qBm6EFWURbmCkXwlIIeDjLhSZsjb6tma_rPtM2CJ7NcrKFKNeVqOtxVajTuz7G6Pk/s1600/thor.jpg" /></a></div>In an article about the upcoming changes to the comic book character Thor, Russell Smith of <i>The Globe and Mail</i> shows that he knows a few things about medieval literature:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>I say the original King Arthur rules, and I have no tolerance for a politically correct “modernization” of the story. Everybody knows there was no Sir Lancelot or Holy Grail in the original King Arthur story, as told by Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae in the early 12th century. Lancelot and the Grail were rudely added by Chrétien de Troyes 50 or 60 years later, around 1180. Are we really going to tolerate some French upstart turning King Arthur from a warrior into some kind of romantic soap-opera star just because it suited the spirit of the times?</i></blockquote><b><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/hero-mythbusters-have-gone-too-far/article19756962/">You can read the full article - Hero mythbusters have gone too far - here</a></b><br /><br />What else should you also check out:<br /><br /><b><a href="http://battle-castle.tv/2014/07/21/five-tips-for-sieging-your-favourite-medieval-castle/">Five Tips for Sieging your Favourite Medieval Castle</a></b> - the good people at Battle Castle have the pictorial evidence of what the really watch out for when going castle-hopping!<br /><br />The first episode of the new podcast <b><a href="http://drunkarchaeology.tumblr.com/">Drunk Archaeology</a></b>:<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/159888647&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br /><br />The medieval band <i>Vagarem</i> has just released their new album "Codex Bricolia". You can hear some of their sounds in this YouTube video:<br /><br /><object height="360" width="480"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/qgVLft15yyQ?hl=en_US&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/qgVLft15yyQ?hl=en_US&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vagarem">Please visit their Facebook page for details</a></b>.

Medieval News Roundup: The Viking Facebook, drunken archaeologists, competitive jousting in Australia and ranting about Lancelot

The Verge takes a look at some of the interesting work being done by statistical physicists Ralph Kenna and Pádraig Mac Carron on medieval ...

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Jay-Z goes medieval?

American rap star JAY-Z has released a new album this month entitled <i>Magna Carta Holy Grail</i>. To promote the album, they have <b><a href="http://lifeandtimes.com/jay-z-magna-carta-holy-grail-album-cover">placed artwork of the album's cover </a></b>next to one of the earliest copies of the Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_RYfbq-mmI7nMhf_PkkLPGs-_qLHyOw-62E9dViaxB1q5TJXKyDHS4HmYFojVko43Tm4fz3QlbCcUXGBbjdvKZfcujec2U3ZmkXoO4Du0BSfy1LS06WD6wEnCFL4fnQl3-BYQfY-Bro/s1600/mchg3-620x412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_RYfbq-mmI7nMhf_PkkLPGs-_qLHyOw-62E9dViaxB1q5TJXKyDHS4HmYFojVko43Tm4fz3QlbCcUXGBbjdvKZfcujec2U3ZmkXoO4Du0BSfy1LS06WD6wEnCFL4fnQl3-BYQfY-Bro/s1600/mchg3-620x412.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />Dean of Salisbury the Very Reverend June Osborne told the <b><a href="http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/10523942.Jay_Z_launches_album_artwork_at_Salisbury_Cathedral/">Salisbury Journal,</a></b> “We are delighted that Jay Z has chosen Salisbury Cathedral, home to the finest of the four surviving Magna Carta, as the location for the global premiere of his artwork. We know how important the Magna Carta, and all it represents, is to people across the globe. The ideals it embodies are still relevant today.<br /><br />“Jay Z, through his album, is creating a huge awareness of this historic document and its modern significance to a huge audience in the run up to its 800th anniversary in 2015. We hope to welcome many of his fans here this summer to see the artwork in the Chapter House alongside our Magna Carta.”<br /><br />Jay-Z was impressed with the ideals of justice and responsibility as written in the Magna Carta, and one song even includes the line "To no one will We Sell, to no one will We deny or delay, right or justice." <br /><br />Another song, Holy Grail, features Justin Timberlake. You can listen to it below:<br /><br /><br /><object height="315" width="560"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/2YcIgow6TDk?hl=en_US&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/2YcIgow6TDk?hl=en_US&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

Jay-Z goes medieval?

American rap star JAY-Z has released a new album this month entitled Magna Carta Holy Grail . To promote the album, they have placed artwork...

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Octandre Ensemble: Medieval Modernist - this Saturday in London!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxjr_uinl4_jrOXu-cf_3mb8KPeTdytRfmZC5IOTktq_p3KLI4LaaiGTck8JdNn3GQQOjGd4Z5ekj37en9Q4IhMNxC76ThouscUEKlDgp5WCcSL-ojhMj-4f9oEu_TJQmjXu5EmOxL6U/s1600/octandre.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/AVvXsEjcxjr_uinl4_jrOXu-cf_3mb8KPeTdytRfmZC5IOTktq_p3KLI4LaaiGTck8JdNn3GQQOjGd4Z5ekj37en9Q4IhMNxC76ThouscUEKlDgp5WCcSL-ojhMj-4f9oEu_TJQmjXu5EmOxL6U/s1600/octandre.jpeg" /></a></div><b>Octandre Ensemble: Medieval Modernist </b><br /><br />7.30pm Saturday 8 December 2012<br /><br />Church of St. Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall, Gresham Street, EC2V 5AA.<br /><br />The Octandre Ensemble presents a concert featuring the work of its Patron, Sir Harrison Birtwistle. The programme includes his arrangements of music by Ockeghem and Machaut as well as modernist works by him and others, including Stravinsky, Holst and Mason, revealing contrasts and connections. Refreshments will be served, including mead, mulled wine and mince pies.<br /><br /> Tickets £10/£8 <br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.octandre.com/www.octandre.com/Concerts/Entries/2012/9/8_Medieval_Modernists_-_8_December_2012.html" target="_blank">Click here to book online</a></b><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Octandre_Medieval-Modernist-flyer.pdf" target="_blank">Click here to download the flyer for the concert</a></b>

Octandre Ensemble: Medieval Modernist - this Saturday in London!

Octandre Ensemble: Medieval Modernist  7.30pm Saturday 8 December 2012 Church of St. Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall, Gresham Street, EC2V 5AA...

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The Geese Book – medieval manuscript now available online

<br />One of the most interesting manuscripts of the late Middle Ages is now available online – The Geese Book, a lavishly and whimsically illuminated, two-volume liturgical book, can now be accessed through a project from the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.<br /><br />The Geese Book was produced in Nuremberg, Germany between 1503 and 1510, and gives the complete liturgy compiled for the parish of St. Lorenz, which was used until the Reformation was introduced in the city in 1525.<br /><br />The volumes are renowned for their high quality decorative illumination including fanciful pictures, provocative and satirical imagery of animals, dragons, and wild people. The work takes its name from an enigmatic illustration showing a choir of geese singing from a large chant manuscript with a wolf as their choirmaster. A fox, who has joined the choir, extends his paw menacingly in the direction of one of the geese.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/11/28/the-geese-book-medieval-manuscript-now-available-online/" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net</a></b><br />

The Geese Book – medieval manuscript now available online

One of the most interesting manuscripts of the late Middle Ages is now available online – The Geese Book, a lavishly and whimsically illumin...

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Hildegard of Bingen's music gets modern twist in new album

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEjOdjmbefz3yvA1eKCuVLYDjywEQI0nI0CRiUN8g_n0uVJkqYQssCsG4uxGq4lhyXKgODJIq-c3FVvFyf6rZe8zlREJ8lTCqlpCYvxNW-EGz6HoBRL92JZacFDd58YGdB6LzxiEdBCQ/s1600/hildegard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEjOdjmbefz3yvA1eKCuVLYDjywEQI0nI0CRiUN8g_n0uVJkqYQssCsG4uxGq4lhyXKgODJIq-c3FVvFyf6rZe8zlREJ8lTCqlpCYvxNW-EGz6HoBRL92JZacFDd58YGdB6LzxiEdBCQ/s1600/hildegard.jpg" /></a></div>A medieval nun is poised to become an unlikely chart star after her liturgical chants were transformed into music by Madonna’s record producer.<br /><br />A series of compositions by Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine abbess who died in 1179, have been released as an album, the Telegraph reported.<br /><br />The producer, Guy Sigsworth, has reworked them to create “ambient remixes.”<br /><br />Sigsworth is a classically trained musician known for his work with Madonna, Britney Spears and Seal.<br /><br />The album, Hildegard, is being released by Decca and industry experts predict it will become a chart success.<br /><br />Sigsworth worked with Stevie Wishart, a composer who studied medieval music and has long been fascinated by Hildegard’s compositions.<br /> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/player.js?embedCode=9lZzlkNjrfClWspxO_iBoGKzK_1tkCET&width=560&video_pcode=RvbGU6Z74XE_a3bj4QwRGByhq9h2&deepLinkEmbedCode=9lZzlkNjrfClWspxO_iBoGKzK_1tkCET&height=315"></script> <br /><b><a href="http://truthdive.com/2012/10/27/Medieval-nun-s-chants-given-modern-twist-and-released-as-album.html" target="_blank">Click here to read this article from Truthdrive</a></b><br /><br />See also <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalcdreviews/9634156/Hildegard-Sinfonye-classical-album-of-the-week.html" target="_blank">Hildegard, Sinfonye, classical album of the week</a></b><br /> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=medievalistsn-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0091HVMKU&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_top&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Hildegard of Bingen's music gets modern twist in new album

A medieval nun is poised to become an unlikely chart star after her liturgical chants were transformed into music by Madonna’s record produc...

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