Medieval Book Club: Judith, Dream of the Rood, & Juliana

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Anglo-Saxon, Dream of the Rood, Judith, Juliana, Medieval Book Club, poetry

Welcome to my sixth Medieval Book Club entry. For this month we read through some Anglo-Saxon poetry (in translation, of course), found free online here and here and here. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, follow those links and give them a read. Let me tell you, I really enjoyed reading through those poems this month, which seems to be a repeating trend with Anglo-Saxon poetry. After May’s disappointment, it was nice to retreat to what is becoming my safe space for Anglo-Saxon literature.

For July we will be reading Viking Age Iceland by Jesse L. Byock. The preview post for this one can be found here, and I am looking forward to reading that book. If you are at all interested, I would love to have you read along and come back to discuss that book on July 20th!

My Thoughts on Judith:

This poem was an interesting one. I enjoyed it, and how Judith beheaded Holofernes in the beginning and it turned out to be a fairly significant event by the end of the poem. I can’t be the only one, though, who found it fairly humorous that the warriors were standing around, afraid to interrupt their lord because they imagined he was still laying with Judith:

So the retainers in the morning-time chased down the strangers,
for the whole time until the lead-warriors of that militant people,
who were hostile, perceived that the Hebrew men had shown
a severe sword-swinging to them. Wordfully they went
to reveal that fact to the most senior of the lordly-warriors,
awakening the pennanted soldiers, and fearfully announcing
the frightful news—the morning-raid, the terrible play of blades—
to the mead-wearied. Then I heard at once
that the warriors doomed to die shook off their slumber
and the fallen-spirited went thronging in a crowd
to the sheltering tent of the baleful one, Holofernes.
They intended at once to announce the battle to their lord
before the terrible power of the Hebrews.
They all thought that the lord of warriors
and the bright maiden lay together inside that lovely tent,
the noble Judith and the lecherous one, terrifying and fierce.

There was not one of the nobles though who dared
to wake up that warfaring man or to discover how
the warrior had done with that holy woman,
the maiden of the Measurer. The armed might of the Hebrew people
drew nearer, fighting fiercely with hardened battle-weapons,
requiting with blades their ancient quarrel,
with splattered swords, their elder grudges.
Assyrian glory was diminished by that day-work,
their pride humbled. The warriors stood around
the tent of their lord, quite troubled, with downcast spirits.
Then they all together began to cough, making loud noises
and gnashing their teeth, deprived of the good, enduring grief.
Then was the end of their glory, of their blessings,
and their brave deeds. Then the earls considered how to awaken
their friendly lord—it prospered them not a jot.

That is probably the best scene there, with them coughing and gnashing their teeth outside the tent. Trying to subtly get his attention without raising his ire. And then the dramatic reveal: he is dead, and so they are all now doomed to lose to the Hebrews descending upon them.

All in all, this was a fun little poem, and it might be my favorite of the three this month. Dream of the Rood is close enough in standing that it might be a tossup between those two. But I really did enjoy this one, especially because of the humor woven in these scenes.

 

My Thoughts on Dream of the Rood:

This is a poem I have read several times now, and I always find myself enjoying this one. I actually was able to engage in a good discussion with some close friends about this poem, and it was fun to break it down a little and to consider how this poem almost appears to elevate the Cross to a saintly, idolic status to rival Mary.

On me, the Child of God
suffered awhile. Therefore I, triumphant
now tower under the heavens, able to heal
any one of them, those who stand in terror of me.
Long ago I was made into the hardest of torments,
most hateful to men, until I made roomy
the righteous way of life for them,
for those bearing speech. Listen—
the Lord of Glory honored me then
over all forested trees, the Warden of Heaven’s Realm!
Likewise Almighty God exalted his own mother,
Mary herself, before all humanity,
over all the kindred of women.

Sometimes it is hard to read poetry from a time when the Christian thought was predominantly Catholic in slant, as is the case with most Anglo-Saxon literature, because there will be things that stand out as being theologically inaccurate. And that is something I could talk about with all three of these poems, but I won’t go into those details here.

In spite of the attempts to make the Cross (known in the poem as the Rood) a significant symbol (which you could argue it has become that in our modern society), the approach on this poem is so unique that I always enjoy reading it. The dream of this man, retold in poetry, gives life and personality to the cross:

The young warrior stripped himself then—that was God Almighty—
strong and resolute—he climbed up onto the high gallows,
mindful in the sight of many, when he wished to redeem mankind.
I quaked when the warrior embraced me—
yet I dared not bow down to the ground, fall down to earthly regions,
but I must stand there firm. The rood was reared. I heaved the mighty king,
the Lord of Heaven—I did not dare to lean.

This is a poem I will return to time and again, and hope to someday soon revisit it in the Anglo-Saxon language. It is short, yet expressive and imaginative. Which is something I really enjoy in poetry.

My Thoughts on Juliana:

For those who thought the Medieval Literature would be silent about women, this month should have proven that thought wrong. Of the three poems read, this is the second one starring a woman. And wow, Juliana had quite the story about her life in here. You might dislike the emphasis on Juliana’s value being placed on her virginity, saving herself for Christ, it would have been a common perspective in this period. Without doing any research at all, I do know that a fair number of female saints had virginity as a trait among them. Likely because Christ was born of a virgin mother, so that would be viewed as the highest state in which a woman can achieve – equaling Mary’s accomplishment (although I’m not convinced she remained as such after the birth of Christ, so that really brings about a flaw in virginity equaling holiness for women. But that would be another discussion for another day…)

The scene where Juliana is talking to the demon (disguised as an angel) was an interesting one. Instead of taking the angel at his word, she prays to God for guidance and is instructed to grab hold of the angel. After that, she is able to get a very full confession out of the demon, and I feel like we’re missing something critical in that whole process because of the missing part of the manuscript. The deeds that the demon confesses to are curious to read, and I almost am left wondering if this could have partially been an inspiration to C.S. Lewis for his creation of The Screwtape Letters. It is likely not, but I did get a feeling that this could have inspired it and Lewis almost certainly would have read this poem in his time as a Medievalist.

And, of course, we have another piece missing after this discussion and then we jump straight into Juliana being tortured. Or, at least, they are attempting to torture and kill her but God protects her from all sorts of cruel and hideous methods. This echoes what is seen in many of the saintly stories – supernatural protection for them in body for a length of time but eventually they will suffer a death. Yet through it all, the saint is praising God and His glory. And, as is also common, the death appears to lead some to conversion.

Overall the poem spends a ton of time with Juliana interrogating the chained demon. We’re missing much of what Juliana suffered through prior to her death, which some might prefer to have it absent. While I enjoyed the poem and plan to read it again in the future, it didn’t stand out to me as much as the other two poems. This one was longer than the other two combined, yet I preferred them more.

Which of the three poems did you enjoy reading the most? What about that poem made it stand out from the others?

 

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Medieval Book Club Preview: Judith, Dream of the Rood, & Juliana

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Anglo-Saxon, Book Club, Caedmon, Cynewulf, Dream of the Rood, Judith, Juliana, Medieval Poetry

Welcome to the sixth preview for the 2017 Medieval Book Club. For June we’re going to read a trio of Medieval poems, but these ones do not stem from the Bible. Of course, like many Medieval works, there may be Biblical allusions. The Dream of the Rood, in particular, is an overly Christian poem. This will be our last poetry month until the fall, so I hope you’ll join me in June with reading these poems! Read on for a short preview of each poem:

Title: Judith

Author: Unknown, although many attribute the authorship to Cynewulf or Cademon

Date of Composition: Unknown

Link to read for FREE: (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/judith/

Length: 348 Lines

Summary: Judith conveys a moral tale of heroic triumph over monstrous beings. Both moral and political, the poem tells of a brave woman’s efforts to save and protect her people. Judith is depicted as an exemplar woman, grounded by ideal morale, probity, courage, and religious conviction. Judith’s character is rendered blameless and virtuous, and her beauty is praised persistently throughout the poem.

Title: Dream of the Rood

Author: Unknown, but speculation includes Cynewulf and Caedmon

Date of Composition: Around the 8th century, based on the dating of the Ruthwell Cross where the poem is found in rune form.

Links to read for FREE: https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/dream-of-the-rood/

Length: 156 Lines

Summary: The poem is set up with the narrator having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections. In section one, the narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how wretched he is compared to how glorious the tree is. However, he comes to see that amidst the beautiful stones it is stained with blood. In section two, the Cross shares its account of Jesus’ death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is not to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead Christ crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind. It is not just Christ, but the Cross as well that is pierced with nails. The Rood and Christ are one in the portrayal of the Passion—they are both pierced with nails, mocked and tortured. Then, just as with Christ, the Cross is resurrected, and adorned with gold and silver. It is honoured above all trees just as Jesus is honoured above all men. The Cross then charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In section three, the author gives his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross.

Title: Juliana

Author: Cynewulf, and the text is ascribed with his signature

Date of Composition: Likely sometime in the 9th century, although Cynewulf could have been around in the late 8th or early 10th century.

Links to read for FREE: https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/juliana/)

Length: 731 Lines

Summary: The story begins by illustrating the harsh life for Christians under the rule of Galerius Maximian, describing various acts of violence visited upon Christians. Juliana is introduced as the daughter of Africanus of Nicomedia, who has promised Juliana’s hand in marriage to Eleusias, a wealthy senator and friend of Maximian. Although Juliana was born a pagan, she has converted to Christianity, and so she vehemently resists being married to the pagan Eleusias, not wanting to violate the relationship she shares with God.

When she publicly voices her dissatisfaction, Eleusias becomes outraged and insists that he has been publicly insulted. Africanus, upon hearing of this, becomes similarly outraged, believing his daughter has embarrassed him by refusing the hand of a man of much higher status. As a result, Africanus declares that Eleusias is free to punish Juliana in whatever way he wishes.

Eleusias proceeds to have Juliana stripped naked, hung from a tree by her hair, whipped, and beaten with rods for over two hours. Then she is thrown into prison.

While in prison, Juliana is visited by a demon pretending to be an angel of God, who tries to trick her into blasphemy. Juliana, being the epitome of unwavering Christian faith, doesn’t fall for the charade and prays to God for guidance. A voice tells her to reach out and grab the demon, and Juliana obeys.

This point forward contains the bulk of the story, in which Juliana and the demon have a lengthy war of words, with Juliana clearly dominating. She holds the demon and forces it to confess all of its wicked deeds several times over, ostensibly humiliating him forever in the kingdom of Hell.

After her victory over the visiting demon, Eleusias comes back for Juliana and seems to offer her a chance to change her mind. Not surprisingly, Juliana refuses him once again, and just as scathingly as before.

Eleusias then attempts to have Juliana burned alive in hot lead. Yet, even though he has Juliana placed in the fire, not a spot on her body or clothes is touched by the flames. Angrier than ever, Eleusias finally resolves to have Juliana beheaded, for which she becomes a Christian martyr.

 

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So there you have it. I’m excited to dive into some more Anglo-Saxon poetry. Come back on the 18th of this month for our discussion of Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, and then on June 16th for our discussion of these poems!

Medieval Book Club: Exodus & Daniel

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Anglo-Saxon, Daniel, Exodus, Medieval Book Club, Medieval Poetry

Welcome to my fourth Medieval Book Club entry. For this month we read through some Anglo-Saxon poetry (in translation, of course), found free online here and here. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, follow this link and give them a read. Let me tell you, it was a blast reading through this poem and, if you are familiar with the stories in the Books of Exodus and Daniel, you’ll find yourself fascinated with this poetic retelling.

For May we will be reading Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich. The preview post for this one can be found here, and I am looking forward to reading that book. If you are at all interested, I would love to have you read along and come back to discuss that book on May 18th!

My Thoughts on Exodus:

I really, really loved reading through this poetic retelling of part of the book of Exodus. This was the poetic retelling that I had heard about where so much is adapted to the warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons. We know, from reading the Bible itself, that there isn’t nearly so much emphasis placed on combat, or on shields or swords, but it is all very fitting for this culture. Also, having read Lewis’ work last month gave a greater insight to this work and how it fit in with their culture.

One of my favorite descriptions came with the details of the pillars representing God’s presence:

Heaven’s beacon climbed every evening, a second miracle,
it held fast wondrous after the sun’s setting,
shining with flames across that nation,
a burning beam. Glittering it stood over the archers,
with blazing limbs. The shelter of their shields shone,
the shadows dissolving, the deepest night-shades nearby
could not conceal their hiding places. The heavenly candle burned. (107b-115)

This new night-warden must by necessity remain over the army,
lest the desert-horror, the hoar heath-terror should end
their lives with a fearful seizure of a sea’s storms.
This scout had fiery hair, blazing beams—it threatened
the terror of fire in that army-troop, a hot flame,
so that he would consume the army in the wilderness,
unless they heeded to brave-hearted Moses.
The shining army shimmered, the shields glittered,
the shield-warriors saw the righteous way, the sign
above the masses, until the sea-fortress at the end
of land stood against the people’s force, eager on the forth-way.
The battle-camp arose; the wearied revived themselves,
meat-thanes brought food to the proud ones, restoring
their power. The sailors spread out their tents across the hills
after the trumpets sang. That was the fourth camp,
the resting-place for the shield-warriors beside the Red Sea. (116-34)

Clearly this is expanded from a small source, but the writer in me absolutely applauds many of the additions that were made because they add some flavor and detail to the story. There were references back to Moses’ early days and the plagues that released them from Egypt (okay, really it only referred to the final plague: the death of the firstborns) and I really would have been interested to see how that was all handled by Anglo-Saxon poets. Or what happened during Moses’ trip up Mount Sinai to lead the men to cast a golden calf (I imagine that would be a glorious description of feasting and revelry, with generous gold-givers and many casks of mead being downed).

And with the details in here, I am really surprised that there isn’t an Anglo-Saxon poetic version of the book of Joshua. It seems that the first ten chapters, at least, would align really well with the culture because of the conquest into the Promised Land.

My Thoughts on Daniel:

This was perhaps the more interesting of the two poems this month. I was surprised that it was longer, and equally surprised that the main focus would be on the two dreams and their interpretations. This poem seemed to have two primary purposes: to demonstrate the power of God to those who depend on him (as shown with the furnace and the lengthy praise & exultation there), and to demonstrate the pitfalls of pride (as really seen with the second dream). In fact, it really hammers that point over the readers’ head:

Daniel could not speak so many truthful words
unto his master through the craft of his wisdom,
but that the ruler would heed them,
the lord of middle-earth, but he puffed up his mind,
high from his heart—hard would he be punished for this! (593-97)

Then the king of the Chaldeans chanted a great boast
when he looked upon the city-works, the fortress of Babylon
towering so tall in its riches, with the fields of Shinar
wound about it—that the chief of armies
had wrought it all through a great miracle.
Then he became obstinate over all men,
overly proud in his heart because of the special grace
that God had given him, a realm over men
and the world to wield in this human life: (598-607)

“O my city, you are mighty and wide-renowned,
which I have built to my own glory, a roomy realm.
I shall keep my rest in you, a seat and a home.” (608-11)

Then, on account of this boasting, the lord of men
became seized and departed into flight,
alone in his over-pride above all men.
So he went forth as men do in days of struggle,
upon the most bitter path in God’s punishment,
who, living through, soon regain their homeland,
and so did Nebuchadnezzar, after the enmity of God,
swift from the heavens, had punished him terribly. (612-21)

I really think they would have nailed the Lion’s den, but sadly it did not appear in this poem. Yet it is still a great read, if in a very different way from the Exodus poem. This has more of a moralistic feel to it than Exodus, or even Genesis, did.

Questions:

1. What were your overall impressions from reading the poems? Were there parts of either poem that really stood out to you as being more enjoyable to read in this format?
2. Which Biblical stories would you like to see done in Anglo-Saxon form? They did the Genesis stories, Exodus, and Daniel. Are there any other stories or books in the Bible that stand out as ideal for Anglo-Saxon poetry? My thoughts are that Samson and Joshua would be prime candidates.
3. While this is certainly no replacement for Scripture, do you think an approach like this could make the Bible, or parts of the Bible, easier for today’s readers to read and enjoy while still taking away key principles from Scripture?

Medieval Book Club Preview: Exodus & Daniel

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Anglo-Saxon, Daniel, Exodus, Medieval Book Club, Medieval Poetry, Old English

Welcome to the fourth preview for the 2017 Medieval Book Club. For April we’re going to read a pair of Medieval poems which, as you might guess, are retelling the stories found in the Books of Exodus and Daniel from the Bible. I’m curious to see how true they stay to the source material, and to see where they allow their own culture to seep in and influence the poetic works. Back in February we read Genesis A&B which, while having some diversions from the source material, as a whole stayed pretty true to the content while adding some cultural flavor. You can check out my review on Genesis A&B here, and read on for a short preview of April’s selections:

Titles: Exodus & Daniel

Authors: Unknown, rumored to be Cædmon

Dates of Composition: Unknown, part of the Junius Manuscript which is typically dated around the 10th Century

Links to read for FREE: Exodus & Daniel (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/exodus/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/daniel/)

Length: Exodus: 590 lines; Daniel: 764 lines

Summary: Exodus:

Exodus is not a paraphrase of the biblical book, but rather a retelling of the story of the Israelites’ Flight from Egypt and the Crossing of the Red Sea in the manner of a “heroic epic”, much like Old English poems Andreas, Judith, or even the non-religious Beowulf. It is one of the densest, most allusive and complex poems in Old English.

Exodus brings a traditional “heroic style” to its biblical subject-matter. Moses is treated as a general, and military imagery pervades the battle scenes. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea is narrated in much the same way as a formulaic battle scene from other Old English poems, including a ‘Beast of Battle’ motif very common in the poetry.

The main story is suspended at one point to tell the stories of Noah and Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. Some scholars consider this change of subject a feature of the “epic style” comparable with the similar digressions in Beowulf.

Daniel:

The Old English Daniel is based only loosely on the Biblical Book of Daniel from which it draws its inspiration. Daniel ignores the majority of the apocalyptic and prophetic writing found towards the end of the Biblical source, and focuses instead on the first five chapters of the narrative. The poem also leaves out Daniel being thrown into the lions’ den.

The primary focus of the Old English author was that of The Three Youths, Daniel and their encounters with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (OE Nabuchodnossor). The three men and Daniel were about 14 when they were taken away. The three youths are named Ananias, Misael, and Azarias. Daniel is called aethele cnithas, meaning that he was to be trained a servant for the king. Daniel was put into servitude and him and the youths were also probably made eunuchs, the speculation comes because the master of the eunuchs trained the youths in divination, magic, and astrology.

The poet even changed the meaning of the story from remaining faithful while you are being persecuted to a story dealing with pride, which is a very common theme in Old English Literature. The Old English, Daniel is a warning against pride and there are three warnings in the story. The Israelites were conquered because they lost faith in God, who delivered them from Egypt, and started worshiping idols and this is the first prideful act. The second and third warnings are about internal pride, shown to Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel’s dream interpretations.

Medieval Book Club: Genesis A&B

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Abraham, Adam and Eve, Anglo-Saxon, Book Review, Genesis A&B, Medieval Book Club, Noah, poetry

Welcome to my second Medieval Book Club entry. For this month we read through some Anglo-Saxon poetry (in translation, of course), found free online. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, follow this link and give them a read. Let me tell you, it was a blast reading through this poem and, if you are familiar with the stories in the Book of Genesis, you’ll find yourself fascinated with this poetic retelling.

For March we will be reading The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis. The preview post for this one can be found here, and I am looking forward to reading that book. If you are at all interested, I would love to have you read along and come back to discuss that book on March 16th!

My Thoughts on Genesis A&B:

I really, really loved reading through this poetic retelling of the major stories in Genesis. This captures so many major events throughout the Book of Genesis:

The fall of Satan
God creating the earth
God creating Eve (the pages with about half of the creation story, including Adam, are missing from the manuscript)
The temptation of Eve and her persuasion of Adam to eat the fruit
The fall of man and removal from the Garden of Eden
Cain and Abel
Noah and the Flood
The tower of Babel
Abraham up through the sacrifice of Isaac

As mentioned above, there are spots where the website indicated pages were missing from the manuscript, which is most disappointing early on with the removal of much of God’s creation of the world. We do not see his forming of fish, birds, beasts, or Adam. Yet even with the missing pages, this is a wonderful rendition. I loved seeing the various ways in which the Anglo-Saxon culture was woven into the poetry: gold-givers, thanes, emphasis on combat, the sending of a raven before the dove on the ark, and many others. In spite of these flavorful additions, the poem mostly stays true to Scripture.

It would seem that this poem might have been the influence for Milton’s Paradise Lost, as it begins with Satan being cast down from Heaven and then, a little later, returns to him and has him sending his fallen angels out to try and corrupt mankind. It is not Satan, but one of his minions that tempts Eve. There is a tree of life, but that is not the forbidden tree that Adam and Eve eat from but rather one that is black and corrupted. And the serpent tries to persuade Adam first, who rejects the offer and scorns the serpent before it turns to convince Eve. These are likely made with no ill intent, but they are among some of the major deviations. Yet that being said, I enjoyed them as they added a little extra character and some variety to a story that I know so well from the Bible. It’ll never become what happened, but I can appreciate the creativity here.

There really isn’t much more to say about this. I wish that we could have seen their version of Joseph’s story, as I am certain it would have held some great gems that tied into their culture. I am also very excited to read the Anglo-Saxon poems for Exodus and Daniel a little later this year. It is great that they created these poems in Old English, long before printed Bibles could be easily manufactured. It would have allowed everyone to know some of these basic stories without the need to read latin or any other unfamiliar language in which the few Bibles would have been transcribed into. The best way to ensure the religion spreads through the culture would be to take the stories, put into their common language, and put a modern flavor on some aspects of the stories. That is exactly what we have here.

And, true story, I laughed when I read that Noah sent a raven out from the ark.

Questions:

1. What were your overall impressions from reading the poem? Were there parts of the poem that really stood out to you as being more enjoyable to read in this format?
2. Which Biblical stories would you like to see done in Anglo-Saxon form? They did these Genesis stories, Exodus, and Daniel. Are there any other stories or books in the Bible that stand out as ideal for Anglo-Saxon poetry? My thoughts are that Samson and Joshua would be prime candidates.
3. While this is certainly no replacement for Scripture, do you think an approach like this could make the Bible, or parts of the Bible, easier for today’s readers to read and enjoy while still taking away key principles from Scripture?

Medieval Book Club: The Anglo-Saxon Age by John Blair

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Anglo-Saxon, Book Review, John Blair, Medieval, Medieval Book Club, Michael D.C. Drout, The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction

Welcome to the first ever Medieval Book Club post on this blog. Here I will share some of my thoughts on the book, some observations on the material itself, and open a few questions toward you, the reader.

In case you missed it, for February we’re going to be reading two Anglo-Saxon Poems: Genesis A & B. Those poems are ones you can read free online, just follow the link to my preview post and you will find the link there to the poems. I hope you can join me for next month’s discussion as well, and I’ll be keeping this going all year long with posts on every third Thursday of each month in 2017.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this little book. It seemed to me like a perfect gateway book into the time period of the Anglo-Saxons, providing just enough information to give you some familiarity yet not so much as to overwhelm a reader who is new to that period of history or, quite frankly, isn’t big into reading history books. There were times and places where I wished there was a little more information, such as Alfred the Great (who earned only a single page), but I also understand the need for brevity. This is, after all, a very short introduction. Enough to whet the appetite rather than to sate the reader.

The size of the volume is perfect, being both thing and short to make it very portable. It is the sort of book that could fit in a purse or a pocket or even squeezed into a very full suitcase. Everything inside is in black and white, but even without color the maps and pictures included are nice and help to enhance the reading experience of the book. There aren’t many images along the way, but there doesn’t need to be. I also love the recommended reading at the end, providing some books that were referenced in compiling the information and organizing things into topics.

All in all, I loved this book for what it was. It was an excellent way to kick off a reading kick into the Angl0-Saxon time period, and has certainly managed to make me want to read more about some of the events, kings, and battles that took place over the course of this era.

Observations: There is a lot of stuff crammed into such a short space. They could have probably done one of these books for each chapter within this book and still not covered everything in the detail required. I couldn’t help, while reading, to remember the acronym MCGVR (MacGyver) that Dr. Drout mentioned in his Anglo-Saxon course:

M – Migration of tribes to England, approx. 500-600 A.D.
C – Conversion to Christianity, approx. 600-700 A.D.
G – Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon culture, approx. 700-800 A.D.
V – Viking Raids and destruction of Anglo-Saxon culture, approx. 800-900 A.D.
R – Reform and rebuilding of Anglo-Saxon culture, approx. 900-1000 A.D.

While those numbers are rounded to make things easier to remember, it is a fairly good way to remember the key periods in Anglo-Saxon history, with just the period from 1000-1066 being left off there.

I find the conversion period to be an interesting one, with some rulers embracing Christianity, others rejecting it but allowing their sons to practice it. The first Anglo-Saxon Christian kings appear during that period and it is always interesting to see how the religion slowly seeped into the culture and society. I also love reading about the Viking raids, a period rife with wars and conquests and, of course, King Alfred. It is a period covered in the TV Show The Last Kingdom by BBC, based on the series of books by Bernard Cornwell.

So I look forward to eventually reading more about those two parts of the Anglo-Saxon history in particular, as well as learning more about a few of the figures from history. Obviously, King Alfred is one. Edward the Confessor and Aethelred the Unready would make for interesting figures to study, as they were the ones leading into the conquest of 1066. Hengest and Horsa were supposedly figures that Thomas Jefferson really loved (and he was an Anglo-Saxonist himself, believing that the government of this time period was among the greatest in history and he wanted people to learn Old English). There is, as I’ve mentioned, so much history in this period that could be covered. I haven’t even touched on the battles, such as the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The image I loved the most was, of course, the map of Anglo-Saxon England in there. I want one of those for my office wall!

Questions: Okay readers, here are some questions for you:

1. What were your overall impressions about the book? For what it claims to be (a very short introduction), does it accomplish that task well?
2. What period in the Anglo-Saxon history interests you the most (see the MCGVR for a breakdown, but don’t forget that 1000-1066 is an option as well!)?
3. What figures mentioned in the book interested you enough that you’d want to read more about them?
4. Are there any battles, or series of battles, that you’d like to read more about?
5. Any additional thoughts you might have about the book.

Medieval Book Club Preview: The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction

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Anglo-Saxon, John Blair, Medieval Book Club, Oxford Press, The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction

John Blair’s Very Short Introduction to the Anglo-Saxon Age covers the emergence of the earliest English settlements to the Norman victory in 1066. This book is a brief introduction to the political, social, religious, and cultural history of Anglo-Saxon England and it is the most comprehensive and authoritative short guide to the Anglo-Saxon age available.

This is the first book to read for our 2017 Medieval Book Club, and I cannot wait to discuss this one with you! I was first interested in the price tag, being so cheap, and once it arrived I understood why: the text itself is covered in about 75 pages, and the book is small enough to fit in a pocket. I hope you join me in diving into this text and come back on January 19th to discuss this one with me! Here is the breakdown of chapters:

1. The English Settlements
2. The Seventh Century
3. Christianity and the Monastic Culture
4. The Mercian Supremacy
5. The Viking Invasions and the Rise of the House of Wessex
6. Aethelred and Cnut: The Decline of the English Monarchy
7. The End of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom

There should be a lot of history covered in the span of these pages, and it isn’t too late to nab yourself a copy in time to join in on the discussion. I’m sure I will be reflecting back and saying this was a perfect entry point to this new Book Club!

Get your copy on Amazon.

Check out the master list of books/poems we’ll be reading and discussing this year.

Book Review: The Anglo-Saxon World by Michael D.C. Drout

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Anglo-Saxon, Audible, audiobook, Book Review, Medieval Literature, Michael D.C. Drout, Old English, The Anglo-Saxon World, The Modern Scholar

Title: The Anglo-Saxon World

Author: Professor Michael D.C. Drout

Published by: The Modern Scholar (10/19/2009)

Audiobook Time: 7 Hours, 50 Minutes

Blurb: Had the Angles and Saxons not purposefully migrated to the isles of the Britons and brought with them their already-well-developed use of language, Angelina Jolie may never have appeared in the movie Beowulf.

Professor Michael D.C. Drout is at his best when lecturing on the fascinating history, language, and societal adaptations of the Anglo-Saxons. He not only presents their storytelling abilities using their own words; he does so in their own voice – the incredibly melodious Old English.

My Take: Professor Drout’s enthusiasm for the Anglo-Saxon age and, in particular, the language of Old English, is infectious. I was so thankful that this course was an audio recording rather than just a written transcript, because to hear him speak in Old English, and to teach these topics that he is so passionate about, is a wonderful blessing. I may never get the chance to be a student of his at Wheaton College, but I will gladly jump on every opportunity I receive to watch or listen to Professor Drout teach on anything Anglo-Saxon, Old English, or Medieval in general.

This course is broken into fourteen lectures:

1. The Anglo-Saxons and their World
2. Language and Culture
3. The Migration and the Germanic Past
4. The Conversion: The School of Theodore and Hadrian
5. The “Golden Age” and the Venerable Bede: Double Monasteries, Missionaries, Conversion, and the Making of Beautiful Books
6. The Viking Age: Destruction and Revival
7. King Alfred and the Rebuilding: The Rescue and Consolidation of a Kingdom
8. The Years of Reform
9. Anglo-Saxon Literature: Religious
10. Anglo-Saxon Literature: Personal, Wisdom, and Riddles
11. Anglo-Saxon Literature: Epic and Heroic
12. The Norman Conquest and the End of Anglo-Saxon England
13. From the Norman Conquest to the Reformation: The Use of Anglo-Saxon
14. From Thomas Jefferson to Angelina Jolie: The Long Life of Angl0-Saxon

As you can see from the list, this provides a big, sweeping overview of the time period involved as well as the literature of the period and how Anglo-Saxon interest continued after the end of Anglo-Saxon England. There is so much information packed into these eight hours that it will take several times listening to the lectures to fully absorb all of the information. And, ultimately, this serves as nothing more than an entry point into a rich, immense section of history and literature. Drout jokes several times about Beowulf making its way into just about every lecture (and Tolkien in the few that lack Beowulf references) and he could have easily spent those eight hours (and many more) just talking about Beowulf without doing more than scratching the surface of what could be covered. Yet in spite of its many appearances, and a fair dedication to the poem during the eleventh lecture, I found myself wishing there had been more Beowulf. A lecture on Tolkien and Lewis and their work in Anglo-Saxon (and its influences on them) would have been a nice addition toward the end of the series as well.

Yet this is a perfect entry point to the time period and, on a lesser basis, to the types of literature from that period. Drout never missed an opportunity to recite passages of Old English when it could provide some insight to events or a period of the Anglo-Saxon history. And even if you don’t understand the words in the passage, his masterful command of the language makes you want to understand it better rather than a part where you tune out until he gets back to something you can understand.

One of the best gems came early in the series in the form of an acronym to help (roughly) remember the major time periods being covered: MCGVR. And if you look at lectures 3-7, those all tie in nicely with that little acronym and he provides some round numbers for dates to work with that, even if a little inaccurate, helps to narrow down the century in question. I also liked how he chose not to end with the Norman Conquest, nor with coverage of the literature, but rather how Anglo-Saxon and its use has continued up to the present day.

Overall, I cannot help but count this as the best possible use that I could have found for my one free trial credit on Audible. If I had a second free credit, I would not hesitate to spend it on another course by Professor Drout after listening to this one. It will remain active on my tablet for the foreseeable future, and I am in the process of printing off the companion course guide and building a binder to refer back to frequently as I pursue my own study into the Anglo-Saxon age and literature.

Coming in 2017: Medieval Book Club

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Anglo-Saxon, C.S. Lewis, Icelandic Sagas, J.R.R. Tolkien, King Alfred, Medieval Book Club, Medieval Literature, Medieval Poetry, reading, Vikings

Today I thought I would make an announcement that I had been working toward for most of this month. As a reader who is interested in the Anglo-Saxon and Icelandic period, I wanted to make an effort to read more books about those time periods and work that was written during those time periods. So I have decided to schedule a monthly discussion throughout 2017, alternating between reading a book-length work and reading poetic works. I hope you will consider joining along with me, and I have provided links to the websites and/or Amazon page to where you can find the works that I am planning to read and discuss.

The goal will be to make a post on the 15th of the month previewing the work that we’ll be reading in the following month (so, for instance, on December 15th I will post a preview/reminder about the January book) and then I will be posting the discussion on the third Thursday of each month (so January 19th would be the first discussion post). Don’t sweat it if you didn’t finish the book by that mark, there will be an active homepage for the series so you can jump in at any time on the previous works and join in on the conversations.

So without any further delay, here are the works I plan to read and discuss in 2017 as a part of this series:

January – The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction by John Blair

February – Genesis A&B (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/genesis-ab/)

March – The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis

April – Exodus & Daniel (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/exodus/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/daniel/)

May – Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

June – Judith, Dream of the Rood & Juliana (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/judith/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/dream-of-the-rood/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/juliana/)

July – Viking Age Iceland by Jesse L. Byock

August – Njal’s Saga

September – Finn and Hengest by J.R.R. Tolkien

October – The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wife’s Lament, The Battle of Maldon (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/the-wanderer/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/the-seafarer/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/the-wifes-lament/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/battle-of-maldon/)

November –  Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources by Simon Keynes

December – Christ I, Christ II, Christ III (https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/christ-i/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/christ-ii/ & https://anglosaxonpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/christ-iii/)

Book Review: Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English by Michael D.C. Drout

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Anglo-Saxon, Drout's Quick and Easy Old English, Medieval Literature, Michael D.C. Drout, Old English, Witan Publishing

Title: Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English

Authors: Michael D.C. Drout, Bruce D. Gilchrist, and Rachel Kapelle

Published by: Witan Publishing (9/10/2012)

Pages: 233 (Kindle Edition)

Blurb: Michael DC Drout has now transformed his classic “King Alfred’s Grammar” into a comprehensive guide for learning Old English. Appropriate for students and enthusiasts alike, Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English presents the basics of the language in an accessible form. Even the most novice student can learn to read the classics of medieval literature in their original language with this system. Drout’s Quick and Easy Old English covers:

The history of Old English
Orthography, covering the unfamiliar characters of Old English writing
Pronouncing Old English
Grammar, from nouns and verbs to pronouns and adjectives
Tricks for translation

With the help of Bruce Gilchrist and Rachel Kapelle, Drout provides exercises to reinforce the lessons. After years of testing in classrooms and online, these exercises have been thoroughly vetted for accuracy by scholars around the world, and have guided countless students through their first lessons in Old English.

My Take: For the price of this book, a person can take their first steps into reading and translating in Old English. Honestly, the best thing about this book is that price, and that is not intended to discredit the content. For less than the price of a Starbucks a person can download this book and work through it before making larger investments in Old English literature.

The progression through the pronunciation and grammar are not unique to this book, but they did move through the material in a quick and efficient manner. Many chapters end with some vocabulary words, followed by some sentences to translate and then a prose passage. The choice of using prose, rather than poetry, for the translation practice is an excellent decision as most Old English readers and translators would agree that prose is typically easier to read and translate. While the desire might be to jump right into passages of Beowulf, that could lead to frustrating moments of translation.

One of my favorite chapters came near the end, covering the tricks for translation. With the background that Drout has in Old English, these are tips that a beginning student or scholar would want to pay attention to. My command of reading and translating Old English has grown over the course of the book, which is exactly what I hoped for with this book. I plan to not only revisit this book again, but I am also printing out the vocabulary and exercises from Drout’s King Alfred’s Grammar website so I can complete these again to serve as a refresher before moving into another book of Old English.

I cannot recommend this book enough for students and scholars of Old English, Medieval Literature, or the Anglo-Saxon culture. With a little work and practice, you could gain enough of an understanding to be able to read and translate a wealth of wonderful texts from this time period.