Latest news with #medieval
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Corrected error in long-lost medieval saga suggests that its hero fought wolves, not elves
Lesser known than some other beloved tales of larger-than-life heroes such as Gilgamesh, Beowulf and King Arthur, the Song of Wade is a case study in what happens when stories aren't written down. The epic was once widely known throughout medieval and Renaissance England — so popular that it was mentioned twice by Chaucer — but today it is mostly forgotten. Only a few phrases survive, and new research is showing how, when so little of a story is preserved, changes in a word or two can alter the entire tale. The Song of Wade originated in the 12th century, and its hero battled monsters — or so scholars once thought. The only known text was found nearly 130 years ago in a 13th- century Latin sermon, which quoted a bit of the saga in Middle English. In the excerpt, the word 'ylues' was originally translated as 'elves,' suggesting that Wade's long-lost saga was teeming with supernatural creatures. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have challenged that interpretation. They proposed that the word's meaning was mangled by a scribe's transcription error, which changed a 'w' to a 'y.' 'Elves' is actually 'wolves,' and the term was allegorical, referring to dangerous men, according to the analysis. Another word in the excerpt, translated as 'sprites,' should instead be 'sea snakes,' moving the story even farther away from the realm of the supernatural, the researchers reported July 15 in The Review of English Studies. This new reading revises not only the phrases quoted in the sermon, but also the entire Song of Wade, centering the hero amid worldly dangers rather than mythical beasts. It overturns the picture of Wade as a literary twin to Beowulf, legendary slayer of the warrior-eating monster Grendel, said study coauthor Dr. Seb Falk, a researcher of science history and a fellow at Cambridge's Girton College. 'He was more like a hero of chivalric romance (a literary genre celebrating knights, codes of honor and romantic love) like Sir Launcelot or Sir Gawain,' Falk told CNN in an email. For hundreds of years, historians and literary experts have argued over why Chaucer would have mentioned the Song of Wade in his chivalric works. Recasting Wade as a courtly hero rather than a monster slayer makes Wade's appearance in Chaucer's writing a better fit and could help to uncover previously hidden meanings in those literary references, the authors wrote. The new study is the first to analyze the Song of Wade excerpt alongside the entirety of the Latin sermon that quotes it, said study coauthor Dr. James Wade, an associate professor of English Literature at Girton College. (The surname 'Wade' was relatively common in medieval England, and while Wade the researcher could not confirm a family connection to the storied hero, a link 'isn't impossible,' he told CNN in an email.) In fact, it was the context of the sermon that led the researchers to the discovery that the fragment in English had been misinterpreted, Wade said. The sermon was about humility, and it warned that some people 'are wolves, such as powerful tyrants' who take 'by any means.' There are other allusions to unfavorable animal traits in humans. As originally translated, the Song of Wade excerpt read: 'Some are elves and some are adders; some are sprites that dwell by waters: there is no man, but Hildebrand (Wade's father) only.' For centuries, scholars have struggled to make sense of why references to 'elves' and 'sprites' were included in a sermon about humility. According to the new translation, the excerpt reads: 'Some are wolves and some are adders; some are sea-snakes that dwell by the water. There is no man at all but Hildebrand.' Reinterpreted this way, the quoted phrases align more closely with the overall message of the sermon and redefine the genre of the story. 'We realised that taking the fragment together with its context would allow us not only to completely reinterpret the Wade legend, but also to reshape our understanding of how stories were told and retold in different cultural contexts, including religious contexts,' Wade said. The long-standing difficulties in interpreting the excerpt are a reminder that paleography — the study of handwritten documents — 'is not always an exact or precise science,' said Dr. Stephanie Trigg, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of English Literature at the University of Melbourne in Australia, 'especially in the transmission of English and other vernacular texts without the standardised spelling and abbreviations of Latin.' Focusing on the sermon is also important because this type of allusion to a popular epic was highly unusual, Trigg, who was not involved in the research, told CNN in an email. 'The authors are right to draw attention to the way the sermon seems to be quoting medieval popular culture: this is not all that common,' Trigg said. 'It helps disturb some traditional views about medieval piety.' When the preacher used the Song of Wade in his sermon, it was clear that he expected his audience to accept the reference 'as a recognisable element of popular culture: a meme,' Falk said. 'By studying this sermon in depth we get a wonderful insight into the resonances that such popular literature had across culture.' This new perspective on Wade's saga doesn't mean that it was based exclusively in realism. While there are no other known excerpts of the Song of Wade, references to Wade in texts spanning centuries offer details fantastic enough to delight fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic 'Lord of the Rings.' 'In one romance text, it's said that (Wade) slays a dragon,' Falk said. 'There is local folklore in Yorkshire, recorded by John Leland in the 1530s, that he was of gigantic stature.' Other texts stated that Wade's father was a giant and that his mother was a mermaid, he added. In fact, chivalric romance from this period frequently incorporated elements of fantasy, Trigg said. In the chivalric literary tradition, 'romances often draw on mythological creatures and the supernatural,' and the distinction between chivalric romances and mythology 'is not always rigorously made in medieval literature,' she added. Still, aligning the Song of Wade more closely with medieval romances clears up long-standing confusion over allusions to Wade by Geoffrey Chaucer, during scenes of courtly intrigue in 'Merchant's Tale' and 'Troilus and Criseyde.' Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 'Chaucer referring to a Beowulf-like 'dark-age' warrior in these moments is weird and confusing,' Falk said. 'The idea that Chaucer is referring to a hero of medieval romance makes a lot more sense.' While the Song of Wade has faded into obscurity, its appearance in the medieval sermon and in Chaucer's work hints that for centuries the legend was a staple of popular culture in medieval England, even though there was no definitive text preserving the entire tale. As its popularity waned, much of it vanished for good. 'By the eighteenth century there were no known surviving texts and nobody seemed to know the story,' Wade said. 'Part of the enduring allure is the idea of something that was once part of common knowledge suddenly becoming 'lost.''
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Britain's 2nd biggest castle is finally reopening after £8MILLION revamp – and will transport guests back to 1320s
BRITAIN'S second biggest castle is finally reopening after £8million revamp. Following two years of conservation and refurbishment work, the public will finally be able to get a peek at the monument. 5 5 Caerphilly Castle is the largest of its kind in Wales and it was constructed in the 13th century. Second only to Windsor Castle, it was constructed by Gilbert de Clare, the seventh Earl of Gloucester. Now, visitors will once again get to experience the grandeur of the medieval age when it reopens on July 19th. Huge rooms to receive renovations include the famous Great Hall and the inner castle ward. Stonemasons, archaeologists and conservation experts were all brought in to make sure guests would be transported back to the 1320s. The public will also get to experience new digital exhibits which will tell the stories of both the building as well as the inhabitants. Visitors will get to learn even more about the men, women and children who lived in the castle over the seven centuries. New areas have also now been made accessible to the public, as tourists will get to see the medieval water-gate passageway. They will see the connection between the Great Hall to the southern lake as major repairs were also carried out to the Inner East Gatehouse. Management have also made features more accessible across the site in the £8million development. This European castle was the inspiration for Disney Jack Sargeant is Wales' culture minister who gushed about the impending reopening. He said: "[The £8m investment] has not only restored this remarkable medieval space to its former glory but has made our shared history more accessible and engaging for everyone. "The Great Hall, interactive exhibits and improved accessibility demonstrate our commitment to preserving Wales' rich cultural heritage while ensuring it can be enjoyed by future generations." Meanwhile, housing secretary Jayne Bryant added: "The castle has stood as a guardian for over 750 years, and through this sensitive restoration, we're ensuring it remains at the heart of the town's identity for generations to come." 5 5
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Harvest review: Trippy medieval parable where allegory overpowers the drama
Harvest Harvest Director : Athina Rachel Tsangari Cert : 18 Genre : Folklore Starring : Caleb Landry Jones, Harry Melling, Rosy McEwen, Arinzé Kene, Thalissa Teixeira, Frank Dillane Running Time : 2 hrs 11 mins Athina Rachel Tsangari, sometime Yorgos Lanthimos collaborator and leading light of the Greek Weird Wave, returns to features following a nine-year hiatus. Harvest, her first English-language film, is a trippy medieval parable drawn from Jim Crace's novel of the same name. Although imbued with the same off‑kilter humour that powered Attenberg and Chevalier to international success, here Tsangari pursues an angular, folkloric register, situating her story in an unnamed Scottish border hamlet confronted by enclosure, cartographic bureaucracy and outsiders blamed for an unexplained blaze. Walter Thirsk, portrayed by Caleb Landry Jones with fraught fragility, occupies the nebulous space between peasantry and gentry; childhood ties bind him to benevolent yet ineffectual landlord Master Kent ( Harry Melling ). Their complicated kinship – both recent widowers – grants the picture its most persuasive emotional anchor. Around them swirl suspicious villagers, mysterious wanderers and the comparatively worldly map‑maker Earle (Arinzé Kene), whose parchment lines foreshadow dispossession. The arrival of Kent's ambitious cousin Jordan (Frank Dillane) hastens the transformation of fields into profitable pasture, pushing the settlement toward further fracture. READ MORE Cinematographer Sean Price Williams lenses mud, mist and ember skies with handsome texture – 16mm grain and flares showing – producing tableaux that recall Bruegel as much as Gaspar Noé. Tsangari's taste for ritual detail – a buttercup dabbed across a child's cheek before the Gleaning Queen selection, the burning of a corn dolly – creates searing imagery. Unhappily, the film's allegorical ambitions overpower its drama. Often-hapless characters frequently stand for positions rather than pulse with personality or motive, slowing momentum across an already‑stretched running time. When violence finally erupts – a humiliating shaving, a ghastly pillory interlude – the shock registers, but the preceding drift lessens the impact. Landry Jones and several co-stars, capable of real and feral unpredictability, are restrained by dialogue that sounds stock. There's plenty to admire – the earthy sound design, inventive point‑of‑view shifts, flashes of sly humour – while simultaneously yearning for the vivacity that enlivened the director's earlier work. Like the village it depicts, the film is meticulously crafted yet oddly two-dimensional: a map, not a place.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
600-year-old amethyst 'worthy of a duke' found in medieval castle moat in Poland
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Around 600 years ago, an aristocrat visiting a medieval castle lost an ornate piece of jewelry. But archaeologists recently dredged the unique amethyst set in fire-gilded silver from the muck of the old moat. "I believe the item was originally part of a brooch or, less likely, a coronet or a crown," Lech Marek, an archaeologist at the University of Wrocław in Poland, told Live Science in an email, "which makes it so unique in a medieval settlement context." Medieval jewelry is often found in hoards or in tombs, Marek and Beata Miazga, another archaeologist at the University of Wrocław, wrote in a study published online July 11 in the journal Antiquity. But this one was discovered in a more "everyday" situation, they wrote, having presumably been lost by someone traveling to or from Castle Kolno. Castle Kolno was founded in the early 13th century as a fortress and duke's palace that also served as a customs house controlling the transport of wood. The original owner, Duke Bolesław III of Brzeg, eventually sold the property to some wealthy knights. In 1443, Castle Kolno was burned and destroyed during the civil wars in Silesia. And in 2010, Marek and his team began archaeological excavation at the ruined castle, discovering military artifacts, cavalry items and ceramics typical of the 14th and 15th centuries. Using Raman spectroscopic analysis, which measures the light emitted from lasers bombarding a substance to determine its molecular composition, the gemstone was identified as an amethyst, and X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed the metal parts were silver and fire-gilded, which involved considerable amounts of mercury, Marek and Miazga wrote in the study. "Because of their symbolic meaning, availability and aesthetic qualities, amethysts were popular in the medieval period," Marek said. Related: Medieval crowns of Eastern European royalty hidden in cathedral wall since World War II finally recovered Medieval folklore suggests that amethysts could protect their wearer from intoxication, venom, gout, bad dreams, treason, deceit, captivity, blindness, enchantment and strangulation, the researchers wrote, and they could also represent faith, modesty and martyrdom. RELATED STORIES —Medieval iron glove, likely worn by a knight, discovered near Swiss castle —Rare cross-shaped reliquary unearthed from medieval knight's home in Poland —'Hairy books' bound by medieval monks are covered in sealskin, study finds "In the sophisticated medieval play of symbols, the choice of gems for jewelry always had a deeper reason," Marek said, and "if a jewel was believed to be charged with supernatural powers, its value increased rapidly." It is unknown who lost this semiprecious gem or how they lost it, but the researchers have no doubt the person lived an aristocratic lifestyle. Similar jewels in similar settings have been found on high-end jewelry of the period, Marek said. But the Castle Kolno amethyst is unusual because it is a high-status jewel worthy of a duke that was likely lost in a very mundane activity several centuries ago. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
A 900-year-old typo may solve Chaucer mystery
A mystery surrounding a lost poem or story referenced by Geoffrey Chaucer may have been solved after scientists corrected a 900-year-old typo. The Tale of Wade, referred to by the 'Father of English Poetry' in two of his works, was popular in the medieval period but has been almost entirely lost. Chaucer inserted references from the Wade story into tales of romance in his own work, including passages of Troilus and Cressida and The Canterbury Tales, but nobody knew why. The one surviving fragment of the tale was discovered by scholars in 1896, but this only added to the confusion with the story seemingly dealing with the subject of 'elves'. But now Cambridge experts claim to have solved the mystery by correcting a typo made by a medieval scribe. It has been revealed the word 'elves' in the Wade fragment was an error, and should have read 'wolves'. The alteration has changed the scholarly view of the Wade story, which now appears to have been a straightforward romantic tale, and therefore more fitting for Chaucer to have referenced in his own work. The breakthrough, detailed today in The Review of English Studies, was made by Dr James Wade and Dr Seb Falk at the University of Cambridge 's Girton College. Dr Falk said: 'Changing elves to wolves makes a massive difference. It shifts this legend away from monsters and giants into the human battles of chivalric rivals.' Dr Wade added: 'It wasn't clear why Chaucer mentioned Wade in the context of courtly intrigue. Our discovery makes much more sense of this.' The breakthrough was made by looking again at the fragment found in a Cambridge library in the 19th century. This scrap of material, which dates back to the the 12th century, was a sermon that appeared to quote a line from the tale, saying: 'Some are elves and some are adders; some are sprites that dwell by waters: there is no man, but Hildebrand only.' Dr Wade and Dr Falk found that certain letters were poorly written by a medieval scribe, who confused a runic letter that was still found in Middle English, and pronounced 'w' with the letter 'y'. That, they said, turned 'wlves' into 'ylves.' By correcting the medieval spelling, they arrived at a new version, which read: 'Some are wolves and some are adders; some are sea-snakes that dwell by the water. There is no man at all but Hildebrand.' The tale appears to be a more down-to-earth medieval romance about human characters rather than supernatural ones. Its inclusion in a sermon may also have been intended to reach as wide an audience as possible. Dr Falk added: 'Here we have a late-12th-century sermon deploying a meme from the hit romantic story of the day. 'This is very early evidence of a preacher weaving pop culture into a sermon to keep his audience hooked.'
