~ Sceopellen ~

As a rather random comment, is anyone out there going to the ISAS event in London? I’m going to be around in London for the entire conference, although not at it of course, but will be attempting to study in Senate House after work… Meet-up plans?

Honestly, i’ve missed blogging far too much. I have found another interesting article on the internet about the Mongol Rally; a rather madcap dash across a third of the world (from London to Mongolia) in a one-litre engine car. This year, I know two of the people doing the rally, so it’s rather close to home. However, this year, it wasn’t just cars. An ice-cream van joined in.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6908117.stm

Famous poems rewritten as limericks. Says it all. http://badgods.com/limerickpoems.html. My favorite happens to be the Wordsworth one – I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud

‘There once was a poet named Will
Who tramped his way over a hill
And was speechless for hours
Over some stupid flowers
This was years before TV, but still.’

Well, back from the choir course, and hastily packing for WOMAD. This morning, I bought the most AMAZING wellies – multicoloured and stripy! Tomorrow, I will also be meeting with many of the people on the China scholarship, as we’re going for a meal and drinks in Soho. I’m also planning to go to Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden to stock up on my aromatherapy collection and go to a market at Aldgate East. Don’t think i’ll have time for it all, but I can give it a good try!

On to more interesting points. I recently read an article at http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/23/asia/timor.php, about the recent change of official language from Tetum/Indonesian to Portuguese, which only 5% of the population can speak. All courts use Portuguese, meaning that most people in the court cannot understand what is being said. Furthermore, from next year, all lecturers are going to be forced to teach in Portuguese – a language neither they, nor their students can, for the most part, speak. Portuguese was even banned for about 25 years, meaning that only the older generations can speak it.

Interestingly, something similar is happening to the Dutch language, as more and more words of English are in common use. Most classes in universities are conducted in English, all university students must have a good understanding of the language and all foreigners who come to the Netherlands are under the impression, quite rightly, that they do not need to learn any Dutch as all Dutch people speak their language anyway. This shift, at least in the education sector, has happened because of cost. English TV is widespread, well-known and almost guaranteed a large audience. Academic journals, textbooks and novels written in English are only translated into Dutch a long time later, after Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese… The list goes on. And texts are costly to translate, so, publishers avoid doing it. And here I am, complaining about the impossibility of finding academic journals on obscure topics – most of the world can’t even access the seemingly mundane ones.

Now, if you’d like a good laugh, read the below. Yes, a little bit un-politically-correct, but I found it too amusing to ignore. I think it’s my rebellious streak! I have no idea from where exactly it originates, but it was sent to me by a close friend of mine in the form of a forward;

‘The British are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist
bombing and threats to destroy nightclubs and airports and therefore have raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved’.

Soon though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross”. Brits have not been “A Bit Cross” since the Blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out.

Terrorists have been officially re-categorised from “Tiresome” to a “Bloody Nuisance”. The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was during the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it had raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide”. The only two higher levels in France are “Surrender” and “Collaborate”. The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country’s military capability.

It’s not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert.

Italy has increased the alert level from “shout loudly and excitedly” to “elaborate military posturing”. Two more levels remain, “ineffective combat operations” and “change sides”.

The Germans, wishing to stay in lock-step with their neighbours, have also increased their alert state from “disdainful arrogance” to “dress in uniform and sing marching songs”. They have two higher alert levels: “invade a neighbour” and “lose”.

It is believed that the American are also escalating from “Stage Charity Concert” to “Commission Rambo Film”.

The world should now feel a safer place.’

So, after ages of overwhelming posting, i’m off on a break for a week or so – first at a choir residential, and then at WOMAD. I’ll miss blogging a suprising amount…

Found yet another fascinating blog: http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/. Certainly worth a good look! It also has a long post, including many images, of the pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium, which is a fascinating read. I already have those notes on http://herbalism.wordpress.com, but there are many other texts on the site I am much less familiar with, if at all!

Now, we all love chocolate. We may wish to deny it, but most of us can’t. I know only one person who doesn’t like the magic stuff, and that’s someone who swells up and gets rushed to hospital when she’s eaten some. I wouldn’t like it either after that… Anyway, a wonderful little story from BBC News 24 – the Swiss police service have been giving out chocolate to reward good drivers after security stops. They’ve been stopping drivers so much lately, that they’re getting annoyed, so they’re giving out happy stuff, embossed with the Swiss police coat of arms. They should have done that for years. A new suggestion for the UK police force… Minimise crime and make people happier with the police force by giving out chocolate. Wouldn’t do much for the pollution levels though!

This posting over at Bibliodyssey is amazing – do check it out! Medieval satire… (http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2006/04/medieval-satire.html).

Firstly, I have been told the leaked ending of the final Harry Potter book. I am more than dissapointed, both with being told and with the ending itself. It was the wrong ending. But then again, I don’t think there can be a good ending to such a book. But seriously, the final climax seems to be so anti-climactic, it’s unbelievable.

Next, an interesting news point from the German paper, Der Spiegel. (http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,494891,00.html). ‘A leading historian wants ‘Mein Kampf’ to be republished in Germany.’ And I would agree, wholeheartedly. Republished, means that it has been published before, without the modern interpretation and criticism of a text that highlights a flawed text and prevents it from becoming dangerous material. A new edition would both stop it from being set apart and could include new criticism, preventing the reading of the text potentially leading to extremist thought. I personally do not see why an academic edition would cost all that much more than an un-annotated edition, especially if scholars would be willing to contribute without payment. A multi-national, interdisciplinary research project, exploring the psychological depths, historical importance and modern interpretations of such an important text. It certainly shouldn’t be completely blocked off from public view.

And in this morning’s Independant, ‘How Murdoch had a hotline ot the PM in the run-up to Iraq’. Apparently, on three seperate occasions, Tony Blair would make a phone call to Murdoch, and the next day, a rather supportive message would magically appear in his publications. The spin machine in action. However, there are so many people out there who blindly accept the newspaper opinions as truth, or base their personal opinions on their viewpoints, that these sorts of revelations are pretty undermining. Furthermore, this story has yet to appear on BBC news, UK, Europe or World editions, despite the Independant paper being published quite some time back and there presumably being connections between the papers. Is there a little bit of spin going on when NOT talking about it?

Oh yes, and finally, the article also in the Independant about Oxford failing to reach it’s goal of just over 70% state-educated students, reaching only 53%. Now, you may think that over 50% is fine. I personally would disagree. In the UK, there are certainly more state than privately educated students – I think it’s about 92/8%. So, if we’re working on this basis, that means that 8% of students are filling 47% of places. Money automatically places someone in a better position. I would agree, that those of higher ability should be given the best chances possible, but those with potential should also be looked at. Out of my state grammar school year of 160 students, 10 were given places at Oxbridge. 8 got the grades to take up these places. Out of those, 4 had parents who had been to Oxbridge, 1 had a parent who’d been to Yale, and 2 had parents who were actively working in the field that their kids were applying for, i.e. medicine. Leaving just one student who actually got into that university without mummy or daddy’s help. One.

It is now my dream to get into a high level qualification in Medieval Studies (or similar) at Oxbridge. That’s what i’m working for. I wish I could boycott the elitism of Oxbridge, but the fact is, that’s the best, and I want to be pushed to and beyond my best. That’s what I crave. And if Oxbridge is essentially the only place where I can be, then that’s where i’ll aim for. I wish every university was more pushy, and every tutor would be willing to mark extra work, but i’ve only met one tutor in my department who is wonderfully willing to do this, and quote; ‘Will test you until you turn blue.’ YAY!

I promise right now, that next academic year I will still got to LMS meetings, I will still occasionally go to the IES and I will push myself more than I ever have before, because I love it. I hate it, but really, I love it.

That article has been rather interesting, and rather personally touching. Particularly one bit. I would also agree with Eileen and Christine, in agreeing with John McGowan ‘that,

The term ?public intellectual? is redundant. There is?and can be?no such thing as a private intellectual. An intellectual is someone who, by way of words and arguments, aims to influence others. Like Diogenes in search of an honest man, the intellectual is always in search of a public, an audience. (47)’

I realise, that I am probably the least qualified person on the internet aware of the BABEL project and willing to read the fantastic debate it stimulates. Or for that matter, probably the least qualified reader of most medieval blogs out there. I have previously been accused of attention seeking by revealing my weaknesses and putting myself forward for intellectual stimulation, trying to step out of the box labelled ‘undergraduate’. I would choose to call myself an intellectual. I may not know much of the world, or scholarly debate, and I certainly know little of the miriad of conferences, meetings and lectures seemingly avaliable to those interested in the field.

However, if I were given the opportunity, I would leap at it. I would go to every bloody conference under the sun if I had the choice, and attempt to learn everything possible for one human ‘bean’ to know. There are, however, restrictions placed upon me I would wish to shed. I feel conscious of dissaproval from my peers and tutors for wishing to push myself, conscious of knowing so little before starting, fearful of asking stupid, obvious questions that everyone in that room asked twenty years ago.

And most of all, I feel guilty. Guilty for not being at home looking after my father, guilty for not being the ‘typical student’, guilty for pushing myself forward and potentially hiding my cleverer and more promising peers. I feel guilty that I have to hide my persona on the internet in case people become biased towards or against me, when all I want to do is shout from the rooftops that i’m here, interested and wishing that someone would help, not hinder in my desire for more fascinating and wonderful information about pretty much anything.

Ironically, those who have helped me thusfar have no idea how much it has meant to me. Even through all the problems and struggles of the last year, they have still encouraged me to do as well as I can, and still been willing to teach me with a smile, when a classroom is the last place I would wish to be. They have given me a thread to follow out of a labyrinth, with almost no hope of finding the end, yet that has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have no regrets about being enthusiastic, whatever the rest of the world may choose to think. At the end of the day, all these intelligent people around me are giving me the keys to a whole new set of worlds, through a universe of doorways, and even though I am still lost as ever, I love being there, lost as I may be!

I have just read a fascinating post by Eileen Joy at ‘In The Middle’, entitled ‘A Confession of Faith: Notes Towards a New Humanism.’ A special edition of the JNT, which I will certainly try to get my paws on! Saying that, my university doesn’t seem to stock the JNT at all, and Senate House is only expecting it in February 2008! This is when I wish I were studying in America.

From what is avaliable on the web, I would generally agree with what Eileen and Christine Neufeld had to say. The days of the ‘human’ are numbered. But I think that they always were. Just as other species evolve and die, and new species form, we also are subject to this change. We may last a little longer, but we will change.

Furthermore, it depends what you believe to be the tipping point of said change. Did we become ‘human’ at the moment we appeared in our current form, or when we became fully sentinent beings? If we believe point a), does cosmetic surgery change us into a different form of ‘human’? And if we agree with point b), do we also believe that we are currently as perceptive and emotionally developed as we can be? If not, are we not again different? If our moral codes change over one lifetime, or hundreds, are we still ‘human’? In our search for the ‘perfect human’, I personally believe that we will eventually lose the human we have to school textbook timelines and dull history lessons. We, as we understand ourselves, will become relics.

Let me make it clear, before I continue, that I do not believe this to be a completely bad thing. I do not belive in the end of the world, the apocalypse, or the complete erasure of any form of the human race. What will fade are our current mindsets, our current forms and our current ‘developments’, just as the views, forms and developments of those before us have been altered by time and rendered obscure by the rapid march of history.

‘And what would it mean to communicate our ideas, effectively, to even one person when, if certain robotics and artificial intelligence scientists such as Rodney Brooks and Hans Moravec are right, the days of the human person are numbered?[3].’

What would it mean? Some may argue that it would mean nothing, and that the intellectual furthering of the human race would be pointless if it were certain to perish anyway. I would take pleasure in disagreeing. Just as I am certain that I shall one day pass from this ‘mortal coil’, and that one day, we all shall, I am certain that we can make every tiny bit of life as interesting and wonderful as possible in the meantime, even if it is all pointless. Which I would also disagree with. Hopeless romantic alert!

‘As Bostrom himself puts it, ?it could be good for most human beings to become posthuman? (24), by which he means, to become ?humans? who, through the aid of various technologies, have increased intellectual and physical capacities, never age, and never die.[4] And if this were to actually happen, it would present a profound challenge to cultural theorists and public intellectuals such as Terry Eagleton, who believe that it is ?our perishing, not our bestowals of meaning, which is necessary? to understanding our ?creaturely nature? and the world in which we live (163).’

Posthuman. How could we relate such a profoundly different species as one which would ‘never age, and never die’ to our own, flawed existance. ‘Posthuman’ implies a link between the two. I would not choose to be ‘posthuman’, if a life without age or death would be my fate. Our understanding of death is partly what makes us so vividly alive.

We, as induviduals, would become even more insignificant than we already are. If this shift would be natural evolution, we would have class wars– the wise against the super-human. I see ‘The Matrix’ looming over the horizon.

Modernisation = ‘the loss of traditional security’ and ‘liberat[ion]‘. How about added constraint? Often, modernisation is induced/introduced/forced by an authority figure/body, such as the Church, monarchy or, more recently, the government or a dictatorial figure. In order to keep control and restrain the over-excited, bold, revitalised and most crucially, fearful masses, society is constrained by law or violence. The best example I can think of at the moment, although I am sure that there are miriads of them, is the computer. When the computer was developed, it was untapped and for the most part, unexploited. Then, the internet ‘happened’, and people began to lose control. Now we have firewalls, virus checkers, surveillance bots (or the equivalent) and the victimisation of women, and worse, children, in the pornography industry, and the spread of dangerous ideas are rife.

I am not against the internet, as it has been a lifeline to my questing brain for many years, but it is a dangerous weapon for those who choose to wield it.

‘In his book Homo Sacer: Bare Life and Sovereign Power, Giorgio Agamben has decisively shown that, long before modernity, the individual has always been in a precarious position as regards her ?right to life,? especially when the full rights of citizenship do not attain to persons living within or on the margins of established states, and who then can be marked as not fully ?human?: these are the exiles, the displaced persons, sans papiers, the refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, maquileros zone workers, and ?enemy combatants? held in secret prisons who live beside us today, but who in the past, were the the friedlos (?[person] without peace? in ancient Germanic law), the wargus (?werewolf? in medieval Frankish law codes), and the utlah or ælðeodigne (?outlaw? and ?alien person? in Anglo-Saxon law codes), and who were available to be killed as if they were animals. ‘

All these people, too often forgotten. Ironically, the work I have done with refugees was by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It is wonderful that we (as a society) are so willing to explore difference. However, I fear that I might only be talking about a minority of society. I know so many people who are quick to prejudice, be it colour, sexuality, faith etc. I know I am prejudiced. There is not one person on this planet who isn’t, however much they would deny it. We have the ability to discern and distinguish, and this automatically and unreservedly leads to prejudice. I fear both those who are proud of their prejudices, and those who deny that they have any prejudices at all.

However, is this solely what we are attempting to explore – solely the world of the different and excluded? We musn’t forget the lives of the ordinary, the bog-standard, who keep everything quietly running, who influence few and live unnoticed by the tide of history.

‘For Cohen and other scholars working within the humanities, queer theory, especially of a certain Deleuzan-Guttarian bent, helps us to see ?the limits of the human as a conceptual category and demarcates a new terrain . . . where identity, sexuality, and desire are no longer constrained by ontology, ?muscle,? or lonely residence in a merely human body? (Medieval Identity Machines 77).’

Must look up that one, i’m afraid…

‘Judith Butler and other queer theorists, the ?particular sociality that belongs to bodily life . . . establishes a field of ethical enmeshment with others and a sense of disorientation for the first-person, that is, the perspective of the ego. As bodies, we are always for something more than, and other than, ourselves? (25).[12] ‘

Interesting. Are we one part of a whole, or one whole of a part? We can argue the point that we are ‘always [for? *spelling*] something more than, and other than, ourselves’, but if we agree with this concept, are we consciously agreeing with it? Isn’t there an element of fear, uncertainty and danger in agreeing with a point that states that we are not fully in control of our identities? Would our minds be able to comprehend the full meaning of that statement if were certain of its truth? Is Judith Butler simply saying that we are influenced by our surroundings and this makes us ‘more than, and other than, ourselves’ (i.e. due to the imput of others)?

We have all been taught and told how to be human.

‘Founded in 2004 as a loosely organized collective of scholars working in medieval literary and historical studies, BABEL is devoted to creating new venues for bringing together scholars working in the humanities, especially in but not limited to classical, medieval, and early modern studies, with social scientists and researchers working in the more ?hard? sciences, in order to formulate new paradigms for humanistic study at the university level and to develop and advocate for a ?new humanism? that would be theoretically rigorous, scientifically sound, technologically adept, and ethically capacious. BABEL represents, further, a collective desire on the part of a certain group of medievalists who want a more present-minded medieval studies but also a more historically-minded contemporary humanities, and even, public policies.’

‘It is BABEL?s aim to demonstrate the important relevance of premodern studies to pressing contemporary questions and issues, especially those that circulate around the vexed terms, ?human,? ?humanity,? ?humanism,? and ?the humanities.?’

Wonderful…!

‘It is not a question of having some sort of scale that allows us to measure whether humanism has led to more atrocities than it has to social and other boons, but rather, of acknowledging that it has done both, in separate times and places, and simultaneously, such that in a particular street in a particular city at a particular point in time, in a room on the second story of a house, one so-called humanist was engaging in an act of cruelty underwritten and approved of in his philosophy, while in another room on the first floor of that same house, and from reading the same books, another so-called humanist was engaging in a radical, even illegal, act of kindness.’

Amazing. Only one word for it… Actually, two words: “beyond amazing.” Today, when I walked into that library and saw three bookcases of books about Anglo-Saxon herbalism, I was just amazed. I’ve never seen so many books about herbalism in one place, leave alone medieval herbalism! I spent 9 hours working there, just reading the books! So guess what – i’ve updated the herbalism page again… And I have more to update!

Oh, and another hundred or so books to read. Wow… I’m definately going back there at some point!

On the way home from the train, I spotted a whole lot of wonderful ripe blackberries, so i’ve picked about three kilos worth! I’m planning on using about a kilo in making some skin cream – i’ve got an amazing old recipe, and i’ll make jam out of the rest. Should be lovely with my yoghurt! So, i’m off to the kitchen!

Just a quick post (after the billion and one of today, sorry about that), to thank all those who have linked me – I am so grateful and it’s wonderful to know that my random waffle is actually being read by the outside world. I have loved finding out about all the fascinating people out there who are all equally passionate, perhaps more passionate about medievalism, and I hope to one day meet you all and pick your brains! I have truly enjoyed reading what you have to say… And if I have missed anyone off my blogroll, please tell me and I will read your blog from cover to cover and add you on to the roll!

So anyway, to all out there, my deepest thanks.

I have finally found the most amazing artwork, some of which I saw and fell head over heels in love with! It’s by an artist called Antonio Possenti, and it’s based on the rather mad poetry of Dino Campana (or Dino Bell, both seem to come up on searches). It’s near impossible to find, and I would love to get hold of more of his art!

Anyone with any ideas?

UPDATE: Finally found some of the artwork, and also discovered Giuliano Ghelli, who also makes some lovely modern art!

A fascinating post about Lewis, Tolkien and the influence of their writings in modern anti-Islam prejudice. Underpinning all of their texts, due to their life’s influences, is a distinct distrust of difference in religion and women, particularly in Lewis. Has this really influenced some modern prejudices?

http://blogenspiel.blogspot.com/2006/12/pop-culture-fantasy-and-islam.html

And a wonderful posting by Eileen Joy at (http://jjcohen.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-life-among-anglo-saxonists-more.html)

‘…via Michael Drout, might be this: “Using an ecology metaphor, you might say that Anglo-Saxonists are like a species that’s healthy, genetically diverse and parasite free but whose habitat is being rapidly destroyed.” By which he means: within Anglo-Saxon studies itself, there is a healthy development of “new” directions and approaches and subject matter, which nevertheless cannot flourish because of certain long-held prejudices against the study of the past, especially the medieval past. But while Drout, and others, are quick to point to their approval of “new” directions in the field, there is always simultaneously a kind of lament for [and anger toward] the supposed abdication of what Anglo-Saxon studies should really be about: language study, and language study only; or no, that’s not it somehow–rather: language study first, before anything else.’

Being new to the field, I have to be positive about the future of medieval studies, and I have to believe that there is a future of discoveries and wonderful delights yet to enjoy.

‘As I always say, “Þæs ofereode, þisses swa maeg.” People look at me funny when I say that, but I still say it at least a few times a week. (Got it from Deor. It means “That has gone by, so may this.”)’ (http://heocwaeth.blogspot.com).

I personally agree with ‘Heo Cwaeth’, in that many women in the ‘Canon’ of Medieval literature could be replaced by perhaps more merit-worthy male writing. Mainly because more men were writing, or indeed had the ability to write, and despite our ‘modern’ view of sexism (although I would debate that…), we must acnowledge a discrepancy and credit male writings in greater quantity, although not necessarily praise them for their better quality or seek deeper meaning in them. Our modern views hold that men and women are equal, and should be treated as such. I agree with this, however, men and women are fundamentally different, and this difference should also be acnowledged. I personally do not want equal rights. I want the rights I deserve and I want to do what my physical and mental attributes serve me best in. For example, despite equal rights for both sexes, I would not want to be a builder. Some women may wish this. However, I am sure that some men also would not want this, preferring a life as a librarian or hairdresser.

Anyway, back to the medievalism. When tutors are forced to cover a tiny quantity of the canon of medieval material, leave alone anything obscure, in an hour or two a week, I can readily forgive them missing out something which some may consider vital. However, I would hope that all lecturers would be willing to put in one female writer, just to show to students new in the field that there were women who could write, and that although there was some discrimination, it was actually little worse than it is today – arguably.

As Heo Cwaeth (http://heocwaeth.blogspot.com) interestingly put it, ‘…women writers of the medieval period [are] necessary to any study of the literature, regardless of their ability to write “beautifully”.’ ‘I would be thrilled to have evidence of a peasant farmer writing a song to sing to his children at night. Even if the song were pure crap, it would contain some evidence of what a peasant farmer thought about– or wanted his children to think about– and how he expressed himself.’

We also have our own perspectives to consider – so our “beautiful” or “interesting” writing may not actually have been so interesting to medieval people.

‘…before we got here, what was let in the canon was almost always literature of the men, by the men, and for the men. So, when we read the mystical writing of Julian of Norwich or Hildegard von Bingen, we think “This is different, it doesn’t follow the rules of good writing as I’ve been taught them. It must be poorly written.” I suppose this experience is heightened when women writers write only about women’s experiences. We don’t want the view from the wall(Mauerschau), we want the “action.”‘

I will read male-written and female-written works, as long as they are of equal level. I will not read female-written works for that reason alone, and visa versa.

I feel that it is such a shame we have neglected our pasts so much! I didn’t know anything about medievalism beyond a few misconceptions until about 9 months ago. I knew more about Greek and Latin than I did about the ancient form of the language I have spoken for my entire life. If I could, I would do every medieval course I could do. Of course, I am restricted for a while longer. I am hoping to do a medieval history course on the side next year, although whether i’ll be allowed to… I live in hope!

Beowulf the movie! I am SO looking forward to this! – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442933/

Incidentally, having spent all day looking up medieval and early modern blogs on the internet, I have now suddenly realised how many people there actually are out there who know tuppence about medievalism. So many brains to pick! Where shall I start!

From http://vunex.blogspot.com comes this little gem;

‘Otia Imperialia, Book II, chapter 17:

It was Hengist’s daughter who introduced the well-known custom of extending a solemn invitation to drink by saying, ‘wes h?l’, which means ‘be merry’; to this the guest in turn replies: ‘drink h?l’, that is, ‘drink merrily’. In the British tongue the corresponding words are cantinoch and boduit.’

I know what to say next time someone calls out, ‘Cheers!’. ‘Drink h?l!’, I answer!

Found this incredibly interesting chunk on ‘In The Middle’;

‘Medieval Welsh and Irish texts offer stories of worlds that exist in strange contiguity to everyday life. The Welsh otherworld of Annwn finds its gateway at a mound where adventurers sit to seek wonders. In the Irish story of Cú Chulainn’s love for Fand, queen of the sídhe, the hero enters a parallel universe through a nondescript mound of earth. The Wasting Sickness of Cú Chulainn describes the strange beings who inhabit this subterranean world as other than human, differing in their customs, ancient history, potency in magic. Cú Chulainn is “cured” of his self-destructive love for this Fairy Queen only through the intervention of an oblivion spell: he must forget the riches of her world in order to reinhabit his own.’

I must make clear that this probably has no connectionat all to what I am about to suggest, but then again, I am still comparatively a beginner to this sort of thing! Burials = another world under the ground, suggestions of burrows in OE texts, most notably Beowulf (of course), with the ‘tall, broad burial mound on the headland, a warrior’s beacon, seen far and wide by seafarers’ (my translation, please correct me if i’m wrong).

Could this also be part of the reasoning for the apparent love of stone and metal in that time period – it was both practical, and had a possible religious/spiritual connection? Well, you never know!

Found this interesting piece at Gypsyscholarship (http://gypsyscholarship.blogspot.com). This is an exerpt from Barack Obama’s book, ‘Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance’ (p. 85).

‘I had begun to see a new map of the world, one that was frightening in its simplicity, suffocating in its implications. We were always playing on the white man’s court, … by the white man’s rules. If the principal, or the coach, or a teacher, … wanted to spit in your face, he could, because he had power and you didn’t. If he decided not to, if he treated you like a man or came to your defense, it was because he knew that the words you spoke, the clothes you wore, the books you read, your ambitions and desires, were already his. Whatever he decided to do, it was his decision to make, not yours, and because of that fundamental power he held over you, because it preceded and would outlast his individual motives and inclinations, any distinction between good and bad whites held negligible meaning. In fact, you couldn’t even be sure that everything you had assumed to be an expression of your black, unfettered self — the humor, the song, the behind-the-back pass — had been freely chosen by you. At best, these things were a refuge; at worst, a trap. Following this maddening logic, the only thing you could choose as your own was withdrawal into a smaller and smaller coil of rage, until being black meant only the knowledge of your own powerlessness, of your own defeat. And the final irony: Should you refuse this defeat and lash out at your captors, they would have a name for that, too, a name that could cage you just as good. Paranoid. Militant. Violent. Nigger. (Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, page 85)’

This from a presidential candidate – essentially the first black candidate with a chance. Firstly, it strikes me as very real. Secondly, and more problematically, very angry. Perhaps this is just my impression, but it seems that he has a fixation with ‘powerlessness’; the feeling of being unable to act. Is that the reason why he is running for office? Perhaps i’m reading too much into it, as usual. And I realise, that as a white female, I have little place to comment on a black male perspective.

However this may sound to the outside world, i’m going to say it anyway… Is the act of saying ‘you don’t understand’, an attempt to gain back power when the human mind recognises threat? A bravado method of seeming in control? I know i’ve done it in the past, and it’s always been when I am uncomfortable, someone is delving too deep or coming too close. A defence mechanism. And this sentence seems to be all too common in the black community (I hate that term too, but it’s accurate).

As Hathor (see Gypsy’s post’s comments) wrote;

‘I heard a reporter ask [Obama] wife how she felt about the secret service protection and the added risk of being killed. She had to remind the reporter, as a black man he could be shot just going to the gas station. You see, whites still see him as half white as if that is some kind of ID or something. So that kind of ignorance from that reporter sparked paranoia in my mind: “things haven’t changed that much, whites still don’t get it.”‘

I personally wouldn’t call that ignorance. I’d call that a fair question. And that got me thinking. Certainly, life as a black/mixed race person is more complicated, more difficult and certainly out of my experience boundary, but I wouldn’t say that the danger is prominent or overwhelming. Equally, a white man could drive to a petrol station and be shot, just as easily as a black man. Perhaps part of a motive wouldn’t be there (i.e. racism), but these days, there are other reasons for being persecuted. Perhaps religion, perhaps lifestyle, perhaps appearance. All i’m saying is that we should stop looking at this as a one sided problem, as in the examples above, stop brushing it off, and then we might have a chance of getting on so much better in the end.

‘The Campden Wonder is perhaps the most baffling “murder” case of all time. A man disappears and is feared murdered for the rent money he was collecting. His servant confesses to having robbed and killed his master and implicates his own mother and brother in the crime. Despite the fact that no body has been found, the three are tried, convicted and hanged.

Two years later the supposed victim returns home, safe and well. How does he explain his sudden disappearance and two-year absence? His story only deepens the mystery. He claims he was kidnapped by three unknown horsemen and, aged 70, sold into slavery in Turkey, where he eventually escaped and made his way home.

All this set against the backdrop of the English Civil War and Restoration, amid rumors of witchcraft and suspicions of espionage and betrayal.’

Discovered this rather intresting titbit on Early Modern Whale, and the above is taken from http://www.campdenwonder.plus.com/. I recommend taking a look at both websites for a fascinating story!

A rather interesting article on lesbian eroticism in the Middle Ages. I personally think that this digs a little deeper than is perhaps in the realms of possibility, but this is an opinion. This does seem to be echoed by many others, including Francesca Sautman and Pamela Sheingorn, who put it rather well. “Writing about female same-sex desire in the Middle Ages requires [radical] acts of interpretation…”

As Michelle Sauer puts it; ‘Anchoresses were women, either vowed or non-vowed, who desired to dwell in solitude in order to devote their entire life to contemplative prayer.[1] Yet, theirs was a mediated solitude that allowed, and, to some extent, encouraged interaction with other women within the confines of the anchorhold. It is within this liminal space that I suggest investigating the queer possibilities of medieval English anchoritism. ‘

Seriously, just because a woman would have had female company, does not lead to them necessarily having any romantic attatchment! Furthermore, presumably these were religious women, who would have thought more than twice about any sort of sexual bond. Apparently, an ‘anchoritic cell could provide the necessary space and conditions to create a “lesbian void”‘. I will agree that, since there is no evidence of this having taken place, there is still a possibility. But even so – a “lesbian void” suggests a negative lack, which is perhaps not the best way of explaining this concept.

‘The concept of the “lesbian void” was developed by Theodora A. Jankowski in her article “?in the Lesbian Void: Woman-Woman Eroticism in Shakespeare’s Plays.” Initially, Jankowski refers to the metaphorical space of invisibility where Hermione of The Winter’s Tale exists – a space that allows her to be both dead and available for resurrection, and also a space that she shares only with another woman, Paulina.’ Taking a Shakespearian concept and moving it backwards has been done before, but surely scholars should start from contemporary material and work towards the Shakespearian times?

Here, the article becomes more interesting; ‘During the early modern period in England, the population as a whole gained a great deal of privacy, making Jankowski’s lesbian void more feasible. My focus is on the thirteenth century, the height of the Middle Ages, when entire families spent their lives in close proximity to one another, often residing together in single-room dwellings. No matter what social class they belonged to, medieval people had few to no expectations of privacy.’

‘Women needed help to preserve their chastity: “The perfect virgin,” points out Joyce E. Salisbury, was “not to enclose herself completely with Christ and her prayers; she was to live in a community with other similar women, dedicated virgins” (34, original emphasis). Chastity required constant vigilance, both from herself and from others.’

‘As Jerome noted: “Now if this [the excesses of hermits caused by extended solitude] is true of men, how much more does it apply to women whose fickle and vacillating minds, if left to their own devices, soon degenerate” (“To Demetrias”, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. VI [http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-06/Npnf2-06-03.htm]).’

‘Once built, the cell became hers, and was often willed to her servants upon her death. Moreover, not only was the cell built specifically for her and controlled by her, but it also became conceptually fused with her body. Ancrene Wisse, the most well known guide for anchoresses,[9] builds upon this idea, metaphorically linking the female body and an anchoritic cell:

Yes, you, too will go out of both your anchorhouses as he [Jesus] did, without a break, and leave them both whole. That will be when the spirit goes out in the end, without break or blemish, from its two houses. One of them is the body, the other is the outer house, which is like the outer wall around a castle. (Ancrene Wisse, Part VI, 187)’

‘The fear of the dangers and perhaps the accompanying pleasures, of sight are echoed by Ancrene Wisse: “Take note now what harm has come of peeping: not one harm or two, but all the woe that now is and ever was and ever will be – all comes from sight” (Ancrene Wisse, Part II, 67). The Rule carefully attempts to address every conceivable situation. As such, the anchoress receives instructions on how to handle men who want to see her bed, see her altar, see her clothes, see her hair, and so forth. Among these extensive directions – which are interlaced with warnings, scripture passages, and quotes from Church fathers – lurks one single, suspicious phrase: “Some have been tempted by their own sisters” (Ancrene Wisse, Part II, 71). This hints at the possibility of lesbian desire incited merely by peeping.’

‘The final section of Ancrene Wisse also delineates the maidservants’ forbidden physical activities, which are all related to men: “They should not kiss any male friend or relation, or embrace them out of friendship, wash their hair for them, stare at any man, sport or flirt” (Ancrene Wisse, Part VIII, 205).’

‘Similarly, encouraged spiritual activities, including kissing, are linked to the feminine: “If any strife arises between the women, the anchoress should make each say I have done wrong to the other, kneeling on the ground; let each lift up the other and finally kiss” (Ancrene Wisse, Part VIII, 205).’

‘At the least, both passages illustrate a common theme within Ancrene Wisse – while heterosexual contact is spiritually damaging, homosocial contact (and perhaps by extension, homosexual contact?) is spiritually restorative.’

‘Thus, married women who kept their vows and widows who did not take lovers were as chaste as virgins who remained virgins. In fact, since definitions of chastity were based on sexual relations with a sanctioned man (or no man at all), even “unbreached” anchoresses may not have been damaged, or made unchaste, by a lesbian relationship. ‘

‘Periodically, female homosexual practices are singled out in penitential manuals, which were confessional guides designed for clerics both to elicit secrets and to assign penances. In most of these instances, the penalties are surprisingly light.[19] Standard penance included fasting on bread and water, adhering to a set of prayers, and/or mild ascetic practices. Men who engaged in homosexual activities generally were subject to harsher penances. Theodore, for example, suggested 10 years of penance. While many penitentials simply assigned longer periods of time to male homosexuals, a few suggested stronger punishments such as beatings. More civic punishment of male homosexual activity included public humiliation, severe beatings, exile, castration, torture, or even death. And often, lesbian activity is not addressed, even where male homosexual acts are extensively delineated.’

‘In describing lesbian activities as “fornication,” Bede essentially labelled them as sinful yet conceivable within nature. This distinction becomes clearer when examining a later passage, in which Bede adds another dimension: women who fornicate per machina, that is by means of a device, must complete seven years of penance. It is the unnaturalness of a female who penetrates (active), not is penetrated (passive), which upsets Bede’s sensibilities more than the thought of lesbian activity itself.’

‘The poem Le Livre de Mani�res, written by Etienne de Foug�res in the late twelfth century, expresses lesbian encounters using non-penetrative images, such as two shields joining, and jousting by thigh fencing. Another rather famous depiction of woman-woman eroticism is contained in the Bible Moralis�e (c. 1220 CE). ‘

‘Laywomen who went on pilgrimages required written permission from their husbands to be outside the home. Anchoritism was reinforced as the most holy occupation because of the extreme enclosure. Conversely, less enclosed women were looked upon with strong suspicion because of their unchecked, rampant sexuality. For instance, in England, a widespread network of female hermits had once existed, but society’s misgivings about their freedom of movement caused their numbers to shrink.’

Interesting article in the end, full of bits and pieces which could suggest female relations. I am still sceptical, but I equally cannot see a situation where there are no lesbian relationships at all. My strongest qualm hits against the issue of anchorage – in fact, the entire position of this argument. Within a religious community, even with the few loopholes, would a devout religious woman, essentially sacrificing herself to a life of prayer, really then ’sin’ in quite such a manner? The argument leaves a little to be desired.

I am aware that literature is full of niches and closets – enclosed private spaces where lovers can do what they will, As noted in this discussion, the Cantebury Tales is a particularly key example, with a trunk (the Shipman’s Tale) and a pear tree (Merchant’s) as just a few examples. Is this where the phrase, ‘in the closet’ originates?

Ah yes, and finally, something I missed out from the above. After closer reading, it seems that the dangers of love have risen somewhat, adding another point to my negative argument…

‘One exception dates to thirteenth century France. The law recorded in Li Livres de Jostice et de Plet (c. 1260; compiled by legal school of Orléans) reads as follows: “The woman who does this [homosexual practices] shall undergo mutilation (perdre membre) for the [first and second] offences (à chescune foiz), and on her third [conviction] must be burnt. And all the goods of such offenders shall be the king’s.” See Derrick Sherwin Bailey, Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition (Archon, 1975), p. 142. His translation is from the version found in P.N. Rapetti, ed. Li Livres de Jostice et de Plet (Paris, 1850), 279-80. Bailey goes on to say: The death penalty is certainly prescribed, but only for a third offence [man or woman] […] and there is no evidence that Louis IX was particularly assiduous in applying it.’

I am finally developing my herbalism site. After about a year of doing absolutely nothing to it. For anyone who is interested; http://herbalism.wordpress.com