The Valley of Sweet Bells and Dead Bodies February 19, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Medieval
Usually when Christian missionaries come face to face with a pagan shrine, the vitae tells us that the axe comes out and the splinters fly. But imagine if you were one of these (perhaps God-forsaken) missionaries in the woods of early medieval Germany or the great mountain ranges of Asia. How many really felt courage [...]
The Soul Zoo January 27, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Medieval
So many interesting replies to recent posts to put up but little Miss B has a nasty flu so she is home from school and Beachcombing will be spending the morning with her – she is a state of such anxiety that the poor kid needs to be held at all times. Saturday seems a [...]
Throne Room Tricks January 15, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Medieval
Beachcombing previously had some fun describing the tricks the ‘civilised’ use to frighten ‘savages’ in jungles and deserts far from the capital cities of Europe. But what about – today’s subject – the tricks that the civilised used when ‘savages’ came to visit them on home ground. Take, for example, the shenanigans found in the [...]
Medieval Dog-heads: An Eye-Witness Report January 9, 2012
Posted by Beachcombing in : Medieval
***Dedicated to Radko who sent in this passage*** An interesting passage from the Itinerarium of Friar Odoric (obit 1331), a pioneering Italian traveller in Asia: Odoric may have been the first European to reach Lhasa. He certainly stood before the great Khan and penetrated China. He also visited the south seas. The island of Moumoran [...]
