swords
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The fenland around Peterborough is a liminal place, a world of still, deep water, rustling reeds, flat land and a big sky. A place full old legends of the Lantern Man and the Toad Man and the spectral dogs known as Black Shuck. A place full of memories, of hidden secrets… In 1999, a major…
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I find this story quite discomforting. Just the thought that merely crossing your living room might result in falling through the floor into a 15th-century well is enough to give me the shivers. Mind you, if I noticed a dip in the floor I’d have had it inspected a little more promptly than the ten…
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A probable Crusader sword has been discovered under the sea off Israel. As yet it’s covered with the marine accumulation of centuries, and I await eagerly for when it’s been cleaned and its true identity revealed. It’s hard to believe it was just lying there on the sea bottom as in the photograph above. And…
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Myths abound about the medieval period, and some of them seem logical enough…yet they turn out to be untrue. One such is that spiral/newel staircases were built to be advantageous to those who use their right hand. So, as the majority of the human race is right-handed, this seemed a good, sensible idea. Yes?…
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Thanks to a question and response on the Richard III’s Loyal Supporters Unaffiliated Facebook group, and another reference on Twitter, I’ve learned that the sword of John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, was presented to the city of Lincoln by Henry VII after the Battle of Stoke in 1487. At least, tradition names…
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The sword was a vital weapon in the medieval period (as can be seen in the hand-to-hand combat in the illustration of Bosworth above) and there would not have been a knight, lord, magnate or king who did not possess a minimum of one. Most would have had a number. We will never know how many…
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Originally posted on Giaconda's Blog: ? ? Hephaestus from an Attic red Kylix vase decoration. Who Were the Legendary Smiths?: The figure of the often deformed or maimed blacksmith who forges remarkable weaponry and armour for gods or heroes is a re-occurring archetype in myth across many cultures. We have Hephaestus in Greek myth…
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Sudeley Castle certainly seems to be making the most of its Ricardian connections these days.The latest news is that they will temporarily have Gloucester’s ‘Mourning Sword’ on display up until October 20th. This sword was given to the city by Richard while he was on his first progress in 1483. He also gave them his…
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The following is taken from an item in one of the Mortimer History Society newsletters. It was by a member, Stefan Zachary, and concerns a sword of state in the British Museum. Mortimer Heraldry on a Sword of State This sword is dated c1460-70 and it is said to be a ceremonial sword of the…
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