We're still in the Early Medieval Period

It’s Thursday.  We have been studying the Early Medieval Period since about the beginning of March and are still finding myriad books to read/review with each other. The beauty is we all seem to find different information to present to the group.  Where do we find them?  At the public library, book stores, discount book stores, second-hand stores, personal collections, and on line; wherever one finds books. We bring the books on our Thursday meeting days to share and this is today's share:

An Introduction to Celtic Mythology by David Bellingham.  This book not only tells folk tales, but has images of artwork of the period.

The Book of Kells by Charles Gidley.  It’s a book showing actual images of each page of this magnificent manuscript.  One of the most renowned pages is of the Chi-ro-iota.  It is like a chapter introduction to the text that follows.  Actually, The Book of Kells is a translation of the four Gospels in the Bible’s New Testament written in old English.  I saw this book when in Dublin, Ireland, over 25 years ago and I didn't know what I was seeing, just that it was beautiful and fascinating.  Now I know!

Early Medieval Art by Ernst Ketzinger, Revised Edition.  There are great images and explanations of this period’s art.

Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery by Jan Messent.  In this book, she “. . . combines contemporary interpretations of ancient art and embroideries with historical narrative.”

Our “group read” is progressing.  Currently it is The Mists of Avalon a novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley. She relates Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.  It’s nice to get a different point of view from the King Arthur legend. Reading fiction or historical fiction is a great way to get perspective on culture and historical context in a particular period of time.  I feel like I can almost “walk-in-their-shoes” for a time by taking advantage of the author’s research.  One way to do this would be to Google a word or place you find in a book that is unfamiliar or curious and see where it takes you.  I’ll reveal a few of my revelations in future posts.

Mary B.