As an English and Medieval Studies dual-major, I have a deep love of chivalry, mystery, and wonder; there’s no better place to find that than in medieval folk legends. Some of the best folklore and myths are ones where a char- acter is placed into a reality that is a refraction of our own, and…
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Capstone Corner: A Closer Look at Renaissance Witchcraft by Jordan Waterwash
As a senior Renaissance major with a frankly disturbing obsession with witchcraft and the occult, I considered nothing but the magical and the mystical for my capstone project. Witch- craft, however, is a tricky con- cept to nail down. The misconceptions and stereotypes oftentimes get in the way of sources that took witchcraft seriously, and…
The Lady and the Unicorn by Matthew Pheneger
Nestled in the 5th Arrondissement of Paris, France and constructed on what remains of a Roman thermal bath house, one will find the Musée de Cluny—or the National Museum of the Middle Ages—a less frequented but still impressive museum. Among its extensive collection of medieval and ancient pieces is a collection of tapestries known as…
Religion in Medieval Ireland: A Talk by John Soderberg by Matthew Pheneger
The AMRS Department was pleased to welcome Denison University Professor of Sociology/Anthropology John Soderberg at the end of February. Though his work covers a range of disciplines, his presentation centered on religion in Early Medieval Ireland from an archaeological point of view. The big question his research focuses on—in Soderberg’s own words—is, “What does it…
Medieval Castles in a Modern Context by Kyle Rabung
When the average person looks for medieval cas- tles, they are left with two options: to look at ruins, or to look at a castles that survived into modernity. Yet, these both often inspire similar reactions. We, as moderns, look at castles and see huge defensive structures and envisionmassive movie-like sieges that must have dominated…
Capstone Corner: Mesuline and the Fae by Ashley Vassar
I initially became acquainted with the subject matter for my capstone thesis in the English Department during my Senior Seminar with Dr. Demarco. In this seminar, I encountered the concepts of liminality, otherness, and other themes surrounding the blurred lines of animality and humanity. One of the works we read was Le Roman de Melusine….
Characters of War: The Iliad and The Song of Roland by Matthew Pheneger
We’d expect literary works from differing cultures to mirror that in their writing, however, The Iliad and The Song of Roland are more similar than expected. In their most basic explanations, both texts retell deeds—both good and wicked—that were carried out by men who fought in wars. It is through the innovation of the poets…
Luther’s Act by Christopher Shanley
This Halloween marks the 499th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg castle. Luther’s theses were against the act of indulgences which were certificates one could buy from the church to skip part of the penitential process. An extremely pious man, Luther was deeply troubled by his…
Dún Aonghasa: An Ancient Irish Hill Fort by Colin McGarry
While romping around Ireland’s historical landmarks for the semester pretending to be a serious student, I was lucky enough to see the large, ancient hillfort of Dún Aonghasa, a massive three-tiered defensive fortress on the Aran Islands. The fort itself is made from three dry stone walls, roughly D-shaped, that go to the steep cliffs…
The Renaissance Festival: A Home for All by Ashley Vassar
On September 5th 2016, I attended my 13th Renaissance Festival and 9th Ohio Renaissance Festival. The Ohio Renaissance Festival is located in Waynesville, Ohio and this year, it ran from September 3rd to October 23rd. Since my friends and I dress up, we usually wait until October when the weather has cooled to attend. This…