The Icelandic sagas, written during the High Middle Ages, constitute a significant body of work of the medieval Icelandic literature, alongside the eddas and the skaldic poems. These manuscripts were mostly penned by anonymous authors, whose identities were either not revealed or remained very much obscure in the passing of time. However, these medieval literary…
According to a study carried by the University of York and the University of Sheffield, a huge military camp dating to the Viking Age was discovered on the course of River Trent, Lincolnshire, eastern England. The encampment was larger than most neighbouring urban settlements, providing thus shelter for thousands of Viking warriors, as reported by…
The highly popular Gothic horror character created by Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel entitled ‘Dracula’ might had actually been inspired from an Irish folk legend instead of the historical prince of Wallachia Vlad III Dracul (Vlad III the Dragon) who reigned during the late Middle Ages. While the most popular theory regarding Dracula’s origin…
The hurdy-gurdy is a medieval stringed instrument that produces sounds by manually rotating a hand crank that is connected to the wheel which stimulates the strings. Although quite obscure and unpopular nowadays, during the Middle Ages this instrument was an almost indispensable part of the medieval folk music in present-day France and much of the…
Medieval music is characterised by the historical period encompassed between the years 400 to 1400. Its two main branches are represented by liturgical (i.e. religious) and secular (i.e. non-religious) music. On the other hand, with respect to the usages of instruments it’s important to mention that there can be identified three main musical categories as…
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