Gododdin
Hild is heading north to talk (unofficially, of course) with Coledauc of the Gododdin. I had to draw maps to work out where she might go, and how, and why.
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Carnyx
When did the Picts stop using the carnyx in war? And why? Perhaps it was because they were weighty and cumbersome. Perhaps it was because of cultural change—religion.
Read more "Carnyx"Breguswith’s eye salve kills MRSA
Breguswith knew all about the miracle eye salve that fights MRSA…
Read more "Breguswith’s eye salve kills MRSA"Genetic structure of the British population
“The regional genetic differentiation and differing patterns of shared ancestry…carry clear signals of historical demographic events.” Nature’s recent article on the genetic makeup of the British population is full of eyebrow-raising stuff.
Read more "Genetic structure of the British population"Hæðfeld: Where Edwin lost his head?
Where, exactly, was the battle of Hæðfeld? I have a theory, based on research I’ve done on water courses and roads of 632.
Read more "Hæðfeld: Where Edwin lost his head?"Working Roman baths in 7th C Northumbria?
Were there any working baths in seventh-century Northumbria? I’m guessing not, but perhaps some of those wall forts were in reasonable shape. Birdoswald? How about Arbeia? We know that Osric was born there…
Read more "Working Roman baths in 7th C Northumbria?"My new site
I am switching Gemæcca, my previous site, to WordPress—and taking the opportunity to rename it Gemæcce. It will happen gradually. Think of this as a test. As such, I’m just going to repost something from my personal blog.
Read more "My new site"Happy 1400th anniversary to Hild!
How do you say, fourteen hundreth in Latin? I will cheerfully admit that my Latin is rubbish, but I had a go anyway.
Read more "Happy 1400th anniversary to Hild!"I am coming to the UK at beginning of October
NOTE: This blog relates to 2014. I’m coming to the UK next month, 1—10 October. I’ll be doing a bunch o’ stuff to support Hild. If you’re a reader of this blog I hope you’ll come along and introduce yourself.
Read more "I am coming to the UK at beginning of October"Anglo-Saxon ethnic origin stories
It was a challenge to set aside the most recent hypotheses about the ethnogenesis of the English and write purely from Hild’s experience, her cultural perspective.
Read more "Anglo-Saxon ethnic origin stories"HILD out in the UK on Thursday 24th July
Hild will be out in the UK on Thursday July 24. The first UK notices are beginning to appear. I’m particularly proud of two. One from Alex Woolf…the other from Max Adams.
Read more "HILD out in the UK on Thursday 24th July"Hild’s first religious foundation
I’m now into <iHild II (working title Menewood) and I’ve started to wonder about the location of Hild’s first religious foundation. Aidan, when he recruited Hild to the Church in AD 647, gave her a single hide of land on which to live for a year. Bede tells us only that this land was “ad septentrionalem plagam Viuri fluminis.”
Read more "Hild’s first religious foundation"Getting Medieval on "To the Best of Our Knowledge"
On To the Best of Our Knowledge I’m “Getting Medieval” with fellow writers George R.R. Martin, Karen Joy Fowler, and Bruce Holsinger, weapons expert Kelly DeVries, and more! To coincide with this weekend’s premier of Game of Thrones Season 4, it’s a whole hour of conversation about why we’re so interested in the Middle Ages.However, […]
Read more "Getting Medieval on "To the Best of Our Knowledge""The UK cover of HILD
Original art by Anna and Elena Balbusso, original design by Charlotte Strick, UK design by Sian Wilson Blackfriars, the UK and Commonwealth publisher of Hild, is a brand new literary imprint of Little, Brown. Hild will be their first ever hardback.
Read more "The UK cover of HILD"Some advance praise for Hild…
I’ve been posting chunks of early reviews etc. on the Hild page of my main blog but thought I’d include a few snippets here to whet your appetite:
Read more "Some advance praise for Hild…"
Gemæcce 