CFP: A Hild Companion

This is a call for contributors, and ideas, to a companion volume to Hild: an accessible guide to the book and its Early Medieval context.

Hild’s feast day

Today is the anniversary of Hild’s death in 680. I mark it because Hild—and Whitby, and ammonites—have marked my life.

IONA Vancouver

Last week I spent five days at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, to attend IONA: Early medieval studies on the islands of the North Atlantic—transformative networks, skills, theories, and methods for the future of the field. If you are an early medievalist, you should go the next one at King’s College London, November 2021.

Cait Sith in the Eildon Hills

Two maps of Gododdin territory—where Hild becomes Cait Sith…

Paperback of Hild just out in the UK

Hild is “A magnificent and convincing portrayal of a strange, wild, beautiful world.” — Guardian

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.

Breguswith’s eye salve kills MRSA

Breguswith knew all about the miracle eye salve that fights MRSA…

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.

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…

East Anglian accession dates

According to Bede, when Hild is recruited to the church in 647 CE she is in East Anglia, and has been for a year. I’m trying to work out why.

Gemæcce

The story of making a novel about Hild of Whitby

Hild