Devouring the church Setting your teeth in the church was not as implausible an act in medieval times as we might think today. Different creatures nibbled and scraped away at the church’s fabric: sculpted monsters, pillar-biting hypocrites, and even the faithful themselves. Elizabeth den Hartog • June 14, 2019
Medieval piggyback rides: Riding boars in the Middle Ages With their ferocious characters, daunting tusks and relatively bulky statures, boars make unlikely steeds. Nevertheless, the Middle Ages feature various examples of boar riding. Thijs Porck • May 17, 2019
Rumi and the Hollywood Stars: The Source of Brad Pitt’s Tattoo It is almost hard to find a celebrity without a tattoo, but why should the tattoo be from a Persian mystic poet from the thirteenth century? How should we look at such texts? Asghar Seyed Gohrab • January 25, 2019
Nudis pedibus: a bare-footed cleric in Urnes, Norway From a bare footed cleric to a centaur: The stave church of Urnes (Norway) tells its visitors a message in wood. Elizabeth den Hartog • December 28, 2018
Vrouwen in de Duitse Orde Vrouwen mochten volgens de middeleeuwse statuten van de Duitse Orde niet intreden. Toch zijn er zusters van deze orde bekend. We gaan op zoek naar vrouwen in het regionale hoofdkwartier in Utrecht. Hun positie blijkt veranderlijk geweest te zijn. Jerem van Duijl • December 14, 2018
Throw Away that Tedious Text! 15th-Century Illustrated Books in 18th- and 19th-Century Hands Studying fifteenth-century books can be a frustrating task, especially if former owners decided to throw away the text. But the changing attitudes towards early printed books are equally fascinating. Anna Dlabacová • November 13, 2018
This pig is on fire: A late medieval pig in Leiden’s Pieterskerk A late medieval painting on a pillar in Leiden’s Pieterskerk shows a pig, surrounded by flames. What is going on here? Thijs Porck • November 02, 2018
Medieval views on Holy Days and Relaxation It is the beginning of August. Time for rest and relaxation: a holiday. The word holiday is literally derived from the Holy Day, when people had the day off to participate in a religious festival. Elizabeth den Hartog • August 03, 2018
Pigs and Bagpipes: Geoffrey Chaucer's Miller in Context Geoffrey Chaucer drew on various medieval traditions surrounding pigs to characterise one of his most memorable characters in the Canterbury Tales: Robin the Miller Thijs Porck • February 02, 2018
