Leiden Medievalists Blog

Historical linguistics

Worms, noise and nuisances ad nauseam

What does the Old High German word nessia, found in early medieval medical charms, have to do with worms?

Alexia Kerkhof • 18-10-2018

Socio-Economic History

Did Medieval Women Have ‘Agency?’ Or was it ‘All About the Patriarchy’? Examples from Medieval Spain

Scholars have long argued about the extent of female agency in the middle ages. New research from Catalonia suggests a society ready to respect female authority on many levels. But how do these findings relate to women’s experience outside Western Europe?

Jeff Fynn-Paul • 05-10-2018

Archaeology

Public water provision in Bruges (part 1)

In the Middle Ages, Leiden lacked a system of public water provision, as we saw in an earlier blog. How different was medieval Bruges!

Roos van Oosten • 21-09-2018

Literature

There was a Door to which I found no Key

The quatrains of Omar Khayyam, in Edward FitzGerald’s adaptation, have a special appeal worldwide. In this blog, the English adaptation of one of the most popular quatrains is compared to the original Persian. How has Khayyam’s worldview been translated?

Asghar Seyed Gohrab • 31-08-2018

Socio-Economic History

Zuiderzeesteden aan de Oostzee. Vitten en voogden op Schonen

Wie aan kolonies denkt, denkt wellicht aan zonovergoten oorden. Minder bekend zijn de laatmiddeleeuwse handelskolonies aan de Oostzee, op het schiereiland Schonen in het zuidwesten van het huidige Zweden.

Louis Sicking • 17-08-2018

Cultural History · Art History

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 • 03-08-2018

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