Some people are saying the English have no identity or culture of their own. Others are trying to ban the term "Anglo-Saxon" from academic discourse.
This video is my response to them.
Showing posts with label English Tradition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Tradition. Show all posts
Monday, 23 September 2024
Friday, 24 December 2021
Sunday, 30 June 2019
Wednesday, 7 November 2018
Saturday, 23 December 2017
Monday, 24 October 2016
Wednesday, 4 March 2015
Film: Penda's Fen
The screenplay written by David Rudkin is rooted in the mystical power of rural England. 'Revolt from the monolith, come back to the village' says the Parson to his son in one scene, summing up the message of the film, set in Worcestershire, which seeks to reconcile the duality of England’s pagan and Christian heritage. The central character, a young Protestant, seemingly homosexual, but deeply conservative, is plagued by mystical sexual visions, first of the devil, then of his hero, the composer Edward Elgar who lived close by. The boy comes to learn of the pagan heritage of the land, and that the spirit of the 7th century King Penda, one of the last Anglo-Saxon pagan kings, still haunts the land.
“Our land must live. This land must live. Our deep, dark flame must never die…Cherish our flame. Our dawn shall come”- King Penda
Friday, 2 May 2014
Folk Use of Agrimony - Digestive Remedy with Yellow Flowers
Following on from my previous post about old English folk remedies. Agrimony is another plant you should know about. Agrimony flowers are said to represent gratitude. Their bright yellow petals appear from June to August and produce a sweet, spicy odour like apricots. The perennial herb is related to the rose and can be found along the margins of woodlands, in meadows, pastures and banks.
The
earliest mention of Agrimony as a folk medicine in Britain comes from Bald’s
leechbook, written in the 9th century. It recommends that Agrimony
be used as a medieval form of Viagra. The recipe states that the plant must be
boiled in milk before being administered to a man who is “insufficiently
virile". Strangely, it was said to have the exact opposite effect when you
replaced the milk with Welsh beer, but I suspect this may have nothing to do
with the Agrimony and a lot more to do with the strength of the beer! As time
passed, Agrimony was no longer used as a cure for impotence, but was still employed
in numerous other folk remedies.
Later
folkish beliefs held that the pretty yellow flower was capable of healing
musket wounds and warding off witchcraft. In Finland the plant was dedicated to
the Virgin Mary, probably because it had previously been used in pagan rituals
and therefore needed to be cleansed of its un-Christian cultural associations.
While
the flowers brighten gardens and bouquets, the leaves can be added to teas in
order to aid digestion. It has also been used to treat liver and bile duct
troubles. Its tannins tone the mucus membranes in the gut, helping them to
secrete and absorb. Being a mild herb, it works well for the treatment of
digestive irritation in children. Colitis sufferers and people with peptic
ulcers have also found it helpful. The bitter tasting plant can aid the proper
functioning of the liver and gall bladder; the Germans still use it to treat
gallstones. There are some simple external uses too. You can apply it to wounds
as a salve, or mix it with water and use it as a mouthwash to help heal sore
throats and inflamed gums.
The
slender spikes of flowers have earned them the nickname of church steeples and
the plant itself can grow as high as 60cm tall. You can easily find Agrimony
growing in the English countryside and in other parts of the world with similar
climates, but it is scarcely found in the barren hills of Scotland.
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Folk use of Betony – The Healing Herb with Purple Flowers
In early medieval England,
plants and flowers were used as ingredients in folk remedies and magic spells. The main
sources for spells from the Anglo-Saxon era are Lacnunga and Bald’s leechbook. These
two “leechbooks” are books of spells and medicinal recipes which were used
by medieval doctors. They were compiled in the ninth and tenth centuries. The
most famous Anglo-Saxon charm is called “The 9 herbs charm”; it includes a
spell invoking the pagan god called Woden. The charm makes mention of 9 different
plants, all of which can easily be found in the English countryside. One of these
plants, betony, has remained popular in folk medicine and magic for centuries.
Betony
(stachys betonica) is also known as heal-all, self-heal and woundwort (due to
widespread belief in its healing qualities). Betony grows in sunny meadows and
shady woodlands where it brings forth beautiful purple flowers in July and
August. It is easily grown and adds a splash of colour to a wild bouquet or
herb garden. Not only was it regarded as a healer, it was also thought to have
magical properties.
Macer’s herbal is a Medieval Latin poem which was translated into English in the early 12th century, it describes betony as powerful against “wykked sperytis” which means wicked spirits.
Macer’s herbal is a Medieval Latin poem which was translated into English in the early 12th century, it describes betony as powerful against “wykked sperytis” which means wicked spirits.
There are many extraordinary superstitions regarding betony; a very old one says that if you put two snakes in a circle of betony, they will kill each other. Another says that beasts of the wild knew how well it healed and would therefore seek it out and eat it when wounded. Even as recently as 1666, the Medicina Britannica says:
'I have known the most obstinate headaches cured by daily breakfasting for a month or six weeks on a decoction of Betony made with new milk and strained.'
Over the
years, betony related folklore has endured to the point where it is still
recognised as a nervine and a tonic. It is also alleged to be an astringent,
and is used in alternative medicines to treat rheumatism, scrofula and
impurities of the blood. Even if you’re not interested in the magical stuff,
the flowers are beautiful and the herb itself makes a lovely cup of tea.
Monday, 7 April 2014
Documentary: Pugin - God's Own Architect
The Godfather of Gothic, the man who made medieval mainstream. A great architect. This documentary explores his life and works.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Monday, 9 December 2013
The Last Clog Maker in England
This is a video about a man who has devoted his life to reviving the lost craft of clog making
Monday, 18 November 2013
The Cosy Mood of Brave England
Cosy is an
inadequate word. It reeks of childish nostalgia and brings to mind snivelling
estate agents trying to fob off inconveniently small living spaces. The word is
often used to translate the Swedish mys
and German gemütlich, yet these words hold a place in the hearts of Swedes and
Krauts incomparable to the lowly position where cosy is regarded by the
English. Cosy is quite nauseating and sentimental because of the way it has
been co-opted by shrewd advertising executives seeking to manipulate consumers’
emotions in order to screw them out of a few quid come Christmas time.
It is this disdain for the concept of cosiness, seeing it as nothing
but a vague feeling of comfort with no clearly defined value, utilised by
shysters and idiots for insignificant purposes, that prevents us from
sympathising with the way in which our Germanic cousins perceive the equivalent
terms.
Gemütlich is ruthlessly dismissed by the Irish Francophile, Samuel Beckett in Mercier and Camier where it is used in the dishonest way in which cosy is so frequently employed.
“It’s snug…said the man, there is no other word. Patrick! He cried. But there was another word, for he added, in a tone of tentative complicity, whatever that sounds like, It’s … gemütlich.”
The drunken Mercier later chides the manager of the inn for using such language, “You have a curious way of managing, for a manager. What have you done with your teeth? Is this what you call gemütlich?”
Though far from an Englishman, Beckett was
guilty of the English speaker’s prejudice against cosiness. My Swedish
ex-girlfriend stressed to me the importance of mys on many an occasion but it
took time for me to realise that this was not a universally understood concept
and indeed the German regards gemütlich differently from how the Swede thinks
of myset. In an effort to
understand, I volunteered the cosy image of a log fire and learned that
this was indeed considered mys. Yet other concepts of English cosiness
were excluded from the Swedish definition, including for example houses with
carpets, for these are alien to the pine wood floors of a Scandinavian home.
Thus it seems mys is necessarily Swedish as much as gemütlich
must be German in character. The people of these nations perceive these concepts
in terms of the consolation they enjoy when experiencing the familiar and
homely comforts that are proper to their respective peoples. Thus cosiness is
inherently un-cosmopolitan. It is national. It is not universal or properly
translatable, which is why cosy can never express what is truly meant by our
continental cousins. The words mys and gemütlich are each used more frequently
and less self-consciously than English words like snug or cosy. I suspect the
true English equivalent is a satisfied exhalation prior to a leisurely gulp of
ale.
There is a common link in language and feeling between us all though.
Although the word mys is sometimes meant as snuggle and can even
have sexual connotations (you know how Swedes are these days), the Swedish for
brave is modig which is etymologically related to gemütlich
which comes from gemüet “mind, mentality”,
equivalent to gemüt “mind, soul.” Swedish modig
can also mean “valiant, high spirited, courageous”, which is precisely what
the Old English word módig (pronounced moody) used to
mean. We still have a remnant of this word with the modern English mood. So how did brave become moody in England and cosy in Germany? Well, the Old English noun mód could mean mood in general, but was also related to what we now call the
ego or the will. It was associated with arrogance, pride, violence and power
but was also used in other words with very different associations. The adjective
ánmód means “steadfast, fierce, resolute” while módcearig means “sorrowful of heart.” Thus mood was used to describe emotion, mind, heart and will.
Swedish,
English and German are all descended from a common language known as
Proto-Germanic, which in turn comes from Indo-European. The reconstructed
proto-Germanic equivalent of mood is mōdą,
mōdaz “sense, courage, zeal, anger”
and the Proto-Indo-European is mō-, mē- “endeavour, will, temper.” The brave
meaning of mood is retained in other Germanic languages such as Dutch moed and Scots mude, muid, but the Icelandic móður,
meaning “grief, moodiness”, is more
similar to the English word moody.
We
still understand mood to designate distinct atmospheric emotions, yet to be
moody is now exclusively negative. This might have something to do with the Old
English word ofermod which means “pride”
and has therefore been regarded as a sin for centuries.But it's interesting to
consider when one is in a “good mood” that these two words are etymologically
related to words meaning God and soul. Little wonder that gemütlich is so important to the Germans; for mood and atmosphere which put us in touch
with our national past and the associated aesthetics, remind us of our position
in space and time. The familiar and consoling effect of architecture, interior
design, art and old fashioned activities remind us of who we are, speaking to our
“heart, mind, soul” and easing the módcearig
of
the modern age.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Documentary: Beauty & Consolation: Roger Scruton
A Dutch documentary in which Roger Scruton discusses the importance of beauty, religion, hunting and consolation, that is seeking to be consoled by certain philosophical approaches and through certain activities.
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Anglo Saxon Tribute of Spears
I was reading Thomas Malory's Tale of King Arthur (1470) and noticed an obvious similarity between Arthur's words and those of Byrhtnoth in The Anglo-Saxon poem "The Battle of Maldon" (composed c.10th-11th).
Malory's passage refers to 12 messengers from the emperor of Rome who ask King Arthur to pay tribute (trwage) while the Battle of Maldon, written about 500 years earlier, describes a similar exchange between the messenger of a foreign invader (VIkings) and a native (Anglo-Saxon) who is asked for tribute of gold and who says in reply that they shall receive only a tribute of spears. I wonder whether Malory copied the poem or whether the "tribute of spears/swords" is just a recurring meme in medieval storytelling. It's very cool either way.
Malory:
"Ryght so com In to the courte 12 knyghtes that were aged men whiche com frome the Emperoure of Rome. And they asked of Arthure trwage for hys realme othir ellis the emperour wolde destroy hym and all hys londe. 'Well' seyde kynge Arthure, 'ye ar messyngers there fore ye may sey what ye woll othir ellis ye sholde dye Þer fore. But hys ys myne Answere I owȝe the emperour no trewage noÞer none woll I yelde hym but on a fayre fylde I shall yelde hym my trwage that shall be with a sherpe spere othir ellis with a sherpe swerde And that shall nat be longe by my fadirs soule Uther!"
The Battle of Maldon:
Anglo Saxon:
Þa stod on stæðe, stiðlice clypode
wicinga ar, wordum mælde,
se on beot abead brimliþendra ærænde to þam eorle, þær he on ofre stod
"Me sendon to þe sæmen snelle,
heton ðe secgan þæt þu most sendan raðe
beagas wið gebeorge; and eow betere is
þæt ge þisne garræs mid gafole° forgyldon,
þon we swa hearde hilde dælon.
Ne þurfe we us spillan, gif ge spedaþ to þam;
we willað wið þam golde grið fæstnian.
Gyf þu þat gerædest, þe her ricost eart, richest
þæt þu þine leoda lysan wille,
syllan sæmannum on hyra sylfra dom
feoh wið freode, and niman frið æt us,
we willaþ mid þam sceattum us to scype gangan,
on flot feran, and eow friþes healdan."
Byrhtnoð maþelode, bord hafenode,
wand wacne æsc, wordum mælde,
yrre and anræd ageaf him andsware:
"Gehyrst þu, sælida, hwæt þis folc segeð?
Hi willað eow to gafole garas syllan,
ættrynne ord and ealde swurd,
þa heregeatu þe eow æt hilde ne deah.
Brimmanna boda, abeod eft ongean,
sege þinum leodum miccle laþre
þæt her stynt unforcuð eorl mid his werode,
þe wile gealgean eþel þysne,
Æþelredes eard, ealdres mines,
folc and foldan. Feallan sceolon
hæþene æt hilde.
Modern English Translation:
Then stood on the shore, stoutly calling out
a Viking messenger, making speech,
menacingly delivering the sea-pirate's
message to this Earl on the opposite shore standing:
"I send to you from the bold seamen,
a command to tell that you must quickly send
treasures to us, and it would be better to you if
with tribute buy off this conflict of spears
than with us bitter battle share.
No need to slaughter each other if you be generous with us;
we would be willing for gold to bring a truce.
If you believe which of these is the noblest path,
and that your people are desirous of assurance,
then pay the sea-farers on their own terms
money towards peace and receive peace from us,
for we with this tribute will take to our ships,
depart on the sea and keep peace with you."
Byrhtnoth spoke, his shield raised aloft,
brandishing a slender ash-wood spear, speaking words,
wrathful and resolute did he give his answer:
"Hear now you, pirate, what this people say?
They desire to you a tribute of spears to pay,
poisoned spears and old swords,
the war-gear which you in battle will not profit from.
Sea-thieve's messenger, deliver back in reply,
tell your people this spiteful message,
that here stands undaunted an Earl with his band of men
who will defend our homeland,
Aethelred's country, the lord of my
people and land. Fall shall you heathen in battle!
Friday, 1 February 2013
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Documentary: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Poet Simon Armitage goes on the trail of one of the jewels in the crown of British poetry, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written about 600 years ago by an unknown author. The poem has got just about everything - it is an action-packed adventure, a ghost story, a steamy romance, a morality tale and the world's first eco-poem.
Armitage follows in the footsteps of the poem's hero, Gawain, through some of Britain's most beautiful and mystical landscapes and reveals why an absurd tale of a knight beheading a green giant is as relevant and compelling today as when it was written.
This programme is part of Norman Season on BBC Two and BBC Four, a collection of programmes highlighting the effect that the Normans have had on our civilisation.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Oss Oss Wee Oss - Morris dancing
This extract from Alan Lomax's powerful actuality film Oss Oss Wee Oss (1953) captures Padstow, Cornwall's 'sexy, savage' May Day rites of yore.
Oss Oss Wee Oss is available on the BFI's new DVD collection, Here's a Health to the Barley Mow: A century of folk customs and ancient rural games, a double-disc set of newly remastered poetic documentaries, long-unseen television reports and rare silent film footage, exploring the enduring folk traditions of Great Britain.
Here's a Health to The Barley Mow is available to order here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0051FBKWQ
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Rural Roots
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