http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y13cES7MMd8&feature=related

Well, he's holding a lyre. :)

Yahoo Group: Anglo-Saxon Lyres

through which I found Orphic Airs which has Saxon lyres that are more based on the Sutton Hoo finds than the Silvershell lyre (the top just looks funny as that perfect arch). Also, Orphic Airs lyres can be customized and there's good reviews on the Anglo-Saxon Lyre group. $175 for the for the black steel tuners ( Read more... )

I'm getting the yearning for a Lyre again...(Saxon style, not the Crwth style)

I finally found a site for a guy who makes them and other such instruments. The cheapest appears to be a six-string "Morning Thorp Lyre" about £400 with an oak body, maple soundboard and nylegut strings. He also sells a "How to build your own lyre" cd and has a few ( Read more... )

In case you guys haven't seen, the BBC has made a lovely audio collection of English from Beowulf to Present Day. Check it out!! History of English in 10 Acts

One of my reading assignments for my fiction class: The School by Donald Barthelme. It's a two pager and...wow. That's just...there's a "what the--" moment and...ya...

This excerpt is from Njal's saga, during the reign of Earl Hakon of Norway, after the slaying of Gunnar. Background is Thrain, kinsman to Gunnar, is traveling abroad and is in the service of Hakon. A big bad viking named Kol comes and raids from him, and Thrain is sent after him. He has just returned with his head and Earl Hakon has praised him ( Read more... )

óðr adj. 'mad, frantic'
Is stated by H.R. Ellis Davidson that it can be used to describe going berserk. It can also be used to describe the inspiration of poetry. (Citation pending -- book's at home and I'm not)

óðr m. (gen. óðs and óðar) 1. 'mind, wit, soul, sense,' 2. song, poetry ( Read more... )

I was in the last couple months corrected about the etymology of Northshield by two people. (Now if only I would have found this out earlier...)

The origin of the -shield part of Northshield is the geologic feature of North America called the Canadian or Precambrian Shield. As it was a feature that tied in all of the area that would become ( Read more... )

It's almost here, the Japanese event. Gah, how is it mid-October already?

Anyways, for those of you who have not heard about it, Tor Aerie (my college SCA group) is throwing a Medieval Japanese Moon Festival this Saturday. It's in town so if you have nothing better to do, please consider coming. (Just bring yourself and an *attempt* at pre- ( Read more... )

At the beginning of this year, I posted some of my favorite sayings from Hávamál. ( Well, here are some more good ones: )