Morning Medieval Miscellany

Once again, I've let things fall behind. Let that be a lesson to me: never again agree to teach a third composition class.

While I soak in my lesson, here are a few lessons in the medieval for you:

• Julie K. Rose has some questions about a small 12th century Burgundian monastery, none about which I know the first thing.
• On Allegory: Some Medieval Aspects and Approaches is out.
• Hammered out Bits has the results of their test smelt, medieval Icelandic style, and discusses cast iron (or the lack of it) in the Middle Ages.
• Japes for Owre Tymes returns to Hagar the Horrible, as well as the theological implications of various comic strips.
• Wraetlic meditates upon Piers Plowman, a classic I've yet to teach in any class.
• Michael Drout reminds us that memorization is a good thing, something I point out to all those prepping their recitations for my class this week. He also gets rocked by students on a point of nexus between biology and Tolkien, an absolutely amazing feat. Seriously, if you can school Drout on science & Old English at the same time, you ought to get your PhD immediately.
• Wombat has published "The Princess and her Pig" and has podcast* about it.
• When I first glanced at the title, "Eros as Cosmic Sorrow: Locating the Limits of Difference in Julian of Norwich and The Cloud of Unknowing," I thought it said "UFOs as Cosmic Sorrow," a much cooler title in my opinion.
• Steven Till has been blogging like mad and I've not been keeping up, but here's at least a link to the Medieval History Term of the Week, Tenant in Chief.
• Wearmouth Jarrow has been nominated as a World Heritage site. h/t Slouching Towards Extimacy.
• Senchus has an interesting post on why the town name "Kirkintilloch" doesn't count as the earliest use of kirk- in a place name in Scotland. Also, here's a post about Queen Tomnat, one of the cast of interesting bit players to be featured in the Middle Ages. Not everyone can be Charlemagne or Eleanor of Aquitaine.
• Scribal Terror discusses rosaries through time, most of which is in the Middle Ages.
• Jeff Sypeck discusses the medievalist orgins of the term "freelance," and discusses medieval precedent for modern news. He also has a levitating niece which, while not really medieval, is too cute an image to pass up.
• Here's a short paper on Brut -- the medieval literary work, not the one by Faberge.
• Old Norse News has an October journal round-up, parts I and II. What a great idea for a feature!
• As always, News for Medievalists has lots of, well, news for medievalists.
• Medieval Material Culture does too, except that hers is focused on, well, medieval material culture.
• Has anyone played Battle Knight?
• In her never-ending quest to distract herself from thesis-writing, the Naked Philologist has a post on Arthurian fanfic. Back to work, you!
• Feeling down? Look at these church images from Carcassonne, and you'll be cheerier. Not enough images? Try the Lost Fort!
• Larry Swain asks if we can redeem Medieval Studies. This really deserves a well-thought-out post in response, but I simply haven't got the time.
• Get this joke? You are a geek. Come join my geek club.
• The Digital Medievalist has a link to digitized fragments from Reichenau Library. They're really beautiful and high quality.
• Heavenfield has a poll, and wonders where all the Arthurian blogs are.

OK, that's it. I'm too tired to do any more. Head over to A Commonplace Book, A Corner of Tenth Century Europe, Got Medieval?, Humanities Researcher, and In the Middle to see what I skipped. I'm going to bed.


*Podcasted or podcast in the past tense? Hmmm...