Skip to main content

'Mīn Webblēaf' What Does that Mean?

It means, 'my webpage' in Old English, the language of the early medieval English. Of course, the people of that time didn't have webpages, so I made up the word.

This is a blog for me to post translations and exercises in Old English, and to write about anything relating to the history of the ancient and early medieval world. There might also be some reeenactment bits thrown in too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sign Language in the Monastery

The sample sentences used in this blog post are from The Cambridge Old English Reader. Monks following the rule of St. Benedict have been using sign language since at least the 10th century. This is because silence was demanded of those seeking divine contemplation in and around monastic buildings, including dormitories (during nighttime hours). The use of sign language became so prevalent that it was eventually felt necessary to codify them. The Old English text (with a Latin title), Monasteriales Indicia, describes 127 signs used by Early Medieval English monks. Other books of signs have been found in France at the Abbey of Cluny, and in Germany at Hirsau Abbey, for example. Below is an illustration depicting what St Paul's monastery in Jarrow may have looked like ( source ). The following is eight sets of instructions given to monks as an alternate method of communication. 1. Huniġes tācen is þæt þū sette þīnne finger on þīne tungan. The sign of honey is that you put your finger...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Old English Sunday Letter

In 596 CE, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine of Canterbury on a mission to establish Christianity in the Saxon kingdoms. This mission would come to be greatly successful, with the Saxons converting to the religion that they originally destroyed during their invasion. From that point onwards, Christianity and its texts, holidays, and culture promulgated itself amongst the English at the behest of the priestly class. (The excerpt in this text was taken from The Cambridge Old English Reader) This was unlikely to have been achieved without the instruction of Christianity from those in the religious order to the local people. It would have been important to teach the English how to be a Christian, since adherence to common ideals and practices helps cement social order and commitment to the Church. With the added supposed benefit of bringing them their salvation. The Old English Sunday Letter, supposedly written by Christ to the clergy, is a document of such instruction. Its goal: to co...
Post a Comment
Read more