Lenora Rogers's Blog, page 9
January 26, 2018
18th Century Cudgelling Matches
This is a sport that seems unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon – hopefully. Cudgelling was a type of duel fought with wooden weapons and was also known as ‘single stick’, with its origin dating back to around Tudor times.
The aim of the competition was to break your opponent’s head with a single stick i.e. to cut the skin on the head, face or neck so that blood was drawn. When the crowd saw blood, they would shout ‘a head’. What a relaxing pastime this sounds, thos...
The Myth of Convivencia: Nostalgic Storytelling
It is a popular myth that there was a period of religious tolerance among the three Abrahamic faiths during the middle ages which end came with the aftermath of the “Reconquista”. The Reconquista or Reconquest was the Spaniards’ efforts to recover the lands that had been taken by Muslim invaders in 711. At the time that Isabella became Queen of Castile and later her husband and cousin, Ferdinand, became King of Aragon and other territories he inherited from his fath...
Birth of the Rosicrucian Order
With the Order of the Knights Templar suppressed, rumours spread across Europe that the secret tradition they had chosen to follow, was still being practised. In the latter years of the Middle Ages, information seeped out, that the Freemasons were connected to the Templar Order. According to Crusade History, a handful of Syriac Christians, Saracen prisoners were rescued by Knights Templar who granted them protection.
These Christians indebted to the Knights Templar who ha...
January 22, 2018
Earth’s Early Steps in Evolution
I’ve always. Been fascinated in this history.
Australopithecus Afarensis
Some 3.5 million years ago, what happened that day, would not be witnessed by human beings, for their day had not come, they did not exist.
A dark brown head with small eyes looked from side to side in a cautionary movement, not wanting to be prey for some hunter animal. This new animal to the food chain, with its flat-topped head, low forehead with a pronounced ridge running above its eyes, w...
Royal People: Anna Komnene – Historian, Physician, Byzantine Princess
Great history post. I always enjoy reading on history and learning new history . Thanks for sharing.
When people think of medieval princesses, they often think of an almost fairy-tale like person. A beautiful young woman who was married off at a young age to a foreign prince, traded as a political pawn, with little agency of her own. Of course, this was often far from the truth, and one such example is certainly the strong-willed Anna Komnene.
Anna was born on 1st December...
Royal People: Anna Komnene – Historian, Physician, Byzantine Princess
Great history post. I always enjoy reading on history and learning new history posts.
When people think of medieval princesses, they often think of an almost fairy-tale like person. A beautiful young woman who was married off at a young age to a foreign prince, traded as a political pawn, with little agency of her own. Of course, this was often far from the truth, and one such example is certainly the strong-willed Anna Komnene.
Anna was born on 1st December 1083 in the Por...
Afternoons playing with numbers. Well, it is what I do.
Victoria Adams' Reading Alcove
Hello again.
I’ve seen a great deal of huffing and puffing of late over which state is richer and whether that state has a lot of immigrants, or voted for which party. Statistics are wonderful tools, but they are easily manipulated by those with a specific mind set, or agenda. Consequently, I thought I would spend a bit of time poking around for source numbers. These are just a few of the things I found, the chart I developed to pull these numbers is included,...
Madeleine Peyroux sings Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen & Hank Williams
Charisma is hard to define but easy to recognise.
It’s nothing to do with how loud you shout or how sharp you dress.
No. If present it surrounds the possessor like a solar corona that exerts invisible influence on distant objects.
Madeleine Peyroux has a charisma that is insistently present in her recordings and in performance.
When Madeleine sings she doesn’t come at you like a full force gale. Rather, standing still and singing softly she invites you to still yourself,...
January 19, 2018
Moone High Cross, Co. Kildare, Southern Ireland
Moone High Cross (East Face)
Irish Grid Reference: S 78911 92693. About a mile northwest of Moone village, on Belan Avenue, Co. Kildare, Southern Ireland, is a 5th century monastic site with the lavishly sculptured ‘Moone High Cross’, a 9th century richly carved granite monument with numerous scenes depicted from the Bible. It is said to be the second tallest high cross in Ireland. There is a second cross but this only survives in parts. Also here are the ruins...
