Medieval Myths & Mysteries

The Great Courses

by Dorsey Armstrong

Listening Length: 5 hours and 6 minutes

Was King Arthur a real person? What about Robin Hood? Is the Holy Grail a cup, or something else, altogether? Did Europeans really burn millions of people at the stake for witchcraft, in the past? These are just a few of the questions you will explore with the help of medieval scholar Dorsey Armstrong as she reveals the truth about the stories we continue to tell about the medieval period. Some contain nuggets of truth, others are wholly fabricated, but all of them can tell us something about the past.

From films like Braveheart and Excalibur to literature such as Ivanhoe and Morte d'Arthur, the years between 500 and 1500 have generated amazing stories of knights and damsels, superstitions and magic; some of these stories even made it into our grade school history curriculum. But what were those years really like? Known, somewhat inaccurately, as the "Middle Ages," this period was not merely a transition from Roman antiquity to the Renaissance, but a vibrant time full of people just as curious, innovative, malicious, joyful, confused, ambitious, complex - in other words, just as human - as in any other period of history.

The 10 enlightening (and often humorous) lectures of Medieval Myths and Mysteries will show you how far from the "dark" times of legend these centuries were. Uncover the facts about the Knights Templar. Reveal the truth behind the tales of legendary creatures like the Questing Beast and the unicorn. Trace the events of the Black Death and the ways it altered the world in its wake, and much more.

With Professor Armstrong, you will dig deep into the ways that later generations reshaped the narrative of the medieval years and perpetuated the myths of a simpler and less civilized age, which was, in fact, much richer and more complex than many of us have been led to believe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Mythology, Medieval, Historical, Medieval History

6 pages, Audible Audio

First published September 17, 2019

About the author

Dr. Dorsey Armstrong is Associate Professor of English and Medieval Literature at Purdue University, where she has taught since 2002. The holder of an A.B. in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from Duke University, she also taught at Centenary College of Louisiana and at California State University, Long Beach. Her research interests include medieval women writers, late-medieval print culture, and the Arthurian legend, on which she has published extensively, including the 2009 book Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript and Gender and the Chivalric Community in Sir Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur, published in 2003. In January 2009, she became editor-in-chief of the academic journal Arthuriana, which publishes the most cutting-edge research on the legend of King Arthur, from its medieval origins to its enactments in the present moment. Her current research project-Mapping Malory's Morte-is an exploration of the role played by geography in Malory's version of the story of King Arthur.

Reviews

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a great listening experience.

Dorsey Armstrong is obviously an experienced and also very entertaining speaker.

What she offers here, is a series of short (30min) lectures on debunking some misconceptions and misunderstanding concerning the thousand years that are referred to -though apparently not by historians! :)- as the "Middle Ages"* while giving us interesting facts, findings of recent researches and theories of her own.

The topics she chose to discuss are also engaging: Arthurian myth, Robin Hood, medieval conspiracy theories, the Plague, real and mythic creatures and lands and the cherry on top (for Game of Thrones fans at least) is pointing out parallells between the world of "Songs of Ice and Fire" and medieval times/war of the roses.

All this is presented in a very entertaining way, though obviously only scratching the surface.

If you want to know about these all in detail, this audiobook is probably not for you. But if you want facts and fun, it's a lovely package.



*we are also told that unless we want to anathemise ourselves in front of these worthy people, we should avoid to mention the words "the dark ages" at all costs.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starter lecture for the medieval newbie.



This would be one of the Audible Originals that I would recommend to someone who might want to dip their toes into this era. It's short, it's interesting, and Dorsey Armstrong is an excellent lecturer.



This has a lot of basic information in it that you might already know if this isn't your first joust. But if it is, I think this could potentially open up a whole new world for you.
Worst case scenario, you decide the medieval times aren't your jam. No big deal, you didn't waste gobs of your life with this shorty.
But maybe you decide that you're intrigued.
If so, Armstrong has several lectures with The Great Courses, two in particular that I would recommend in a heartbeat - King Arthur: History and Legend & The Medieval World.



Overall, this was an entertaining 5(ish) hours, and I did get a few new tidbits out of it.
I think it's a winner.
Recommended.

[Irena Pasvinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of The Great Courses (and The Teaching Company, as they used to be called). I've been listening to their courses for some 20 years now, on the wide range of subjects. Most of them are excellent, in both content and in delivery, and many of the lecturers are exceptionally good.

In general, I'm a bit more skeptical regarding their Audible Originals format, which appeared in recent years. These very short (not more than 6 hours and often less) audio courses on popular topics often tend to lack in depth and detail, although many of the Audible Originals I listened to turned out to be quite interesting and useful.

I have to admit, I was even more skeptical when I first saw the Spanish translations of Audible Originals -- after all, an essential part of each of The Great Courses' products is the professor's personality and manner of delivery, often quite brilliant. This component of the course's charm would unavoidably be lost in translation. So I had rather low expectations as I started listening to this Castilian Spanish version of Mitos y Leyendas de la Edad Media (audible also has the South American Spanish version of this particular course). Still, I decided to give this course a try, as I'm now on a two months long side-track of resurrecting my forgotten basic knowledge of Spanish. I was pleasantly surprised: the narration was clear and engaging, the material entertaining, and I was able to understand at least 90% of what I heard on the first attempt.

The course left me wanting to learn more about the medieval history and to listen to more Spanish translations of The Great Courses Audible Originals. Unfortunately, there are just a few of those available. I hope they produce some more of these translated courses -- it's a wonderful way to improve Spanish listening comprehension. By the way, there also a couple of Portuguese translations, but as I'm pretty busy already and not going to visit Portugal or Brazil any time soon, Portuguese will have to wait, if ever. :)

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who developed an interest in early history lately, I thoroughly enjoyed this series of lectures. Dorsey is not only knowledgeable, but a terrific speaker, and made this subject highly informative AND entertaining. The final lecture involves the series Game Of Thrones, and it's relationship with real historical characters, which, as a huge fan of the series, I absolutely loved! Highly recommended.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Dorsey Armstrong is one of my favorite Great Courses narrators. This is half the length of her other courses but covers a range of interesting topics from King Arthur and Robin Hood to The Black Death and mythical monsters. Many of these topics are covered in far greater detail in some of her other courses but there is enough detail here to inspire interest in exploring the topics further.

[Serena Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

ha sido una lectura muy didactica y entretenida, que he disfrutado mucho

[Katerina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Выдающиеся лекции: каждую прослушала дважды — и все равно ничего ценного не запомнила. Просто набор звуков со смехуечками.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the most part, I have focused on history that is fairly recent, but after listening to BBC's podcast, You're Dead to Me, I decided embrace some new topics that explore the political, cultural and philosophical aspects of medieval times. You're Dead to Me has a recent episode discussing the King Arthur mythos, and with more research, I discovered Dr. Dorsey Armstrong and am very glad I did. She's a great teacher with extensive knowledge. She presents each topic with enthusiasm and depth.

The fantastical elements of medieval historical research vary a lot from more modern topics, and yet, it is relatable and relevant all the same to today's society. I especially appreciated Lectures 1 through 6.

Here are the lectures:

Lecture 1: Misconceptions about the Middle Ages
Lecture 2: The Knights Templar
Lecture 3: The Holy Grail
Lecture 4: King Arthur
Lecture 5: Robin Hood
Lecture 6: The Black Death
Lecture 7: Mythic Medieval Lands
Lecture 8: The Kingdom of Prester John
Lecture 9: Mythic Medieval Creatures
Lecture 10: The Medieval World and Game of Thrones

Dr. Armstrong said that she offers additional lecture audiobooks that go further in depth on various topics included here. I think that I'll want to explore more of the King Arthur mythos and further examination of the circumstances of The Black Death. Her argument suggesting that the plague was not the only major illness circulating at the time makes sense, and her discussion of the origin and the source of resurgence has invoked my interest as well.

This is a great layer of transition into the complex matters of the medieval world. I highly recommend to history buffs and folklore fans alike.

[Arthur · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 hour unabridged audiobook. Part of the Great Courses series.

Nice intro to various myths ranging from the Black Death, Prester John, Dragons, and more. All of these collected podcasts serve as an appetizer to these and others myths, and are introduced in a conversational style that's easy to follow. I liked it.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorsey Armstrong really has a knack for making her lectures both highly informative and wonderfully entertaining - I would happily sit through hours upon hours of real life lectures given by her if these Audible ones are anything to go by. I enjoyed this series even more than her equally excellent Powerful Women of the Medieval World as with this one I learned a lot more I didn't already know.

[Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great audiobook! I loved learning more about King Arthur, Robin Hood, Unicorns, and especially the comparison of the Medieval world with Game of Thrones!

[Rodica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and quick romp through some medieval conspiracy theories, myths, and stories, most still talked about today. Very interesting chapter on the Plague, made me consider getting same author’s full course on that. 3.5 rounded up.

[Siv30 · Rating 5 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/medi...

[Taylor Zartman]

This lecture series is an enjoyable and efficient crash course in Medieval myth and history. It's honestly incredible how much info Armstrong is able to pack into a 30 minute themed lecture. Additionally, Armstrong is an engaging speaker and clearly has so much love for her subject. I'll definitely be looking to her for more medieval history and lore.

[Hannah Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that says "and don't call it the dark ages" is a winner for me. The best history book I've read since I studied it myself. Would have been 5* but lost it in the last line. We owe Game of Thrones absolutely nothing.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars.

A fun and education lens through which to begin learning about the lives and beliefs of Medieval Europeans.

[Caroline Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, but more humility from the author would have been appreciated.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this lecture series. She was enthusiastic and easy to listen to.

[CS · Rating 5 out of 5]

So informative and entertaining at the same time. Great narration. Love that the author even explained the parallels between Game of Thrones and medieval world & history.

[Gummih · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Great Course by Dorsey Armstrong. She has supreme knowledge on the subjects and I was delighted to discover and eradicate some misconceptions I had on King Arthur and Robin Hood, this course helped me to better understand the historical and cultural context of these figures and their stories. Not really having much knowledge beforehand of King Arthur except from fairy tales and popular culture I found that part of the book exceptionally interesting.

The course covers many subjects but at the same time it is also rather short. So often there is only space to cover the broad strokes of the subject but serves to make you want to delve deeper into many of the topics as I am sure I will. As a cherry on top the recounting of possible inspirations for the A Song of Ice and Fire series was an unexpected boon.

[Anniken Haga · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO RATE THIS!

Why? Because, sure, it has some new info that I didn't know, but I already knew most of the things mentioned through random encounter and research for books or stuff like that. So I thought that a 3/5 star rating might do it, but then it introduces my own personal feelings in the matter.
The narrator/author felt rather patronizing to me. There were a couple of instances where she said things that felt like a jab at other countries and scientists, like they weren't as good as her because they came from other places. And there were some things where she either forgot or didn't include actual research, and threw in her own thoughts on the subjects - like the history of rats.
And she did throw a round a couple of controversial topics and mentions without actually giving us a reason for WHY she thought history was wrong. Just ''this didn't happen'', and moved on. She hardly ever mentioned actual sources for other than the Arthurian stuff, for which she mentioned her own publication.
And she was repetative.

So maybe I didn't think this was a good book after all, because I know I'll research the things that were new to me more before actually talking about it with others. I just don't trust this book.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very refreshing and enlightening audio experience. I found it to be very engaging and fun, as well as being extremely educational. This "book" is perfect for anyone who has interest in how mythology is created and what truths there are to some of the most famous legends in history. I think my personal favorite part is the section about mythological creatures and how interpretations people had about certain animals led to so many similar and well-known creatures. I also really enjoyed the final chapter lecture in which it is described how history itself can be reinterpreted and made fun for people globally (specifically through shows and books like game of thrones or the work of j r.r. tolkein).

[Janet Wolfson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dr. Armstrong's narration. She's a storyteller rather than a lecturer.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned less than I expected. Very light, surface material. But most imporant, the narrator / professor was cocky and obnoxious. Glad this was a freebie. Don't pay for this audible!

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This covered the popular myths but was not over- or under-whelming. I was just whelmed.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book pretty far out of my normal areas of interest which turned out to be very enjoyable. The lecturer does a bunch of medieval history and English language courses, and she's very good at structuring a class to be interesting and delivering it well. This one was essentially a good index of other areas in which I'd probably be even more interested (especially the history of black death, which I've ordered already and will probably sit in my to-listen queue for a few months). Other topics presented which are good gateways into other topics: the Saxon and Norman conquests of England, European vs. Asian dragons (and mythical creatures and how they may or may not have been based on real animals, or more usually that the mythical creatures existed and then when real creatures with some similarity to those were discovered, the names were applied to them as well...)

[Troy Zaher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This past spring I took a class on King Arthur that kind of doubled as a medieval lit course; so I honestly wasn’t expecting to learn that much from this Great Course. However, I was absolutely wrong, and I loved this relevant and contemporary understanding of medieval history. Learning about new theories of what happened during the Black Plague, whether King Arthur was real, and the Christian mythology surrounding the Monguls; was all fascinating. I also appreciated the in depth look at Robin Hood, while even mentioning the Green Knight connection; and I also liked the discussion of the War of the Roses (my favorite historical war to read about) through the lens of Game of Thrones.

Every individual course was great for someone interested in Late Medieval culture, and I look forward to giving this another listen sometime.

[Amy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten well-crafted lectures that delve into topics I've heard about, but never understood some of the details for. A very engaging and easy-to-follow, I found these lessons to be interesting and helpful. Armstrong is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun, which means I am definitely interested in listening to her more of her work in the future.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging and a great listen. Most myths I knew, some I didn't, but I'm glad I know them now. The one that came to me as a surprise was that of Prester John, which I had never encountered and was very interesting to learn about. My favourite lectures have got to be that of King Arthur and that of the Knight Templars. I also enjoyed listening to the one about the plague and the gerbils it was fun (as fun as the plague can be).

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of lectures offered as part of the Great Courses programs that are available on audible. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot. I was especially intrigued by the section about the black death and the mystery surrounding its cars.