Author Archives: Ruth

May Dramas

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Ruth

May Day may have been an idea common to the Celts and the Germanics. It was Beltane to the Celts; I don’t think I know a name for a pagan Germanic day, other than just May Day. This day marked … Continue reading →

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The Mummers’ Story (such as it is)

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Ruth

We think that Mumming happened in other parts of early Germanic or Celtic Europe too, but it really hung on in England, so that’s where we go to study it. We only have written descriptions of Mumming scripts since the … Continue reading →

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Early Non-Christian, Non-Roman, Non-Greek Spectacles

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Ruth

We know so little. Writing only came with Christianity, and some records of the past or of current pagan customs were jotted down at times, but it’s a wide study to find the bits. We can also see what persisted … Continue reading →

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Origins of Medieval European Theater

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Ruth

Medieval Europe was the product of three branches of Indo-European culture colliding and blending. I’ve sometimes defined it as the time it took for the Barbarians who felled Rome to learn and surpass Rome’s greatness (at least in some ways). … Continue reading →

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Occult magic

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Ruth

Obviously, the origin of “occult” magic was the pre-Christian practice of calling directly on the old gods with prayers and charms. In a sense, the “occult” stage of magic in the medieval period represents a time in which the old … Continue reading →

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Astrology and alchemy: magic as the mother of science

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Ruth

Astrology and alchemy were the two medieval magical sciences, but both led to real science. We have a number of mathematical and scientific words that start with “A” because they are from Arabic’s definite article “al.” Astrology, of course, is … Continue reading →

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Medieval principles of magic

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Ruth

As discussed in earlier entries, natural magic and “magical” magic were very much blurred in early times, when every principle of nature seemed like magic. Magnetic stones were magic, and so was garlic’s power against infections. The stars had magic … Continue reading →

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Funding and reforming medieval hospitals

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Ruth

By the late medieval period, that is, the 13th-15th centuries, the monastic and city hospitals were often large and highly developed. The largest hospital in medieval England was St. Leonard’s in York, where 200 patients and 18 orphans were supported. … Continue reading →

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The growth of medieval hospitals

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Ruth

In the ancient world, care for the sick was presumed to be the domain of the family home. The hospital system developed for care of travelers, orphans, and the very poor. The words “hospital” and “hostel” are cognates, both derived … Continue reading →

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Medieval Muslim medicine

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Ruth

Medicine in the Muslim regions was at once better and slightly worse than in the Christian areas. In the academic realm, all the best books were in Arabic, and the cutting-edge research (such as it was) was too. But at … Continue reading →

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