Medieval Living

While I have been working on the development and construction of looms for my weaving classes, my son-in-law, James, has been had at work planning the summer’s archery activities. At this point, it looks as though we will have two different levels of archery shoot with the longbow: a beginner’s level shoot and an advanced shoot. Additionally, we will offer a course on arrow making (fletching), and we are contemplating a course for longbow making. Another advanced program being contemplated is crossbow course.

It will definitely be a busy summer if we have four our five different courses several times throughout the summer! And we have also discussed the prospects of some archery competitions as students develop their skill levels – should be fun! I need to get back out on the archery field myself, or I will probably be left behind by eager students. I’ve already had people express serious interest in sighing up their children for archery . . . I am really looking forward to the summer!

And for those who are brave and like to try doing things on there own, here are a couple of online references for making your own bow! From Pete Ward, an avid bowyer and hunter from somewhere in Alberta, Canada, are a slew of references for building bows and fletching arrows, just to name a few. What a great resource!

My latest personal project is a new tapestry that I am weaving for a “home” project. One might think that my house is full of all sorts of Medieval era decorations – actually, it is quite ecletic, with bits and pieces from around the world, both modern and not-so-modern. And then of course, we are in the southwestern part of the United States, so there is a significant Hispanic and Native American influence on the decor. Such is the case with my tapestry project . . . a Kokopelli character, which is a family favorite. However, the technique being used to make the little flute player is the same used during Medieval days.

I found a nice series of photos and video clips from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City portraying a tapestry weaver at work on her loom. I wanted to show this particular link to clarify “hand woven” tapestries done on a proper tapestry loom as compared to those done on a Jacquard tapestry loom – a more contemporary piece of equipment (circa 1804). While the Jacquard loom certainly produces some wonderful tapestries, it is missing the personal touch found on the earlier, more “period” type of loom. When you see a “hand woven” tapestry being sold for a very low price, you can probably assume that it was the product of the Jacquard loom. However, if you commission someone to weave a tapestry on a traditional tapestry loom, expect your price to be . . . higher . . . alot higher!

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With my discussions about weaving, I felt I should offer some resources for anyone interested in Medieval textiles. I had mentioned some time ago about the Complex Weavers orgnization. They regularly published a newsletter which contained research related to Medieval textiles. An example of the type of information contained in these newsletters follows:

“Purpurae
By Nancy M. McKenna
Silks have always been luxury items. In Ælfric’s
Colloquy1 silks appear in the same context as gold
and gems. And yet persons of means used large
numbers of silk items. In c. 686 Aldhelm commented
upon the vogue for silk sleeves used by both men and
women. And when they could be afforded, silks were
also lavished upon bishops, abbots and the churches
under their patronage. Silks were used to adorn walls,
tombs and altars.
Although silk was highly prized, there was one fabric
that held still more esteem: purpura.
Purpura was clearly associated with the distinctive
and costly. For instance, because a cope given by St
Æthelwold was of purpura it was deemed appropriate
that it should be edged with gold. Purpura was also
referenced in medieval poetry ranging from Guillaume
d’Orange to Perceval.” Issue 31 March 2002

This is just a glimpse of the types of information available in these newsletters. Recreationists, authors, museum curators . . . anyone interested in the clothing people wore in Medieval days and the fabrics used to make clothing. Their archives are available at “Medieval Textiles“. The newsletters are from 1999 through 2003. Much more is available on their site – just do some digging and see what you find!!!

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I have a fellow teacher who has asked me to give some of his students an introduction to the inkle loom. The students are part of a vocational skills class, so learning about the process of weaving will be a good experience for them. I’m hammering out the national standards for visual art and also working on some occupational therapy applications so that the “administration” will be satisfied with the validity and rigor of the instruction. I’m planning on offering some classes to the homeschool community during my spring break in March, so getting the state and national standards defined and documented is something I need to do anyway.

I’m also looking at offering a class to the local senior citizens center – they would benefit from the therapeutic aspects of weaving as well as the recreational and social ones. The photo is a quick snapshot of some of the practice looms I’ve assembled. They will only produce a woven sample 24 inches long and about 1 inch wide, but that should be sufficient length to allow students get the concept of weaving using minimal materials. I’m in the process of designing some low-cost inkle looms which will serve those students who want to take a more serious try at it . . . the first prototype is on the workbench waiting for the weekend to be finished.

Well this is a very different topic than I usually post on here, but I did find the idea rather intriguing – scientists from Queensland University of Technology discovered a few years ago that the gold coating on Medieval stained glass windows actually served to purify the air. It appears that the electrons of the gold plating are energized by the sun, activating nanoparticles and causing them to resonate. Here is an explanation from the scientists themselves:

“…this reaction can increase the nanoparticles’ magnetic field strength by up to 100 times, enough to break apart pollutant molecules in the air. Some of these airborne pollutants include methanol, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), which give new carpet, paint, and furniture that distinctive “new” smell.”

So . . . once again, the Medieval ages have been shown to be not so “dark”! While I doubt that the architects of the time were aware of the benefits of the resonating gold nanoparticles, it is fascinating to see that they are recognized for their hard work.

Hmmm . . . and maybe there is some metaphysical application to made here as well . . . my pagan friends will happy with that idea! Hah!

Add a GoodSearch “search bar” to your web browswer!!!

Ever been interested in what Anglo-Saxon poems might sound like? I remember one of my first English professors reading a poem in Old English – while I thought it was interesting at the time, it was not something that I was going to follow up on . . . until now. My previous post on sources for bards and other storytellers led me to search a little deeper – for something similar to my earlier experience with Old English. I found that Michael D. C. Drout, Prentice Professor of English at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusettes, has an extensive library of Old English readings. Actually, he has the entire Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records in audio format. Entitled Anglo-Saxon Aloud, Professor Drout reads for us such things as “The Battle of Molden”, “The Seafarer”, and “The Wanderer”. Do one of these at your next bardic circle, eh!?!

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