Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

As a fan of all things medieval I have always been interested in the art of blacksmithing. You probably have given it some thought too. I haven’t done any blacksmithing yet but I plan to.

Anyway, I have a friend who did take a class on blacksmithing and we talked extensively about what he learned. He has loaned me an object he made and he told me some interesting things about the process.

I have written a full explanation of what he learned and have taken lots of pictures of the fire poker he made. (Thats the picture shown here in this post).

If you want to learn what he learned about shaping metal, the anvil, the temperature and more check out my webpage here: Blacksmithing

If you are really interested in the subject of Medieval Blacksmithing and Swordmaking I have put together, In association with Amazon.com The Blacksmith’s Bookstore

Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World: Equipment, Combat Skills and Tactics

If you are a fan of Medieval Weapons, warfare, and tactics this is the new bible for the lay person.

It is clearly written and full of lots of great stuff about Medieval weapons and warfare for the period between 500 and 1500 Ad. This is the High time of the Middle Ages and it ended with the introduction of Gunpowder.

 There are five chapters in the book:

Chapter 1: The Role of Infantry

Chapter 2: Mounted Warfare

Chapter 3: Command and Control

Chapter 4: Siege Techniques

Chapter 5: Naval Warfare

As you can see it takes a really good look at all the different aspects of Medieval warfare and it stays true to its title in that it covers the whole realm from weapons, to techniques and tactics.

Some of the outstanding things about the book.

First off this is not a dry scholarly work. It is clearly written and replete with hundreds of pictures, diagrams, images and maps. And it is an explanation and understanding book. It tells you the how and the why of medieval warfare. A good example of this is my favorite section; the section on siege techniques. It is full of examples of castles, how they were built and how they coped with siege techniques. It also shows you all about the siege engines that attacked!

Extra Stuff:

One of the absolute best things about the book is the maps of famous battles. They give you a good understanding of famous medieval battles and how they happened. The maps show the terrain and troops and explain how events unfolded in the battle.

Some of the famous battles covered this way are The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, The Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the Siege of Paris in 885. Lots more famous battles covered and analyzed.

This book is a great addition to my library and if you are a fan of all things medieval you should take a look at it.

I think that hollywood wasn’t really sure about how 300 would be received by the general public. They were no doubt pleasantly surprised that it has turned into quite a smash hit.

Before the movie broke I tried like crazy to find supporting materials to go with it - stuff like figurines, posters, and other ancillary but fun products. And there were none! Nothing, nada, zip.

300 Spartan Sword Prop ReplicaWell, the hollywood machine has been scrambling to catch up with this oversight and that has brought us a bit of benefit. We are interested in the movie, the Spartans, the gladiators, the story, and all that good stuff! And they have heard our voices and are offering us some good stuff. From posters to weapons, armor, books, the soundtrack, and even figurines of the main characters. And I got em all for you to check out.

I have put together a nice webpage with all the best Spartan and 300 stuff for you to look at. It is all stuff directly from Amazon.com and I call it my 300 Store. 300 Movie Poster ~ Leonidas “Tonight We Dine In Hell!” ~ 24×36″ 

The Heroic Dreams 300 Store in affiliation with Amazon.com

Last month I put up a mysterious story about a 13th century chest that was part of the Hearst estate. The mystery revolved around what castle was possibly depicted on the chest. We have had some interesting, scholarly, and insightful theories put forward about this chest.

If you are new to the case of the mysterious medieval chest here is last months blog post telling more about it: Mysterious Medieval Chest

I also Have a webpage on my medieval castles website with more pics and information here: Mysterious chest webpage

Here is some analysis I got about the chest and the castle:

We think the images on this chest represent Adam and Eve in the Garden, Eve (on the right) looks as if she is giving Adam (on the left) a gift, perhaps in a basket, perhaps an apple. We think we also see a man in lower right holding a snake, but it is hard to discern from the pic.

The whole chest speaks of early renaissance rather than medieval, due to the fantastical creatures (satyrs, etc.) which point to a post-renaissance, greco-roman influence, which is why we feel it is probably dated to the 1500’s rather than 1300’s. Although, having said that, there is also a definite mediterranean flavor to the decorative carving at the rim and foot, which leads us to believe that this chest could have been an Italian (Salerno?) monastic posession of anytime between the 9th century and later. The trees, especially, are of tropical, or sub tropical origin, lending weight to the Italian theory. And indeed the castle, which we believe to represent a fantastical, paradisical, City of God, does resemble the conical towers seen in medieval manuscripts of Salerno.

Whatever, the case, we feel that a Welsh origin is highly unlikely

Also: This analysis is from an Emeritus Scholar at Kansas University

I couldn’t see the front well enough to sort out all that is going on, but the central figures are likely to be Paris and Venus - Paris awarding Venus the golden apple. I would be nice (but not essential) if there were two other female figures (Athena and Juno). I can see another figure but not well enough to tell whether it is male or female - seems to be leaning on a staff - could be Athena(Minerva). The winged boy with Venus would be Cupid. The two reclining figures indicate the landscape setting and are water and air(or land). The personification of water is clear - and typical - a reclining figure with a flowing jug (the upper figures). The lower figure is not as clear but seems to clasp a swan or other long necked bird - which would symbolize air. (for similar personifications in the ancient world, see the Ara Pacis). The figures on each side of the frame and at the ends are typical Mannerist composite figures.

The use of the frame around the central image suggests that the carver has taken the image from an illustrated book - a handbook of iconography for example - a practice typical of the time.

We are probably looking at a wedding chest - again that would be typical. The Judgement of Paris was a popular theme for cassoni.

I also Have a webpage on my medieval castles website with more pics and information here: Mysterious chest webpage

This movie looks pretty good. But I don’t have a good handle on it yet. It is probably not going to be another blockbuster like 300. The whole Indians vs. Vikings thing is interesting but probably a hard sell. 

I will find out more and let you know. (It Opens April 13)

Here is a quote from the official pathfinder site:

“In an untamed, primordial America, 500 years before Columbus will reach its shores, unfolds an epic battle between love and hate that will change one man’s destiny and the future of a nation:  PATHFINDER.  This action-adventure saga recreates one of the most riveting, yet never-before-seen, eras in human history – when Viking “dragon” ships from the mysterious Norse lands arrived out of nowhere to invade a pristine North America.  Inspired by historical findings, yet forged with the magic and style of a modern graphic novel, PATHFINDER comes to life in a cinematic experience filled with intense and primal action.”

It Opens April 13th and here is the official Pathfinder Movie site Pathfinder

The Movie, like 300 is based on a Graphic Novel (Pathfinder).

Review of the Novel:

“ Five hundred years before Columbus, barbaric Viking invasions ravaged North America. Pathfinder is the story of a young Viking boy left behind as the only survivor of a shipwrecked expedition. A stranger in a strange land, the boy is raised by a tribe of American Indians - the very people the Vikings had sworn to destroy. When Vikings again storm the eastern shores, waging another barbaric campaign, they slaughter the tribe that adopted the young man. Now he wages a violent personal war to stop the Vikings’ trail of death and destruction. “

The picture at the top of this post is for the graphic novel Pathfinder