Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Magical Results Of Eating And Drinking In Medieval Narrative, Deborah A. Oosterhouse

Masters Theses

One of the most famous stories in Norse literature is the tale of Sigurd, who kills the dragon Fafnir. While roasting the heart of the dragon so that his companion, Regin, may eat it, Sigurd ingests some of the blood that bums his thumb and immediately understands the speech of the birds, who advise him to eat the heart himself in order to become wiser. Sigurd is not unique in being magically influenced by a substance that he eats. Foods and beverages that have magical effects on those who ingest them are a widespread occurrence in the literature of many …

The Old English Prose Homily On The Phoenix, Patricia Relf Relf Hanavan

Masters Theses

The Old English prose homily on the phoenix, which is found in two manuscripts, Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 198 (eleventh century), and London, British Library, MS Cotton Vespasian D. xiv (twelfth century), is the subject of this thesis. The study addresses the homily's imagery, sources, and context.

Comparison of the homily with two of its closest analogues, the Old English verse Phoenix and its source, the Latin De ave phoenice attributed to Lactantius, reveals that, in spite of similarities, the homily was based upon neither; its source likely was an overtly Christian Latin text unknown to us today. In …

Prostitutes And Prostitution In Late Medieval Barcelona, Jana L. Byars

Masters Theses

Prostitution was by the late Middle Ages a well established, legal, and regulated institution in Barcelona and indeed many European cities. After a discussion of modern scholarship in chapter one, I proceed to examine, with original, unedited archival materials, the civic and ecclesiastical position on the prostitute, procurers and procuresses, and the institution of prostitution in Barcelona.

Through laws and ordinances, witness testimony, and expulsion records, I am able to demonstrate that the prostitute was a widely tolerated and common member of society. Despite the existence of legal brothels and the efforts of municipal authorities, illicit brothels flourished and independent …

Women's Autonomy In Late Anglo-Saxon England Based On The Place-Name Evidence, Norman B. Frost

Masters Theses

My thesis discusses two related and highly significant points and then demonstrates the usefulness of a new methodology, in the form of place names. Firstly it elaborates the importance of presenting accurate women's history to both women and the historical profession as a whole and the necessity for making every attempt to explore any possible resource for accomplishing that goal.

Secondly it addresses the importance of language as an historical tool that can represent a very broad base of a past society in revealing the common cultural thoughts, morals, and ethics of the population within a specific area and time …

Making An English Bestiary: An Examination Of The Tradition And A Modern Experience Of The Technical Aspects Of Production, Pamela S. Rups

Masters Theses

My thesis involves the compilation of information on the physical characteristics and production methods of English Bestiaries in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries as well as the actual production of my own Bestiary. Working with microfilm copies of six manuscripts, color slides and illustrations, and color reproductions of the miniatures of a seventh, I will examine and compare briefly the images, paleography and sources for the purpose of analyzing aspects of production.

Along with this written analysis I am producing my own Bestiary using authentic materials and methods as much as possible. I am limiting my own manuscript …