A distinct creature amongst the dragons of European legendary tradition, the Wyvern is a reptilian monster sometimes referred to as a ’Dragonet’ due to the sense that they look like adolescent dragons.
Identified by the beakish jaw, a pair of expansive wings and the fact that they only have a set of hind-legs (their wings act as forelimbs) Wyverns are cited as being very individual entities and are prominent in medieval bestiaries, heraldry and iconography. Said to be smaller but more actively aggressive than the average dragon, Wyverns can also be picked out thanks to their sharp, pointed tail (possibly poisonous) and their angular heads.
Considered to inhabit cavern lairs just like conventional dragons, another distinctive feature of Wyvern nature is their lack of acute intelligence and thus it’s believed that their treasure hoards are most likely to be filled with worthless junk rather than real valuables.
Popular in the mythology of medieval Europe, the soaring serpentines were looked to as a symbol of strength, alchemical dabbling or as allegorical icons of Satan and the spread of pestilence. Altogether, Wyverns fly high as fantastic, enthralling mythical beings.
I grew up in Europe…where the history comes from.
Medieval roots can be found in all of today’s major European cities. When Julius Caesar set to conquer Western Europe, there were few places that could have been called cities. Lutetia, which would become Paris, was probably the largest of the early cities. By the 13th century, however, cities were flourishing from the Mediterranean to northwest Europe.
Viking invasions were a major factor in the development of cities during the early Middle Ages. These invaders often plundered more than they could carry, sold surplus goods to surrounding villages and created base camps to be used for trading. Dublin, Ireland’s roots began as a Viking base camp. To protect themselves, villages began erecting walls and fortifying their positions. This lead to the great medieval walled cities that can still be seen in modern Europe.
These walled cities became known as “bourgs,” “burghs,” and later, bouroughs. Inhabitants were known as bourgeois. By the mid-900s, these fortified towns dotted the European landscape from the Mediterranean as far north as Hamburg, Germany.
image: Map of Lutetia (18th century rendition)
Henri Pirenne is best known for his provocative argument—known as the “Pirenne thesis” and familiar to all students of medieval Europe—that it was not the invasion of the Germanic tribes that destroyed the civilization of antiquity, but rather the closing of Mediterranean trade by Arab conquest in the seventh century.The consequent interruption of long distance commerce accelerated the decline of the ancient cities of Europe.
Pirenne first formulated his thesis in articles and then expanded on them in Medieval Cities. In the book Pirenne traces the growth of the medieval city from the tenth century to the twelfth, challenging conventional wisdom by attributing the origins of medieval cities to the revival of trade. In addition, Pirenne describes the clear role the middle class played in the development of the modern economic system and modern culture.
The “Pirenne thesis” was fully worked out in the book Mohammed and Charlemagne, which appeared shortly after Pirenne’s death.Pirenne was one of the world’s leading historians and arguably the most famous Belgium had produced. During World War I, while teaching at the University of Ghent, he was arrested for supporting Belgium’s passive resistance and deported to Germany, where he was held from 1916 to 1918. In 1922, universities in various parts of the United States invited him to deliver lectures: out of these lectures grew Medieval Cities, which appeared in English translation before being published in French in 1927.
Dover castle
A castle with a long history, commanding the shortest crossing for the English Channel to continental Europe.
Comedy (喜劇 Kigeki) is a short anime film produced in 2002 by Studio 4°C animation studio. The film was directed by Kazuto Nakazawa and featured the music of Franz Schubert’s ”Ave Maria”. The film is noted for drawing its inspiration from Schubert’s piece titled “Erlkönig”
Very strange (well, more unexpected) yet brilliant mixture of European folk (hi)story and Japanese animation. Reminded me of Angel’s egg. Watched it over and over again and thought I could post it here. It’s not too much off the topic. Right? :) P.S. Can you guess the book she gave him?
