Medieval Monday: Making Barrels and Wooden Vessels — Allison D. Reid

Medieval coopers were important craftsmen in the Middle Ages. Many different types of goods were kept in barrels, such as alcohol and salted meats. But barrels were not the only things coopers made. A variety of wooden vessels were needed for daily use by the average person as well as many other medieval craft and […]

Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers and Gamemasters, Part Nine

TRADERS, PLUNDERERS, AND PIRATES Every fantasy world has its material goods, whether it be everyday items such as food and clothing, or more specialised items such as weapons and armour. The most basic goods will be made from the most basic, readily available materials, such as stone and bone, wood and horn, fur and feather,

Medieval Monday: Battling Against the Shield Wall — Allison D. Reid

Jason looks back at our shield wall experiment day that we filmed in the summer of 2017. We put shieldmaker Luke’s handiwork to the test with a group of twenty brave volunteers, who clashed together in various formations of shield wall. In doing so, we explored some of the events recounted in ancient sagas to […]

GeekDad: All Things Drizzt—Hot Summer Reveals for Forgotten Realms — GeekMom

Wizards of the Coast has announced a summer of Drizzt events, a multimedia/multiplatform series of releases featuring the Forgotten Realms and the iconic Drizzt Do’Urden. As the central character of over 30 novels, Drizzt has been explored in a huge array of situations, such as a coming-of-age story facing domestic/childhood abuse, racial discrimination, and forging… GeekDad:

Summer Solstice will return to Stonehenge this year. The celebration is due to take place on the evening of June 20th into the morning of June 21st. — Stonehenge Stone Circle News and Information

We all need a little positivity in our lives, so we are pleased to announce the 2021 Summer Solstice celebrations will return this year – if the lockdown restrictions are lifted as planned. The celebration is due to take place on the evening of June 20 into the morning of June 21 – the same […]

Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers and Gamemasters, Part Eight

BARBARIANS With the rise of civilisation there came a new characterisation of those who had already existed since long before. As people began to gather together in large urban centres and dwell there for generations, putting down roots, the folk who had continued living nomadic or semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer or pastoralist/horticulturalist lifestyles as they had for

Worldbuilding for Fantasy Writers and Gamemasters, Part Seven

THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION AND THE RISE OF CITY-STATES Mesopotamia, the land “Between Rivers”, namely the Tigris and Euphrates in what is now Iraq, is considered the cradle of civilisation. There are a number of factors that made it perfect for the rise of the first known cities and city-states, but it’s important to note that

Understanding Old English — Nicholas C. Rossis

Geoffrey Chaucer, 1340-1400 How far back in history could you go until you could no longer understand the English language?Stanislava Suplatovich has the answer in Quora. To answer this question, she uses three examples. Here’s the first one: “See ye not yon twa bonny boys,As they play at the ba?The eldest of them is Marischal’s son,And […]

The Green Knight Trailer Teases A Darker & Unique Arthurian Tale — KAKUCHOPUREI.COM

David Lowery’s The Green Knight has finally received a new trailer after being delayed for a year since its original 29 May 2020 release date. The movie will now premiere on 30 July 2021. What’s unique about The Green Knight is that Dev Patel’s Sir Gawain will be the main protagonist, distinguishing it from other… The

Medieval Staples — A Writer’s Perspective

The French attempt to recapture Calais To my immense shame, I have often come across the word ‘staple’ when reading about the Middle Ages and not bothered to find out what it really means. I knew it had something to do with merchants and trade, but I didn’t know the details. Today I’m putting that […]