Greek and Roman
To Shame a Pope
“But a Christian took away as prey that which no Christian had ever been heard to take.” […]
Month: September 2020
Eastern Europe
Saint Olga Outwits Her Suitor
“Then the Emperor said, “Olga, you have outwitted me.” He gave her many gifts of gold, silver, silks, and various vases, and dismissed her, still calling her his daughter.” […]
History
A King Learns to Never Cross the Finns
“Now when King Agni had fallen asleep, Skjalf took a thick cord and fastened it to the necklace.” […]
History
The Founding of the Templars
“By persuasion, prayer and every means in his power, he induced all such pilgrims as were men of arms either to surrender themselves for life to the service of the Lord in that place, or at least to devote themselves for a time.” […]
Eastern Europe
The Face of a Victor — an Ugly Victor
“Their hardihood is evident in their wild appearance, and they are beings who are cruel to their children on the very day they are born.” […]
Britons and Celts
Saxons Take What They Want
“And when the leaders of the Saxon army saw that the land was broad and fertile, and that the hands of the natives were slow to draw the sword, whereas they themselves and the greater part of the Saxons were without secure homes, they sent for an even larger army.” […]
Supernatural
The Mundanity of Magic
“As for the power witches have to darken the moon’s beams, raise tempests, uproot trees and plants, and enfeeble cattle and horses, I let these matters alone, well known as they are to everyone who closely investigates these pointless activities.” […]
Violence
A Kiss or a Kill
THE SCENE: After the Spanish General El Cid defeated the army of King Bucar of Morocco, he pursued the fleeing monarch to the sea. After cornering Bucar, El Cid offered him one chance at surrender: […]
Supernatural
An Inhuman Display of Athleticism
“Then Thrand Strider made a running leap at the wall, jumping high enough to be able to hook his axe over the tops of the wall and then pull himself up by the axe-handle until he got on to the fortification.” […]
Britons and Celts
A Poison-Proof Isle
“They found toads brought in by chance in the bottom of the holds. They threw them out still living on to the land; but immediately they turned their bellies up, burst in the middle, and died, while everybody saw and wondered.” […]