Greek and Roman
Boys and their Birds
“He acquiesced; and the lady, after salutation, requested him to let her touch the bird. No sooner was it in her possession, than she wrenched its head from the body.” […]
Genre
Greek and Roman
The Breath of a Roman
“Nature has willed that only in man is the breath made bad in several different ways, namely by tainted food, decaying teeth, and most of all by old age.” […]
Medieval Mentality
The Land of Beer Abundance
It is told about this spring, or the water flowing from it, that it tastes exactly like ale and is very abundant. It is also said that if drunk to excess, it goes into one’s head.” […]
Britons and Celts
Priorities Clarified
“While Bevis was carrying out his responsibilities one day, the king’s son, like the fool that he was, went to the stables and attempted to untie Arundel. The horse kicked him so hard with a back hoof that the young man’s brains were splattered against the stable wall.” […]
Human Affairs
Earning a Seat at the Table
“The king had ordered them not to fight back. So I grabbed hold of Bodvar and braced my feet against the footboard. I hunched my shoulders and strained with my arms. I tried then with all my strength, but he sat perfectly still and there was no way I could budge him.” […]
Britons and Celts
A Cloak of Fishscales Sparks a War
“Clad in this kind of garment, he secretly entered the magnates’ bedrooms by night in the form of an angel and amazingly deluded their sense or rather their understanding, wide-awake as they were.” […]
Human Affairs
The Decency of Crooks
After the battle, Thrandur proposed that they should kill the boys, Sigmundur and Thorir.
“I’m not going to kill them,” replied Bjarni evenly.
Thrandur frowned, “If they go free, someday these boys will be the death of nearly every man here.”
Bjarni answered, “I wouldn’t kill them any more than I would kill myself.” […]
Greek and Roman
The Ugly Birth of All Things
Heaven rejoiced in his evil doing. But vast Earth groaned within, being straitened, and she made the element of grey flint and shaped a great sickle, and told her plan to her dear sons. […]
Britons and Celts
An Elizabethan Bully
“One time at a tavern Sir Walter Raleigh beat him and sealed up his mouth (i.e. his upper and nether beard) with hard wax.” […]
Human Affairs
In the Belly of the Metaphorical Whale
“At this time an old woman came in and dressed my wound. Then the neighbours began to take off the bandages. They rejoiced when they saw that I had recovered my senses and began to laugh over my misfortunes while I, as the sinner, mourned over them.” […]